"Ang grasya sang Dios yara sa iya"

Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Lucas 2:22-40)

Domingo (Pebrero 2)

Nag-abot ang tion nga si Jose kag si Maria kinahanglan magtuman sang seremoniya sang pagpaninlo suno sa Kasuguan ni Moises. Gani, gindala nila ang bata sa Jerusalem agod ihalad sa Ginoo.

Amo ini ang nasulat sa kasugoan sang Ginoo, "Ang tagsa ka panganay nga lalaki ihalad sa Ginoo."

Nagdulot man sila sing halad suno sa nasiling sa kasugoan sang Ginoo, "Duha ka tukmo, ukon duha ka kuyabog nga pating."

Sa sadto nga tion may tawo nga nagapuyo sa Jerusalem nga ang iya ngalan si Simeon. Ini nga tawo matarong kag matinuohon sa Dios, kag nagahulat sang pagluwas sa Israel. Ang Espiritu Santo yara sa iya, kag nagpasalig sa iya nga indi sia mapatay sa wala pa niya makita ang ginsaad sang Ginoo nga Cristo.

Sa pagtuytoy sang Espiritu, si Simeon nagkadto sa templo. Sang gindala ang bata nga si Jesus sang iya mga ginikanan sa pagtuman sang ginasiling sang Kasugoan, ginkugos ni Simeon ang bata kag nagpasalamat sia sa Dios nga nagasiling: "Karon, O Ginoo, Gintuman mo ang imo saad, Kag mapataliwan mo na Ang imo alagad sa paghidait.

Kay ang akon gid mga mata Nakakita sang imo kaluwasan, Nga gin-aman mo sa atubangan Sang tanan nga mga katawuhan: Isa ka kapawa Nga magaiwag sa mga Gentil, Kag manginhimaya Sa imo mga tawo sa Israel."

Ang amay kag iloy sang bata natingala gid sang ginhambal ni Simeon nahanungod sa iya.

Si Simeon nagbendisyon sa ila kag nagsiling kay Maria nga iloy sang bata, "Ini nga bata ginpili sang Dios nga manginkalaglagan ukon kaluwasan sang madamo sa Israel. Sia mangintanda gikan sa Dios nga pagakontrahon sang madamo, kag magapahayag sang ila tinago nga mga panghunahona. Kag ang kalisod, subong sang isa ka matalom nga espada, magalapos sang imo kaugalingon nga tagipusoon."

May propeta nga babayi nga si Ana nga anak ni Fanuel gikan sa tribo ni Aser. Ini sia isa ka tigulang nga pito ka tuig lang ang ila pagpuyo sang iya bana kag mabalo sia.

Otsentay kuwatro na ka tuig nga nabalo sia kag sa sini nga kalawigon wala gid sia makagwa sa templo. Sa adlaw kag gab-i nagaalagad sia sa Dios kag nagapuasa kag nagapangamuyo.

Sa sadto gid nga takna nag-abot sia kag nagpasalamat sa Dios, kag nagpanugid sia nahanungod sang bata sa tanan nga mga tawo nga nagahulat sang pagtubos sang Dios sa Jerusalem.

Sang natuman na nila ang tanan nga ginasiling sang kasugoan sang Ginoo, nagbalik sila sa Galilea sa ila kaugalingon nga banwa nga Nazaret.

Ang bata nagdaku kag nagbakod, nga napun-an sang kaalam, kag ang grasya sang Dios yara sa iya.

Prayers:

"Lord Jesus, may I never cease to hope in you and to trust in your promises. Fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may always recognize your saving presence in my life. Help me to point others to Christ and to be an example of faith and devotion as Simeon and Anna were to their generation."

***

Reflection of the Daily Gospel:

Do you know the favor of the Lord? After Jesus' birth, Mary fulfills the Jewish right of purification after childbirth. Since she could not afford the customary offering of a lamb, she gives instead two pigeons as an offering of the poor. This rite, along with circumcision and the redemption of the first-born point to the fact that children are gifts from God. Jesus was born in an ordinary home where there were no luxuries. Like all godly parents, Mary and Joseph raised their son in the fear and wisdom of God. He, in turn, was obedient to them and grew in wisdom and grace. The Lord's favor is with those who listen to his word with trust and obedience. Do you know the joy of submission to God? And do you seek to pass on the faith and to help the young grow in wisdom and maturity?

What is the significance of Simeon's encounter with the baby Jesus and his mother in the temple? Simeon was a just and devout man who was very much in tune with the Holy Spirit. He believed that the Lord would return to his temple and renew his chosen people. The Holy Spirit also revealed to him that the Messiah and King of Israel would also bring salvation to the Gentile nations. When Joseph and Mary presented the baby Jesus in the temple, Simeon immediately recognized this humble child of Bethlehem as the fulfillment of all the messianic prophecies, hopes, and prayers. Inspired by the Holy Spirit he prophesied that Jesus was to be "a revealing light to the Gentiles". The Holy Spirit reveals the presence of the Lord to those who are receptive and eager to receive him. Do you recognize the indwelling presence of the Lord with you?

Jesus is the new temple (John 1:14; 2:19-22). In the Old Testament God manifested his presence in the "pillar of cloud" by day and the "pillar of fire" by night as he led them through the wilderness. God's glory visibly came to dwell over the ark and the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-38). When the first temple was built in Jerusalem God's glory came to rest there (1 Kings 8). After the first temple was destroyed, Ezekiel saw God's glory leave it (Ezekiel 10). But God promised one day to fill it with even greater glory (Haggai 2:1-9; Zechariah 8-9). That promise is fulfilled when the "King of Glory" himself comes to his temple (Psalm 24:7-10; Malachi 3:1). Through Jesus' coming in the flesh and through his saving death, resurrection, and ascension we are made living temples of his Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16-17). Ask the Lord to renew your faith in the indwelling presence of his Spirit with you. And give him thanks and praise for coming to make his home with you.

Simeon blessed Mary and Joseph and he prophesied to Mary about the destiny of this child and the suffering she would undergo for his sake. There is a certain paradox for those blessed by the Lord. Mary was given the blessedness of being the mother of the Son of God. That blessedness also would become a sword which pierced her heart as her Son died upon the cross. She received both a crown of joy and a cross of sorrow. But her joy was not diminished by her sorrow because it was fueled by her faith, hope, and trust in God and his promises. Jesus promised his disciples that "no one will take your joy from you" (John 16:22). The Lord gives us a supernatural joy which enables us to bear any sorrow or pain and which neither life nor death can take way. Do you know the joy of a life fully surrendered to God with faith and trust?

Simeon was not alone in recognizing the Lord's presence in the temple. Anna, too, was filled with the Holy Spirit. She was found daily in the temple, attending to the Lord in prayer and speaking prophetically to others about God's promise to send a redeemer. Supernatural hope grows with prayer and age! Anna was pre-eminently a woman of great hope and expectation that God would fulfill all his promises. She is a model of godliness to all believers as we advance in age. Advancing age and the disappointments of life can easily make us cynical and hopeless if we do not have our hope placed rightly. Anna's hope in God and his promises grew with age. She never ceased to worship God in faith and to pray with hope. Her hope and faith in God's promises fueled her indomitable zeal and fervor in prayer and service of God's people. What do you hope for? The hope which God places in our heart is the desire for the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness. How do we grow in hope? By placing our trust in the promises of Jesus Christ and relying not on our own strength, but on the grace and help of the Holy Spirit. Does your hope and fervor for God grow with age?