L'Evangile dans ma vie/ The Gospel in my life

Texte de l'Évangile

(Mt 4,12-17.23-25): 

Quand Jésus apprit l'arrestation de Jean Baptiste, il se retira en Galilée. Il quitta Nazareth et vint habiter à Capharnaüm, ville située au bord du lac, dans les territoires de Zabulon et de Nephtali. Ainsi s'accomplit ce que le Seigneur avait dit par le prophète Isaïe: «Pays de Zabulon et pays de Nephtali, route de la mer et pays au-delà du Jourdain, Galilée, toi le carrefour des païens: le peuple qui habitait dans les ténèbres a vu se lever une grande lumière. Sur ceux qui habitaient dans le pays de l'ombre et de la mort, une lumière s'est levée».

A partir de ce moment, Jésus se mit à proclamer: «Convertissez-vous, car le Royaume des cieux est tout proche». Jésus, parcourant toute la Galilée, enseignait dans leurs synagogues, proclamait la Bonne Nouvelle du Royaume, guérissait toute maladie et toute infirmité dans le peuple. Sa renommée se répandit dans toute la Syrie et on lui amena tous ceux qui souffraient, atteints de maladies et de tourments de toutes sortes: possédés, épileptiques, paralysés; et il les guérit. De grandes foules le suivirent, venues de la Galilée, de la Décapole, de Jérusalem, de la Judée, et de la Transjordanie.

L’Application

La Parole de Jésus a un pouvoir que le centurion a reconnu et apprécié. Le nom de Jésus a un pouvoir que ses disciples ont reconnu dans leur mission. Tous ceux qui ont reconnu cette puissance n'ont jamais été déçus. La célébration du NOM de Jésus nous invite à reconnaître la puissance de ce nom et à en profiter, pour notre bien, mais aussi pour le bien des autres. Commençons et terminons toute chose au nom du Seigneur et qu'Il soit notre Alfa et notre Omega.

«Le Royaume des cieux est tout proche»

Abbé Jordi CASTELLET i Sala

(Sant Hipòlit de Voltregà, Barcelona, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui, nous recommençons, pour ainsi dire. «Le peuple qui habitait dans les ténèbres a vu se lever une grande lumière» (Mt 4,16), nous dit le prophète Isaïe, cité dans l'Évangile du jour. Il nous réachemine vers ce que nous écoutions à Noël. Nous recommençons, une nouvelle chance nous est offerte. Un temps tout neuf: laissons humblement, à cette occasion, le Père agir dans nos vies.

Aujourd'hui débute l'époque où Dieu nous donne une fois encore son temps pour que nous le sanctifiions, pour que nous soyons près de Lui et que nous fassions de notre vie un service des autres. La période de Noël s'achèvera, si Dieu le veut, dimanche prochain, avec la fête du Baptême du Seigneur, qui tirera le coup d'envoi d'une nouvelle année -le temps ordinaire, comme on dit dans la liturgie chrétienne-, afin de vivre in extenso le mystère de Noël. L'Incarnation du Verbe nous a visités en ces jours et, infailliblement, elle a semé dans nos coeurs sa Grâce salvifique qui nous oriente de nouveau vers le Royaume des Cieux, le Règne de Dieu que le Christ est venu inaugurer parmi nous, grâce à son action et à son engagement au sein de notre humanité.

C'est la raison pour laquelle, saint Léon le Grand nous dit que «la providence et la miséricorde de Dieu, qui avait déjà pensé -dans les temps récents- à aider le monde qui s'enfonçait, a décidé le salut de tous les peuples par l'intermédiaire de Jésus-Christ».

Voici le temps favorable. Ne pensons pas que Dieu agissait davantage auparavant, qu'il était plus facile de croire auprès de Jésus -physiquement, veux-je dire-, qu'à présent où nous ne le voyons plus tel qu'Il est. Les sacrements de l'Église et la prière communautaire nous obtiennent le pardon et la paix, ainsi que la possibilité de participer de nouveau à l'œuvre de Dieu dans le monde par notre travail, notre étude, notre famille, nos amis, nos divertissements ou notre vie parmi nos frères. Que le Seigneur, source de tout don et de tout bien, nous le permette!

