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Are we bearers of the Light of Jesus? 

Home|Reflections|Are we bearers of the Light of Jesus? 

May the Lord give you peace.  

It is 2nd February 2024.  We celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord which is called Candlemas, or the Feast of the Purification of Mary.  It is also the feast of Encounter with the Lord. 

Our Lord Jesus is the Light to All. 

The feast commemorates the presentation of Christ in the temple.  This is the day; the people of God are invited to bring the candles to be blessed by a priest and used in our families.  The revelation of the Lord as the Light to All. 

We reflect on Malachi 3:1-4; the second reading is from Hebrews 2:14-18; and the Gospel from Luke 2:22-40. 

The first reading points out that the Lord whom we all eagerly looking for would enter our sanctuary as a fire and a purifier.  “Suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek.” (Mal.3:1). The arrival of the Lord into our lives is unstoppable by any means.  The purifying light of our Saviour enters our very being through the Sacrament of Baptism. 

We too are the temple of the Spirit of God that holds the pattern of light that must shine for self and everyone.  

The responsorial Psalm praises, “Who is this king of glory?  It is the Lord.” (Ps.25:8). 

Christ in His humanity represents us all to God.

The second reading tells us that Christ in His humanity represents us all to God.  “Surely, He did not help angels… 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.” (Heb.2: 16, 17). 

We are blessed with the light of Christ not to condemn others but to enlighten and to make them shine as we are.  The Gospel invites us to welcome the Light of the world, Jesus Christ into our lives as Simeon and Anna did. 

Are we bearers of the Light of Jesus? 

We can only enjoy eternal peace and rest after an Encounter with our Lord as the light of our souls.  We all need to reclaim our identity of being a light to those who are around us.  Is the light of Christ in us shining? 

Without the acknowledgment of the presence of the Holy Spirit, we cannot even feel that we have light within ourselves. 

Let us take up the activities in our families, the communities, the Church and in the nation. We must courageously bring out the light of Christ through our charity and our promotion of peace. 

Let us renew the vows that we made to the Lord on the day of our profession, our ordination, and our baptism. 

May you have a good day.

 

Fr. Peter Fernando, OFMCap.

Director, Office of Family Ministry, Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia (AVOSA).Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.♣Website:https://reflectionsofpeter.org/.♣Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/samarpet

 

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FilcomAdmin February 2, 2024

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