Pierced Heart

~~~ Feast of the Presentation of the Lord ~~~

~~~ Malachi 3:1-4 ~~~ Psalm 24 ~~~ 

~~~ Hebrews 2:14-18 ~~~ Luke 2:22-40 ~~~

—and you yourself a sword will pierce—

so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

Simeon and Anna were present when Mary and Joseph

fulfilled the law by presenting Jesus in the temple.

Imagine being told that a sword would pierce your heart

 as you were caressing your son. 

Mary and Joseph were filled with joy 

at the birth of their son.

Every parent can relate to some degree

 what it means to have your heart pierced.

We do not live in a perfect world.

There are so many situations that pierce

 the heart of a mother and a father.

We tend to think of this from a negative view point.

Mary must have had her heart pierced 

with times of joy, happiness, and surprise.

The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;

and the favor of God was upon him.

Parents take great pleasure 

watching their children grow and develop.

Each small accomplishment is cause 

for your heart to be pierced with joy.

Just as a seedling pierces through 

the hard darkness of the seed coating,

joy can pierce our heart.

Mary had so much joy that she was able to bear

 the sorrow of watching her son,

 Jesus, suffer and die for us.

It was the depth of her joy

 that kept Mary from crumbling at the sight 

of the pain Jesus endured.

The favor of God was with Jesus.

The favor of God was with Mary.

The favor of God is with you too.

It is his love that allows your heart to be pierced.

The seed pierces the soil bringing forth new life.

Mary's heart was pierced, just as Jesus 

was dying to give us eternal life.

Sometimes it is necessary for our heart to be pierced.

Out of the puncture wound goodness is possible.

Blessings in the piercings of the heart.

~~~Peace~~~

Unexpected Message

~~~ 1 John 2:3-11 ~~~ Psalm 96 ~~~ Luke 2:22-35 ~~~

Purification...Presentation...Consecration

...the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord...

After the required days for purification
Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the temple.

They presented him as the Jewish law prescribed
and there they met the prophet Simeon and the prophetess Anna.

Joseph provided the gift of a pair turtle doves.
It was in a way buying back your son from God.

The message in the temple was not at all
what these new parents were expecting to hear.

There joy in the birth of their son Jesus
was muffled by the news...

“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.

Simeon reveals to Mary and Joseph
that his eyes have seen the light of salvation.
The birth of the child Jesus banishes the darkness.
Jesus is the true light of true light.

Whoever loves his brother remains in the light,
and there is nothing in him to cause a fall. 
Whoever hates his brother is in darkness;
he walks in darkness
and does not know where he is going
because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Jesus brought love into the world...
a world blanketed in darkness.

A great light has come
to inspire and to lead  us to eternity.

Glory to God in the highest.

Blessed into the light of Christ.

~~~Peace~~~
JOY
to the World!

Heavy Hearts

~~~ Feast of the Presentation of the Lord ~~~

~~~Malichi 3:1-4~~~ Psalm 24 ~~~ Hebrews 2:14-18~~~

 ~~~ Luke 2:22-40 ~~~

Simeon and the prophetess Anna had been patiently 

waiting in the temple for the Lord.

Today's Gospel gives us the rare glimpse 

of a woman praying and fasting

within the temple proper itself.

Anna lived and prayed their for most of her life.

You might consider her a consecrated female 

since the death of her husband.

The two of them were faithful to the promises of the Lord.

"...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..."

We do not have any reason to believe

 that Simeon and Anna feared death,

but after seeing Jesus in the Temple 

that day they were

content to die.

What they had been waiting for 

most of their life had come to pass.

They were blessed with the presence of the Lord in the Temple.

They both had been guided to wait there in the temple.

"...It had been revealed to him (Simeon) by the Holy Spirit

that he should not see death

before he had seen the Christ of the Lord."

 Imagine the surprise of Mary and Joseph

 hearing Simeon presenting himself

for God to take just for seeing their son, Jesus.

He goes on to prepare them for the heartache

they were going to experience in the coming days.

As a mother I cannot imagine being told 

of future heartaches concerning my child.

There is a good reason why we are not 

given the privilege of seeing the future.

For most people it would be too overwhelming.

I do wonder how Mary and Joseph

 were able to hear these prophecies

and continue to experience the joy of their son, Jesus.

Being told a sword would pierce your heart...

"—and you yourself a sword will pierce—

so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

The thoughts of many hearts may be revealed...

Mary must have been

confused as to what those words really meant.

I like to think that when I come to Mary in prayer 

she has an understanding

of my prayer already in her heart.

She was given insight into what troubles our hearts most.

She has the insight of a mother's love.

After leaving the temple 

they must have been filled with joy.

They must have also had heavy hearts 

trying to understand the words

that had been spoken to them about their child.

How could they make sense of how prophetic 

the words were to become?

Blessings through hearing heart breaking news.

~~~Peace~~~

Praise and Thanks to the Lord

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

~~Malachi 3:1-4~~ Psalm 24~~Hebrews 2:14-18~~Luke 2:22-40~~

And suddenly there will come to the temple
the LORD whom you seek...

Simeon, one who listens, is waiting in the temple for the Lord.
Simeon knew of this prophecy from Malachi.
God blesses him with longevity of life.
After seeing and touching the Lord he can die a happy peaceful death.
To me Simeon represents the presence of the Holy Spirit
as our Lord, Jesus is being consecrated in the temple.