"Arise, Jerusalem, shine! Your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. This is the Good News that rings in our ears. It is amazing that it is the strangers who announce it to us. The feast of the Epiphany helps us to understand our God, a God who loves us, a God who works in all discretion, leading the whole world, with its diversity, once again forming one people, his people, his beloved. Today we are witnesses to this marvellous event.

We rejoice because God has chosen this day for the world to discover this God in this child. It is no longer a chosen race, but in it all races have been unified. We are no longer Greek or Roman, we are Christians, a new race has been born which has received a new identity, an identity in love and forgiveness. Love one another as I have loved you. We now become bearers of the radiant light, the Light of Christ, through our life of witness.

St. Paul in the second reading reveals this truth to us in the light of his own conversion, of his encounter with Christ, and through Christ, the Church of the Lord, for whom he became the ambassador, to the Gentile people. "This mystery is that all nations are associated with the same inheritance, the same body, the sharing of the same promise, in Christ Jesus, through the proclamation of the Gospel.

The Church invites us to discover the Magi, who are the seekers of truth, by interpreting the signs of heaven that they saw. They were intelligent men, and also men of wisdom. Looking at these men we can easily understand the basis of Pope Francis' Encyclical, 'Laudato Si', where the whole world is invited to see and look at creation. Looking at the Lord's creation, it is invited to discern and judge. In his discernment and decision, we must commit ourselves, so that Creation may regain its beauty and majesty. There we can celebrate. Life must be a celebration.

In this celebration, we can easily make mistakes, especially in our discernment, like those of Magi, who went to knock on the palace door. All was well, and in the end they missed the point, because they thought that their journey to worship the Saviour ended in the palace. How many of us end our journey in the middle of the road, without being able to reach and enjoy the years of work? Let us not lose confidence, they teach us to start all over again, and they will restart, fully guided by the stars, seeking now on a new path, strangely without the stars which accompanied them, after knowing how to worship the Lord. For the living and for people of faith, life is always a new beginning. Everyday is a new life. Let’s not be blocked in our past mistakes. We should keep going, giving the same hope to all those who search this living God.  

What are they seeing in this child, the men of wisdom and understanding, that they fall to their knees, fall at His feet, prostrate themselves before Him? What a wonderful gesture! Surrendering themselves, before this Holy Child, and adore the God of creation. Shouldn’t we learn to repeat the same with our brothers and sisters, where God is actively and sometime passively present and manifest? Have we had this experience of prostrating ourselves before our Lord, Jesus Christ, dead and risen, in the Blessed Sacrament? As I have already mentioned, that life is a celebration. We celebrate the manifestation of the Lord and let the world discover and celebrate it in us. God bless you all.

What a joy it is for us to begin the year in the maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Gospel begins with the statement, "They found Mary and Joseph with the new-born child lying in the manger". We are invited to discover, like Elizabeth, the divine motherhood of Mary, and to adore the Child God, invisible to the world, yet visible to the eyes of faith. Let us discover each day of this year with these eyes of faith, and in every individual this divine presence.

To do this, we must know how to listen to the word of the angels, a word that is very foreign, provoking fear and uncertainty, never seen or heard. Let us dare and listen to it.  With this message of joy and wonder, a message of peace and serenity,  we must learn to take the risk of moving, leaving the sheep in their place, towards an unknown direction. Like those shepherds, let us go with an eagerness, a Marian eagerness that we heard immediately after the Annunciation.  It is not enough to say Lord, Lord, but to put his Word into practice. They left immediately to adore the New Born Child.

Our God is a God of Covenant and thus we are a covenant people. In this covenant, an encounter is proposed and favoured, by listening to and carrying out the Word of the angels. Let us not hesitate to take this risk of life, and to commit ourselves to this displacement, to the peripheries of society. Every divine covenant makes us participative, raises us up towards God. Life does not reveal all the details of its beauty and majesty. We will discover them, like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, who later said, "Is not our heart burning? Like our God, the creator of life, our life is also surprising. Let us accept it with an open heart. Then, we will be able to sing with the angels of Lord, just like these shepherds, filled with joy and gratitude.

Jesus was not born in Mary, he was born of Mary, of her own flesh. He was truly her son, her beloved son. Since He chose to be born of a woman, it was in her that He chose to save humanity. She gave her flesh, so that this corruptible human being might put on the incorruptible, this mortal being might put on immortality. In Mary's maternity, we commemorate this mystery of the Incarnation, a great divine gift that Mary passed on to us, through her own flesh. Let’s humbly accept the divine gift of God, to the humanity.

