St. Thomas Becket, bishop  & martyr

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊ 

1 John 2:3-11

How can we know

That we know him? If we fulfill his commands. If you say, “I know him,” but do not ful­fill his commands, you are a liar and the truth is not in you.   But if you keep his word, God’s love is made complete in you. This is how we know that we are in him: he who claims to live in him must live as he lived.

 My dear friends, I am not writing you a new commandment, but reminding you of an old one, one you had from the beginning. This old commandment is the word you have heard.  But, in a way, I give it as a new commandment that is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light already shines.

 If you claim to be in the light but hate your brother, you are still in darkness.  If you love your brothers and sisters, you remain in the light and nothing in you will make you fall.  But if you hate your brother you are in the dark and walk in darkness without knowing where you go, for the darkness has blinded you.

 

Ps 96:1-2a, 2b—3, 5b-6

Let the heavens be glad and rejoice!

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊ 

Luke 2:22-35

When the day came for the purification according to the law of Moses, they brought the baby up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord: Every firstborn male shall be consecrated to God. And they offered a sacrifice, as ordered in the law of the Lord: a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

 There lived in Jerusalem, at this time, a very upright and devout man named Simeon; the Holy Spirit was in him. He looked forward to the time when the Lord would comfort Israel; and he had been assured, by the Holy Spirit, that he would not die before seeing the Messiah of the Lord.

So, he was led into the temple by the Holy Spirit at the time the parents brought the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law. Simeon took the child in his arms, and blessed God, saying, "Now, O Lord, you can dismiss your servant in peace, for you have fulfilled your word and my eyes have seen your salvation, which you display for all the people to see. Here is the light you will reveal to the nations, and the glory of your people Israel."

 His father and mother wondered at what was said about the child. Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, his mother, "Know this: your son is a sign; a sign established for the falling and rising of many in Israel, a sign of contradiction; and a sword will pierce your own soul, so that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed."

 

Gospel Reflection：

As faithful Jews, Joseph and Mary did what was prescribed in the Law. They presented their firstborn male child to God with an offering. Noble in spirit but poor, they could only afford a pair of turtle doves.

Other babies perhaps had better offerings. What went through the heads of Jesus' parents, we can never know. Did they feel secret shame that they could not provide well enough for the Son of God? We will never know.

But Mary and Joseph in their poverty did not shirk their responsibility. In their poverty, they want to do what is right for their precious baby. And the appearance of Simeon makes it even more interesting. He spoke highly of the child brought by simple parents whose offering amounts to almost nothing.

Simeon sees the essential that is invisible to others. He blessed God for the interesting times ahead that will mark human history. The divine has penetrated earthly realities. The heavens are once again open to traffic with earth.

 

St. Thomas Becket, bishop  & martyr

Born        21 December c. 1119　Cheapside, London, Kingdom of England

Died 29 December 1170 (age 50 or 51)

He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion. He engaged in conflict with Henry II, King of England, over the rights and privileges of the Church and was murdered by followers of the king in Canterbury Cathedral. Soon after his death, he was canonised by Pope Alexander III.