Reading 1
Mal 3:1-4
Thus says the Lord God:
Lo, I am sending my messenger
to prepare the way before me;
And suddenly there will come to the temple
the Lord whom you seek,
And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.
Yes, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.
But who will endure the day of his coming?
And who can stand when he appears?
For he is like the refiner’s fire,
or like the fuller’s lye.
He will sit refining and purifying silver,
and he will purify the sons of Levi,
Refining them like gold or like silver
that they may offer due sacrifice to the Lord.
Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem
will please the Lord,
as in the days of old, as in years gone by.
Ps 24:7, 8, 9, 10
Responsorial PsalmR. (8)
Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up, O gates, your lintels;
reach up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may come in!
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is this king of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up, O gates, your lintels;
reach up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may come in!
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is this king of glory?
The Lord of hosts; he is the king of glory.
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Reading 2
Heb 2:14-18
Since the children share in blood and flesh,
Jesus likewise shared in them,
that through death he might destroy the one
who has the power of death, that is, the Devil,
and free those who through fear of death
had been subject to slavery all their life.
Surely he did not help angels
but rather the descendants of Abraham;
therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters
in every way,
that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God
to expiate the sins of the people.
Because he himself was tested through what he suffered,
he is able to help those who are being tested.
Gospel
Lk 2:22-40 or 2:22-32
When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
“Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.”
The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
and you yourself a sword will pierce
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
There was also a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him.
or
When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
“Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.”
Meditation: Malachi 3:1-4
The Presentation of the Lord
He is like the refiner’s fire. (Malachi 3:2)
In the last chapter of the last book of the Old Testament, the prophet Malachi peers into the future to announce a great arrival: “Suddenly there will come to the temple the Lordwhom you seek” (Malachi 3:1). Five centuries or so later, Simeon and Anna stepped forward as faithful sentinels, ready to greet “the Messiah of the Lord” as he enters the Jerusalem Temple for the first time (Luke 2:26).
It’s a familiar and heartwarming scene—a beautiful child, glowing parents, a humble offering, and heartfelt praise. But what does this low-key “presentation” have to do with the grand entrance that Malachi described? He had warned of a fear-some day of judgment, when the Lord would take action against the faithlessness of his priests and people. Right there in the Temple, the fire of God’s holiness would blaze out to purify those who repented of their sins and to punish those who refused.
Looking down at the baby in his arms, Simeon caught some glimpse of this coming judgment and purification. He didn’t know that Jesus would return to the Temple one day, blazing with God’s own anger that his house of prayer had been made “a den of thieves” (Luke 19:46). And he couldn’t profess, as we do, that Jesus “will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.” But led by the Spirit, Simeon recognized Jesus as “a sign that will be contradicted”—a Messiah “destined for the fall and rise of many” (Luke 2:34).
The Jerusalem Temple is long gone, but today, in the temple of our own hearts, God is inviting us to wait and watch. So let’s open the doors and welcome him in. But let’s open ourselves to all of Jesus—not just the sweet child who wins our hearts with tenderness but the Lord of glory who comes to purify us and make us holy.
Yes, this means repentance, self-denial, the cross. But what’s all that compared to the end result? The more we let Jesus in, we more we know the joy of becoming a holy people shining with the radiance of the Lord of Hosts.
“Jesus, what an awesome offer—to share your life and become like you! Come into my heart, and make yourself at home. Whatever it takes, make me your own in every way.”
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