In order for this gift to benefit all humanity, we must imitate Mary in her contemplation, and the shepherds in the adoration of the Invisible in the visible. They all gave glory to God, says the gospel of the day. A life of contemplation that directs us towards action will de facto give glory to God. This life will be a life of witness, inviting all those around us to savour life as a divine gift and to give Him the fruits of life. May this year be for you all, in the maternal love of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a year of blessing and grace.

"May the Lord bless you and keep you!

May the Lord make his face shine upon you,

may he take you into his grace!

May the Lord turn his face towards you,

may he bring you peace!"

Gospel text

(Jn 1:1-18): 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light.

The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God. And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth

John testified to him and cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me. ’” From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.

The Application

In this last moments of the year of 2021, we are invited to give thanks to God for the events we have experienced et lived, the people whom we have encountered and known, new discoveries and adventures, etc. The good and the pleasant have helped us to savour life. The not so good and the unpleasant events have helped us to grow in maturity, to recognise differences and to appreciate them. We recognise that in these events our God was alive and working, within us and outside of us, so that humanity could appropriate and enjoy the creation in its totality.

We do constate that some of our friends lost their jobs, others had no time to rest. We certainly discovered different technologies and software that existed before, that were ignored, that have now become very useful for all of us.  Certainly, the extension of COVID in different forms surprised us. As believers, we cannot deny that in these events and the people whom we have met, we have discovered a living and surprising God.

The beginning of St. John's Gospel confirms us yet another truth that the contemporary world does not want to acknowledge. Christ is our Light, coming down from heaven to dispel the darkness. If we listen to Him and put into practice all that He tells us, we will discover in the events of the day the true divine action and in His works we will discover God and a recognition of His presence in our daily lives will comfort and transform us.   

Action of the day: B grateful to God.

“The Word became flesh”

Fr. David COMPTE i Verdaguer

(Manlleu, Barcelona, Spain)

Today is the last day of the year. Often, mixed feelings —even contradictory ones— can be found in our hearts at this time. It is as though a sample of the different moments we have lived and those we would like to have lived make themselves present in our memories. Today's Gospel can help us pour them out, in order to start the New Year with strength.

“The Word was with God (...). All things came to be through him” (Jn 1:1.3). When taking inventory of the year, it is necessary to think that every day we have lived was a gift. Because of that, and whatever the profit might be, it is necessary to thank God for every minute of the year.

The gift of life is not whole, though. We are needy. Because of that, today's Gospel gives us the key words: “to welcome, to accept”. “And the Word became flesh” (Jn 1:14). Accept God Himself! God, turning into man, puts Himself within our reach. “To welcome,” means to open our doors, to allow Him to enter our lives, to be in our projects, in those acts, which fill our days. To what degree are we welcoming God, letting Him into our lives?

“The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world” (Jn 1:9). Accepting Jesus means to allow Him to question us. Letting His criteria influence our more intimate thoughts as well as our social and work performance. Let's reconcile our actions to His!

“Through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race” (Jn 1:4). Faith is more, however, than a few criteria. It is our life embedded into Life. It is not only effort —which indeed it is, but above all, it is gift and grace— life received at the heart of the Church, especially through the sacraments. What is the place of the sacraments in my Christian life?

“But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name” (Jn 1:12). What a passionate project for the year that we are about to start!

Texte de l'Évangile

(Jn 1,1-18): 

Au commencement était la Parole, et la Parole était avec Dieu, et la Parole était Dieu. Elle était au commencement avec Dieu. Toutes choses ont été faites par elle, et rien de ce qui a été fait n'a été fait sans elle. En elle était la vie, et la vie était la lumière des hommes. La lumière luit dans les ténèbres, et les ténèbres ne l'ont point reçue.

Il y eut un homme envoyé de Dieu: son nom était Jean. Il vint pour servir de témoin, pour rendre témoignage à la lumière, afin que tous crussent par lui. Il n'était pas la lumière, mais il parut pour rendre témoignage à la lumière.