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

The parents of Jesus are devout Jews.
Joseph and Mary follow the prescribed laws for purification.
According to the Mosaic law (Lv 12:2–8),
the woman who gives birth to a boy is unable for forty days
 to touch anything sacred or to enter the temple area
by reason of her legal impurity. At the end of this period
she is required to offer a year-old lamb
 as a burnt offering and a turtledove or young pigeon
as an expiation of sin.

If a woman could not afford a lamb then she was
 to bring two turtledoves or two pigeons, as Mary does.

Jesus was taken to the temple and consecrated to the Lord.
Jesus was formally presented back to his Father.

Anna, means favor or grace. She is quite an unusual woman,
she recognizes the child Jesus for who he is
even as a child.

Anna, like Simeon, is also old. God places
them both in the temple for the presentation of this child.
Simeon takes young Jesus in his arms and gives praise to God.

While Anna, called the prophetess, gives thanks.

In the presence of Jesus we too
are called to give his praise and thanksgiving.

Spirit, wisdom, grace, and salvation along
with young and elderly come together in the temple this day.

Jesus became flesh to bless us with eternal salvation.
Peace!

Remain in the Light

~~~ 1 John 2:3-11 ~~~ Psalm 96 ~~~ Luke 2: 22-35 ~~~

 

...The Fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me

five golden rings....

 

The prophecy of Simeon in the temple was hardly a golden ring.

Simeon was aging; he felt the presence of the Lord

when the Child Jesus was brought

into the sacred space.

 

Simeon was open to the promises of the spirit of the Lord

 just as Mary was when the annunciation was made to her.

 

Mary and Joseph had no premonition of what they

would hear that day in the temple.

They were following the prescribed rituals

 for presenting their son to God.

 

'...Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord...'

 

Just yesterday we read of the slaughter of the male infants

today we see Jesus being presented publicly in the temple.

One might think the temple represented a place of safety

since it was the house of God.

Would that be true today?

I cannot say 'yes' for sure.

 

Mary and Joseph enter the temple in joy and leave the temple

with heavy hearts. Simeon had revealed troubling news to them...

 

"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."

 

Mary had to muster her courage carry her child out of the temple

and live a life of love.

She could not live in constant fear and apprehension

as to how Simeon's words would come to be.

 

We cannot live in an environment of apprehension.

It is not how we live a life of trusting in the Lord's

Divine providence.

 

'...Whoever loves his brother remains in the light,
and there is nothing in him to cause a fall...'

 

 

 

The light has been given to us.

If we believe then we must embrace the light.

We must walk in the light...

Face the light so as not

to be in your own shadow.

 

The LORD made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty go before him;
praise and grandeur are in his sanctuary.

The Presentation of Sorrows

Our Lady of Sorrows

 

~~~ 1 Cor 10: 14-22 ~~~ Psalm 116 ~~~ Luke 2: 33-35 ~~~

 

"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."

 

This prophecy of Simeon was the beginning of Mary's sorrowful life.

Today the church is calling to our attention the facet of Mary's life that is not unlike our own. We are all faced with sorrows in our lives...deaths, disappointments, losses are just a few. Mary's life was surely filled with many joys as well.

It is by design that this feast immediately follows the Exultation of the Cross.

Without a doubt Mary's greatest sorrow was the violent brutal death of her son, Jesus.

She silently accepted her sorrows holding them close to her heart.

 

At the Annunciation when she answered 'yes'

she have little if any understanding about

what the future would bring for her.

 

When Mary and Joseph made the presentation of their baby, Jesus,

in the temple Mary had no idea she would be told such heart piercing words.

These words were spoken to her from a respected person

but yet Simeon was a stranger.

I wonder if Mary's first reaction was to discount his words.

Being a mother myself I am sure they were not

words she expected to hear.

 

I remember being a new mother myself.

Our first child had a serious intestinal birth defect.

At only nine days of age he needed life saving surgery.

The next six weeks following his delicate surgery were spent in the NICU.

 

Mary had given birth to a health baby boy so these words were more difficult to believe. Her initial sorrows were not manifested with external signs.

In the final hours before the death of Jesus the sorrows of Mary were sorely visible.

Others around her, who loved Jesus and her, were also filled with sorrow.

For Mary as his mother her sorrow must have been extremely painful. She may have even felt some physical pain due to the intensity of her emotional pain.

 

 

We know from the scriptures the many times when Mary was plunged into sorrow.

The sorows she experienced have made her the perfect person for us.

When we are in the midst of our sorrows it is comforting to go to her.

Talk with Mary in your prayer time...she understands...as only a mother can.

She knows the hidden sorrows that lie within your heart.

She knows the visible effects of deep sorrows.

 

There is so much we can learn from how Mary moved through

her life with her sorrows.

She never tried to deny or ignore her sorrows.

She bore them fully and totally in her heart.

She tempered them with the promise of heaven.

She believed that she would be reunited with her son, Jesus, in heaven.

 

Mary is full of love and compassion for you.

Bring her your sorrows asking her for the wisdom to accept

and the courage to persevere.

 

"You need endurance to do the will of God

and receive what he has promised."

Hebrews 10: 36

 

I invite you to read the Stabat Mater prayer today

which summarizes the great sorros of Mary.

You may also want to pray the

Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary today.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us.