God comes to his temple today as if incognito, as a child carried in the arms of its mother. Simeon, the old man in the Temple, took Jesus in his arms and recognized this child as the Savior expected by the Jews in the Old Testament but also as the salvation of all people. In
Pleasing the Lord When Jesus Was A Child Greeting The Lord loves you. In our families and communities may the Lord unite you in his love and may you do everything in his name. His peace be always with you. R/ And also with you. Introduction by the Celebrant Pleasing the Lord Every family has
Close to our Lord, obsessed by love. These may will be the marks of John, the Evangelist. He had experienced in his person what it means to be loved by Jesus and to love in return. And Jesus was the Lord, God’s Son! In later life, he was driven by this love, as his Gospel
From the very beginning of its existence, the Church suffered persecution like its founder Jesus. St. Stephen was of Greek pagan origin and highly respected in the young Church of Jerusalem. Like Jesus, he died praying for his persecutors and entrusted himself, even as he died, into the hands of God. He had been one
God In His Humanity The Human Face Of God A God With Whom We Can Identify Greeting (See First Reading) You are no longer forsaken nor your land abandoned, but you shall be called “My Delight.” As the bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so will your God rejoice in you. The bridegroom coming to us
Greeting (See Second Reading) In our own time God has spoken to us through his own Son, the radiant light of God’s glory through whom he made everything. May this Son, Jesus the Lord, be with you. R/ And also with you. 1. The Word Became Flesh Today God tells us something very important about
The promise made by the Lord was finally fulfilled with the birth of Jesus… God would set his people free by no less than his own Son. Was the promise finally fulfilled? It was the beginning of the fulfillment. Everything was there to make it real and effective, except the people who would have to
Indeed, “God is gracious.” This is the meaning of the name John. We are told today about the birth of the forerunner of Jesus, John the Baptist. We remember the coming of the Savior and how a special messenger of God had to prepare the hearts of people for the coming of the Savior. But
Today is a celebration of thanks to the Lord, who does great things to humble people who trust in God. In the Old Testament, Hannah thanks God because he has given her a son. She dedicates him to God. Samuel will be a very great prophet of the Lord. And Mary, a young, humble, unassuming
Emmanuel: God With Us A Child, Sign of Hope Greeting (From the Second Reading) To you all, who are God’s beloved and called to be saints, grace and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom 1:7) R/ And also with you. Introduction by the Celebrant Emmanuel: God With Us God