Cette lumière était la véritable lumière, qui, en venant dans le monde, éclaire tout homme. Elle était dans le monde, et le monde a été fait par elle, et le monde ne l'a point connue. Elle est venue chez les siens, et les siens ne l'ont point reçue. Mais à tous ceux qui l'ont reçue, à ceux qui croient en son nom, elle a donné le pouvoir de devenir enfants de Dieu, lesquels sont nés, non du sang, ni de la volonté de la chair, ni de la volonté de l'homme, mais de Dieu. Et la parole a été faite chair, et elle a habité parmi nous, pleine de grâce et de vérité; et nous avons contemplé sa gloire, une gloire comme la gloire du Fils unique venu du Père.

Jean lui a rendu témoignage, et s'est écrié: «C'est celui dont j'ai dit: Celui qui vient après moi m'a précédé, car il était avant moi». Et nous avons tous reçu de sa plénitude, et grâce pour grâce; car la loi a été donnée par Moïse, la grâce et la vérité sont venues par Jésus Christ. Personne n'a jamais vu Dieu; le Fils unique, qui est dans le sein du Père, est celui qui l'a fait connaître.

L’Application

En ces derniers moments de l'année 2021, nous sommes invités à rendre grâce à Dieu pour les événements que nous avons vécus et expérimentés. Les bons et les agréables nous ont aidés à savourer la vie. Les événements moins bons et désagréables nous ont aidés à grandir en maturité, à reconnaître les différences et à les apprécier. Nous reconnaissons que dans ces événements, notre Dieu était vivant et à l'œuvre, afin que l'humanité puisse se les approprier et en profiter.

Nous constatons que certains de nos amis ont perdu leur emploi, d'autres n'ont pas eu le temps de se reposer. Nous avons certainement découvert différentes technologies et logiciels qui existaient auparavant, qui étaient ignorés, et qui sont maintenant devenus très utiles pour nous tous.  Certainement, l'extension de COVID sous différentes formes nous a surpris. En tant que croyants, nous ne pouvons nier que dans ces événements nous avons découvert un Dieu vivant et surprenant.

Le début de l'Évangile de saint Jean nous confirme une autre vérité que le monde contemporain ne veut pas reconnaître. Le Christ est notre Lumière, descendant du ciel pour dissiper les ténèbres. Si nous l'écoutons et mettons en pratique tout ce qu'il nous dit, nous découvrirons dans les événements de la journée la véritable action divine. Dans ses œuvres, nous découvrirons Dieu et la reconnaissance de sa présence dans notre vie quotidienne nous réconfortera et nous transformera.   

«Et la parole a été faite chair»

Abbé David COMPTE i Verdaguer

(Manlleu, Barcelona, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui, c'est le dernier jour de l'année. Fréquemment, un mélange de sentiments —même contradictoires— refont surface dans nos coeurs en cette période de l'année. C'est comme si un échantillon des différents moments vécus dans le courant de l'année, et aussi de ceux qu'on aurait aimé vivre, viennent dans nos esprits. L'Evangile d'aujourd'hui peut nous aider à les mettre en perspective pour pouvoir commencer le nouvel an avec entrain.

«La Parole était Dieu (…). Tout se fit pour elle» (Jn 1,1.3). A l'heure de faire le bilan de l'année, il faut se rappeler que chaque jour vécu est un don reçu. C'est pour cela que quel que soit la manière dont nous en avons profité, aujourd'hui nous devons rendre grâce pour chaque minute de l'année.

Mais le don de la vie ne suffit pas. Nous sommes toujours dans le besoin. C'est pour cela que l'Evangile d'aujourd'hui nous apporte une parole clé: “accueillir”. «Et la parole s'est fait chair» (Jn 1,14). Accueillir Dieu lui-même! Dieu, se faisant homme, se met à notre portée. “Accueillir” signifie Lui ouvrir nos portes, Le laisser entrer dans nos vies, dans nos projets, dans ces actes qui remplissent nos journées. Jusqu'à quel point avons-nous accueilli Dieu et lui avons-nous permis d'entrer en nous?

«La Parole est la lumière véritable qui illumine tout homme qui vient de ce monde» (Jn 1,9). Accueillir Jésus veut dire se laisser questionner par lui. Laisser ses critères illuminer tant nos pensées les plus intimes comme nos actions, dans le travail ou dans nos relations sociales. Que nos actions puissent s'accorder aux siennes!

