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Sunday, February 2, 2014: (FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD) Readings for today: Malachi 3:1-4 / Hebrews 2:14-18 / Luke 2:22-40:
Readings from: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/020214.cfm (Pics from elsewhere on the internet)
Reading 1 - A reading from the book of the Prophet Malachi (Malachi 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.
Responsorial Psalm - (Psalm 24: 7, 8, 9, 10):
From: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0ekUQH_Vu8
R. (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 - A reading from the first letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews (Hebrews 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 - A reading from the holy Gospel according to St. Luke (Luke 2:22-40):
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.
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02/02/2014 - St. Ansgar): AKA "The Apostle of the North" and Patron Saint of Denmark
From: http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/SaintOfDay/default.aspx
St.
Ansgar
Feastday: February 1
The “apostle of the
north” (Scandinavia) had enough frustrations to become a saint—and he did. He
became a Benedictine at Corbie, France, where he had been educated. Three years
later, when the king of Denmark became a convert, Ansgar went to that country
for three years of missionary work, without noticeable success. Sweden asked for
Christian missionaries, and he went there, suffering capture by pirates and
other hardships on the way. Fewer than two years later, he was recalled, to
become abbot of New Corbie (Corvey) and bishop of Hamburg. The pope made him
legate for the Scandinavian missions. Funds for the northern apostolate stopped
with Emperor Louis’s death. After 13 years’ work in Hamburg, Ansgar saw it
burned to the ground by invading Northmen; Sweden and Denmark returned to
paganism.
He directed new apostolic activities in the North, traveling to Denmark and
being instrumental in the conversion of another king. By the strange device of
casting lots, the king of Sweden allowed the Christian missionaries to return.
Ansgar’s biographers remark that he was an extraordinary preacher, a humble and
ascetical priest. He was devoted to the poor and the sick, imitating the Lord in
washing their feet and waiting on them at table. He died peacefully at Bremen,
Germany, without achieving his wish to be a martyr.
Sweden became pagan again after his death, and remained so until the coming of
missionaries two centuries later.
Stories:
One of his followers was bragging about all the miracles the saint had wrought.
Ansgar rebuked him by saying, "If I were worthy of such a favor from my God, I
would ask that he grant me this one miracle: that by his grace he would make of
me a good man."
Comment:
History records what people do, rather than what they are. Yet the courage and
perseverance of men and women like Ansgar can only come from a solid base of
union with the original courageous and persevering Missionary. Ansgar’s life is
another reminder that God writes straight with crooked lines. Christ takes care
of the effects of the apostolate in his own way; he is first concerned about the
purity of the apostles themselves.
Patron Saint of:
Denmark