"Ini nga bata ginpili sang Dios nga manginkalaglagan ukon kaluwasan sang madamo"

Ebanghelyo subong nga Adlaw (Lucas 2:22-35)

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." 

Prayer: "Lord Jesus, may I recognize your visitation and be prepared for your action in my life today, just as Simeon Anna were prepared and ready to respond to your visitation and action in their day." 

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Reflections of the Daily Gospel: 

Is your life in tune with the Holy Spirit? Simeon was a man who was just towards others and devout towards God. He gladly accepted the mission God called him to perform with much fervent prayer and with patient expectation. His whole life was in tune with the Holy Spirit. His was found daily in the temple in prayer and worship and in humble and faithful expectation for the day that the Lord would comfort his people. As the days and months grew into years he never lost hope. When Joseph and Mary presented the child Jesus in the temple, Simeon immediately recognized the Lord’s presence in his temple. Through eyes of faith he say the infant Jesus as the fulfillment of all the messianic prophecies, hopes, and prayers of the people of Israel. Inspired by the Holy Spirit he prophesied that Jesus was to be "a revealing light to the Gentiles". Jesus came not only as “light and salvation” for the people of Israel, but for all nations as well. 

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 build 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). Do you recognize that you are God’s temple and that his Spirit dwells within 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?