«La vie est la lumière» (Jn 1,4). Mais la foi est quelque chose de plus que de simples critères. C'est notre vie joint à la Vie. Ce n'est pas seulement notre effort mais surtout, don et grâce. Vie reçue au sein de l'Eglise, surtout à travers les sacrements. Quelle place ont-ils dans ma vie chrétienne?

«A tous ceux qui l'ont reçu il leur a donné le pouvoir de se faire Fils de Dieu» (Jn 1,12). Tout un projet passionnant pour cette année que nous allons entamer!

Gospel text

(Lk 2:36-40): 

There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him.

The Application

Let us imitate and appropriate Anne's preparation: fasting and prayer. I interpret them as self-control (fasting) especially of the carnal, and a recognition of God's presence in our daily lives. By doing so, we will put human temptations behind us, and we can put ourselves at God's service, in a radical way.

The Christian life has two fronts, action, which is born of contemplation. If Hannah is here (the action), she was driven by this contemplation of God's promise to Abraham, and with her, all those who were in contemplation were able to enjoy the divine presence, in this child. It is in this contemplation that we learn to love one another as Jesus loved us. It is in this love that others will recognise us as Christians.

Action of the day: Give importance to your daily prayer
 

“She gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all.”

Fr. Joaquim FLURIACH i Domínguez

(St. Esteve de P., Barcelona, Spain)

Today, Joseph and Mary have just celebrated the presentation rites of their first-born, Jesus, at the Temple in Jerusalem. Mary and Joseph observe what the law says, because doing what God wants is a sign of faithfulness and love for God.

Since their Son —and God's Son— was born, Joseph and Mary have experienced surprise after surprise: the shepherds, the three wise men, angels... Not only external extraordinary events, but also interior ones, in the heart of people who have had some sort of contact with the Child.

Today Anne turns up. She is an elderly widow, who at a given moment decided to devote all her life to the Lord, with fasts and prayer. We are not making a mistake when we say that this woman was one of the “prudent virgins” of our Lord Jesus Christ's parable (cf. Mt 25:1-13): always faithfully watching over what seems to be God's will for her. And of course: when the moment comes, the Lord finds Her ready. The Boy fully rewards her for all the time she has dedicated to the Lord. Ask her; ask Anna if so much prayer, fast and generosity was worthwhile!

The text reads that “she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem” (Lk 2:38). Joy turns into determined apostleship: it is cause and effect. The Lord is infinitely generous with those who are generous with him.

Jesus, God incarnate, lives a family life in Nazareth, like in all families: growing, working, learning, asking, playing... “Holy and daily routine”, where the souls of men grow stronger almost without realizing of it. How important the little things of every day are!

Texte de l'Évangile

(Lc 2,36-40): 

Il y avait là une femme qui était prophète, Anne, fille de Phanuel, de la tribu d'Aser. Demeurée veuve après sept ans de mariage, elle avait atteint l'âge de quatre-vingt-quatre ans. Elle ne s'éloignait pas du Temple, servant Dieu jour et nuit dans le jeûne et la prière. S'approchant d'eux à ce moment, elle proclamait les louanges de Dieu et parlait de l'enfant à tous ceux qui attendaient la délivrance de Jérusalem.

Lorsqu'ils eurent accompli tout ce que prescrivait la loi du Seigneur, ils retournèrent en Galilée, dans leur ville de Nazareth. L'enfant grandissait et se fortifiait, tout rempli de sagesse, et la grâce de Dieu était sur lui.

L’Application

Imitons et approprions la préparation d'Anne : le jeûne et la prière. Je les interprète comme une maîtrise de soi (jeûne) surtout charnelle, et une reconnaissance de la présence de Dieu dans notre vie quotidienne. En agissant ainsi, nous laisserons derrière nous les tentations humaines, et nous pourrons nous mettre au service de Dieu, de manière radicale.

La vie chrétienne a deux fronts, l'action, qui naît de la contemplation. Si Anne est là (l'action), elle a été poussée par cette contemplation de la promesse de Dieu à Abraham, et avec elle, tous ceux qui étaient dans la contemplation ont pu jouir de la présence divine, dans cet enfant. C'est dans cette contemplation que nous apprenons à nous aimer les uns les autres comme Jésus nous a aimés. C'est dans cet amour que les autres nous reconnaîtront comme chrétiens.

