The Presentation in the Temple
Also called The Purification of the Virgin, The Meeting of our Lord in the Temple, or Candlemass
Fi tmiem il-quddiesa jsir il-Bews tal-Bambin tal-Gandlora u purċissjoni ċkejkna fil-Knisja.
- Din il-Pittura ta' Ġuzeppi Cali tinsab fil-Knisja Parrokkjali, Marija Addolorata, San Pawl il-Baħar, Malta.
- This painting by Guseppe Cali can be seen at the Parish Church of Our Lady of Sorrows in St Paul's Bay, Malta
Daily Reflection from "Bible Alive"
Mary and Joseph, as faithful and law-abiding Jews, had to wait forty days after the birth of their son before going to the temple in Jerusalem to offer sacrifice for Mary’s purification. Many families could not afford the required lamb and pigeon (or dove), so the law conceded that two pigeons or doves would suffice (Lev. 5:11; 12:2-8). The Torah stipulated that the first-born of both man and animal were to be consecrated to the Lord (Exod. 13:12-13). The animals were sacrificed but the human beings were set apart to serve the their God for the rest of their lives, although in practice the Levite priests actually served in place of the first-born males (Num. 3:11-13).
The Jewish people in Jesus’ day (and indeed in ours) awaited the consolation of Israel, the comfort the Messiah would bring on his appearing (Isa. 40:1-2). Simeon and Anna recognized immediately – clearly the work of the Holy Spirit – that Jesus was the Messiah, the ‘consolation of Israel’. Jesus is not just the consolation of Israel: he is the consolation of the whole world.
On this holy feast-day we each have an opportunity to consecrate our lives anew to the Lord. How do we do this? We can simply make a prayer of re-dedication to God which can take many forms. It can be a simple heartfelt prayer reaffirming our baptismal promises or a re-visiting of our religious or marriage vows. Or it can be a prayer which asks the Holy Spirit to renew our sense of vocation as a priest or religious or as a lay person in our chosen job, trade or profession.
We gave our life to the when we were baptized but the call to conversion continues to resound throughout our lives and ‘this second conversion is an uninterrupted task for the whole church’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1428). A re-dedication or renewal of vows or promises is a movement of conversion within our heart and is always a work of the Holy Spirit.
Today, step out in faith, whatever your vocation, whatever your calling, and give your life to the Lord, in the assurance of God’s grace, blessing and renewal in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Luke 2:22-40
2 ta’ Frar
Qari mill-Evanġelju skont San Luqa.
Meta għalqilhom iż-żmien għat-tisfija tagħhom, skont il-Liġi ta’ Mosè, ħadu lil Ġesù f’Ġerusalemm biex jippreżentawh lill-Mulej, bħalma hu miktub fil-Liġi tal-Mulej, ‘Kull tifel li jitwieled l-ewwel wieħed, ikun ikkonsagrat lill-Mulej,’ u biex joffru b’sagrifiċċju ‘par gamiem jew żewġ bċieċen,’ kif jingħad fil-Liġi tal-Mulej.
Kien hemm f’Ġerusalemm raġel jismu Xmun. Dan kien raġel ġust u tajjeb, li kien jistenna l-faraġ ta’ Israel, u l-Ispirtu s-Santu kien fuqu. U kien imnebbaħ mill-Ispirtu s-Santu li ma kienx sa jara l-mewt qabel ma jara lil Kristu l-Mulej. Ġie mela fit-Tempju, imqanqal mill-Ispirtu, u xħin il-ġenituri ġiebu t-tarbija Ġesù biex jagħmlulu dak li kienet trid il-Liġi, huwa ħadu fuq dirgħajh, bierek ’l Alla u qal: “Issa, o Sid, tista’ tħalli l-qaddej tiegħek imur fis-sliem, skont kelmtek; għaliex għajnejja raw is-salvazzjoni tiegħek, li int ħejjejt għall-popli kollha: dawl biex idawwal il-ġnus, u glorja tal-poplu tiegħek Israel.” Missieru u ommu baqgħu mistagħġba b’dak li kien qiegħed jingħad fuqu. Xmun berikhom, u qal lil Marija, ommu: “Ara, dan sa jġib il-waqgħa u l-qawmien ta’ ħafna f’Israel; sa jkun sinjal u jmeruh – u int ukoll, min-naħa tiegħek, sejf jinfidlek ruħek! – ħalli jinkixfu l-ħsibijiet moħbija ta’ ħafna.”
Kien hemm ukoll waħda profetissa, Anna, bint Fanwel, mit-tribù ta’ Aser. Din kienet imdaħħla ħafna fiż-żmien; wara xbubitha kienet għamlet seba’ snin miżżewġa, u mbagħad baqgħet armla. Sakemm kellha erbgħa u tmenin sena ma kinitx titwarrab mit- Tempju, lejl u nhar taqdi fis-sawm u t-talb. Dak il-ħin stess waslet, u bdiet tfaħħar ’l Alla u titkellem fuq it-tarbija ma’ dawk kollha li kienu jistennew il-fidwa ta’ Ġerusalemm. Meta temmew kulma kellhom jagħmlu skont il-Liġi tal-Mulej, reġgħu lura lejn il-Galilija, fil-belt tagħhom Nazaret. U t-tifel baqa’ jikber u jitqawwa u jimtela bl-għerf. U l-grazzja t’Alla kienet fuqu.
Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
R/. Tifħir lilek Kristu.