«Proclamait les louanges de Dieu et parlait de l'enfant à tous»

Abbé Joaquim FLURIACH i Domínguez

(St. Esteve de P., Barcelona, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui, Joseph et Marie viennent de célébrer le rite de la présentation de leur premier né, Jésus, dans le Temple de Jérusalem. Marie et Joseph n'épargnent rien pour accomplir avec soin tout ce que la loi prescrit, car accomplir ce que Dieu veut est un signe de fidélité, d'amour de Dieu.

Depuis que son fils —et Fils de Dieu— est né, Joseph et Marie expérimentent merveille après merveille: les pasteurs, les mages d'Orient, les anges… Non seulement des évènements extraordinaires extérieurs, mais aussi intérieurs, dans le cœur des personnes qui ont un certain contact avec cet Enfant.

Aujourd'hui apparaît Anne, une femme, veuve, qui à un moment déterminé a pris la décision de dédier toute sa vie au Seigneur, avec des jeûnes et des prières. Nous ne nous trompons pas si nous disons que cette femme était une des “vierges prudentes” de la parabole du Seigneur (cf. Mt 25,1-13): veillant toujours fidèlement sur tout ce qui lui semble être la volonté de Dieu. Et bien sur: le moment venu, le Seigneur la trouve prête. Tout le temps qu'elle a dédié au Seigneur, cet Enfant le lui récompense largement. —Demandez-lui, demandez à Anne si ça valait la peine tant de prières, tant de jeûnes et tant de générosité!

Le texte dit que «elle proclamait les louanges de Dieu et parlait de l'enfant à tous ceux qui attendaient la délivrance de Jérusalem» (Lc 2,38). La joie se transformait en apostolat décidé: elle est le motif et la racine. Le Seigneur est incroyablement généreux avec ceux qui sont généreux avec Lui.

Jésus, Dieu incarné, vit la vie de famille à Nazareth, comme toutes les familles: grandir, travailler, apprendre, prier, jouer… “Sainte quotidienneté!”, routine bénie où grandissent et se forgent presque sans s’en rendre compte les âmes des hommes de Dieu! Comme les petites choses de tous les jours sont importantes!

Gospel text

(Lk 2:22-35): 

When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him 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, and to offer the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons, in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: “Lord, now let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled: my own eyes have seen the salvation which you prepared in the sight of every people, a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “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.”

The Application

After celebrating the Nativity of the Lord in solemnity, we prepare for the Feast of the Epiphany, when the world will see and recognise the Saviour in Jesus. In these days of preparation, all that is important for me personally is, first, how I prepare to know Him, and to meet Him. Secondly, on this day, do I recognise the impulse of the Holy Spirit, which pushes me in a totally unknown and unforeseen direction? Do I remain faithful to what He asks me to do?

In all this, we will recognise that everything God promised us, He has fully accomplished, and He will complete in me, if I remain faithful to Him, all that He has initiated in me. There I shall stand before my Lord, righteous and upright, in all wonder. Help me Lord, that I may be that Simeon, just and devout, faithful to your love, in prayer and contemplation. That I may remain vigilant, when you call me, I may be ready to move and meet you.

Action of the day: Be vigilant
 

“Lord, now let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled: my own eyes have seen the salvation”

Fr. Daniel MEYNEN

(Saint Aubain, Namur, Belgium)

Today, December 29th, we celebrate the festivity of the saint King David. But, it is actually the entire David's family the Church wants to honor today, and most than all, it most illustrious of them all: Jesus, the Son of God, and Son of David! Today, in this eternal “today” of the Son of God, the Old Alliance of King David's time is executed and fully consummated. For, as today's Gospel narrates, the Child Jesus is presented to the Temple by his parents according to the custom of the old Law: “When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him 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.” (Lk 2:22-23).

Today, the old prophecy evanesces to leave the way open for the new one: He, who King David had announced when intoning his Messianic Psalms, has at long last entered into the Temple of God! Today is the great day when he, who St. Luke names Simeon will soon abandon this world of darkness to enter the vision of eternal Light: “Lord, now let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled: my own eyes have seen the salvation which you prepared in the sight of every people, a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people Israel” (Lk 2:29-32).

Also, we, who are God's Shrine, where His Spirit dwells in (cf. 1Cor 3:16), must be alert to receive Jesus in our interior. If today we have the joy of receiving the Holy Communion, let us ask Mary, God's Mother, to advocate for us before her Son: let the old self be taken off and the new self be put on (cf. Col 3:10) so that we can renew our whole being and become the new prophets, who will announce to the whole world the presence of God, thrice saint, Father, God and Holy Spirit!

Let us be, along with Simeon, prophets because of the death of the “old self”! As Saint John Paul II said “The fullness of the Spirit of God is accompanied (…) first of all through that interior availability which comes from faith. The aged Simeon, the ‘righteous and devout man’ upon whom ‘rested the Holy Spirit’, sensed this at the moment of Jesus' presentation in the Temple.”

Texte de l'Évangile

(Lc 2,22-35): 

Et, quand les jours de leur purification furent accomplis, selon la loi de Moïse, Joseph et Marie le portèrent à Jérusalem, pour le présenter au Seigneur, suivant ce qui est écrit dans la loi du Seigneur: «Tout mâle premier-né sera consacré au Seigneur», et pour offrir en sacrifice deux tourterelles ou deux jeunes pigeons, comme cela est prescrit dans la loi du Seigneur.

Et voici, il y avait à Jérusalem un homme appelé Siméon. Cet homme était juste et pieux, il attendait la consolation d'Israël, et l'Esprit Saint était sur lui. Il avait été divinement averti par le Saint Esprit qu'il ne mourrait point avant d'avoir vu le Christ du Seigneur. Il vint au temple, poussé par l'Esprit. Et, comme les parents apportaient le petit enfant Jésus pour accomplir à son égard ce qu'ordonnait la loi, il le reçut dans ses bras, bénit Dieu, et dit: «Maintenant, Seigneur, tu laisses ton serviteur s'en aller en paix, selon ta parole. Car mes yeux ont vu ton salut, salut que tu as préparé devant tous les peuples, lumière pour éclairer les nations, et gloire d'Israël, ton peuple».

Son père et sa mère étaient dans l'admiration des choses qu'on disait de lui. Siméon les bénit, et dit à Marie, sa mère: «Voici, cet enfant est destiné à amener la chute et le relèvement de plusieurs en Israël, et à devenir un signe qui provoquera la contradiction, et à toi-même une épée te transpercera l'âme, afin que les pensées de beaucoup de cœurs soient dévoilées».

L’Application

Après avoir célébré la Nativité du Seigneur dans la solennité, nous nous préparons à la fête de l'Épiphanie, lorsque le monde verra et reconnaîtra le Sauveur en Jésus. En ces jours de préparation, tout ce qui est important pour moi personnellement, c'est, premièrement, comment je me prépare à Le connaître et à Le rencontrer. Deuxièmement, en ce jour, est-ce que je reconnais l'impulsion de l'Esprit Saint, qui me pousse dans une direction totalement inconnue et imprévue ? Est-ce que je reste fidèle à ce qu'Il me demande de faire ? 

En tout cela, nous reconnaîtrons que tout ce que Dieu nous a promis, il l'a pleinement accompli, et il achèvera en moi, si je lui reste fidèle, tout ce qu'il a initié en moi. Là, je me tiendrai devant mon Seigneur, juste et droit, en toute merveille. Aide-moi Seigneur, pour que je sois ce Siméon, juste et pieux, fidèle à ton amour, dans la prière et la contemplation. Que je reste bienveillant, que lorsque tu m'appelles, je sois prêt à bouger et à te rencontrer. Amen. 

«Maintenant, Seigneur, tu laisses ton serviteur s'en aller en paix, car mes yeux ont vu ton salut»

Abbé Daniel MEYNEN

(Saint Aubain, Namur, Belgique)

Aujourd'hui, 29 décembre, nous fêtons le saint Roi David. Mais c'est toute la famille de David que l'Église veut honorer, et surtout le plus illustre de tous: Jésus, Fils de Dieu, Fils de David! Aujourd'hui, dans cet éternel “aujourd'hui” du Fils de Dieu, l'Ancienne Alliance, celle du temps du Roi David, reçoit son accomplissement et sa plénitude. Car, comme le relate l'Évangile de ce jour, l'Enfant-Jésus est présenté au Temple par ses parents pour accomplir la Loi ancienne: «Joseph et Marie le portèrent à Jérusalem, pour le présenter au Seigneur, suivant ce qui est écrit dans la loi du Seigneur: ‘Tout mâle premier-né sera consacré au Seigneur’» (Lc 2,22-23).

Aujourd'hui, l'ancienne prophétie s'éclipse pour faire place à la nouvelle: Celui que le Roi David avait annoncé en chantant ses psaumes messianiques est enfin entré dans le Temple de Dieu! C'est aujourd'hui le grand jour où celui que Saint Luc appelle Siméon va bientôt quitter ce monde d'obscurité pour entrer dans la vision de la Lumière éternelle: «Maintenant, Seigneur, tu laisses ton serviteur s'en aller en paix, selon ta parole. Car mes yeux ont vu ton salut, salut que tu as préparé devant tous les peuples» (Lc 2,29-32).

Nous aussi, qui sommes le Temple de Dieu dans l'Esprit (cf. 1Co 3,16), soyons attentifs à recevoir Jésus en nous. Si nous avons le bonheur de pouvoir communier en ce jour, demandons à Marie, la Mère de Jésus, d'intercéder pour nous auprès de son Fils: que le vieil homme meurt et que l'homme nouveau (cf. Col 3,10) naisse enfin dans tout notre être, afin que nous soyons les nouveaux prophètes, ceux qui annoncent au monde entier la présence du Dieu trois fois saint, Père, Fils, et Saint-Esprit!

Comme Siméon, soyons prophètes par la mort du “vieil homme”! Comme le disait le Pape Jean-Paul II, «la plénitude de l'Esprit de Dieu s'accompagne (…) avant tout dans la disponibilité intérieure qui provient de la foi. Cela, le vieillard Syméon, ‘homme juste et pieux’ sur qui ‘reposait l'Esprit Saint’, en eut l'intuition au moment de la présentation de Jésus au Temple».

Gospel text

(Mt 2:13-18): 

When the magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.” Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, Out of Egypt I called my son.

When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet: A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more.

The Application

My God, how can you afford all this? What suffering for you, to see so many of your children perish because of the unnecessary fear and stupidity of men? Unfortunately, you are still suffering today, because of our silences, and because of our fears and our stupidity. The evil one provokes in our hearts this fear of the other, fear of the difference, fear of danger, without being able to verify or analyse them. Free us Lord from our fears that destroy us unjustly, very often in the name of good. And, forgive us sinners.

Joseph the righteous, the adoptive father will listen to your word and take his child, run to another region, without doing any harm to others. Help us, Lord, to listen to you and to be faithful to your word.

The way you propose to us is always right and good. Fortunately, the Magi followed your advice and took a different path. Leaving the known path is a great risk. Help us, Lord, to take risks in our lives, with strangers, the unexpected, etc.

Action of the day: Act in freedom, not in fear.

“Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt”

Fr. Joan Pere PULIDO i Gutiérrez

(Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Spain)

Today, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs. Embedded within the Christmas celebrations, we cannot ignore the message the liturgy wants to convey to us to define with two clear accents, and even more, the good news of the birth of Jesus. In the first place, St. Joseph's predisposition in God's design for our salvation, by accepting God's will. And, at the same time, the evil, the injustice we often find in our life, determined in this case by the martyrdom of those innocent infants. All this requires a personal and social attitude and response.

St. Joseph offers us a very clear and responsive testimony to God's call. We can, thus, identify ourselves with him when we are to take decisions, from our own faith, in difficult moments of our life: “Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt” (Mt 2:14).

Our faith in God entails our own life. It wakes us up, that is, makes us fully alert to those things happening around us, because —quite often— it is where God speaks to us. He makes us take the child and his mother, i.e., God becomes closer, our travel companion, and He strengthens our faith, hope and charity. And He makes us leave at night for Egypt, i.e. He invites us not to be afraid of our own life, which, more often than not, is full of shadows too difficult to illuminate.

Today, those infants martyrs also have specific names in other infants, youngsters, old people, immigrants, ailing persons... requesting the response of our charity. Saint John Paul II told us: “In our own time, there are so many needs which demand a compassionate response from Christians. Now is the time for a new "creativity" in charity, not only by ensuring that help is effective but also by "getting close" to those who suffer.”

Let us hope that God Infant's clear and strong new light fills up our lives and reaffirm our faith, our hope and our charity.