Scripture Scribbles: December 31, 2023
the Gospel
Luke 2:22-40
When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
They 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:
“Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in sight of all the peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for 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.”
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 favor of God was upon him.
the devotion
Happy Feast of the Holy Family!!
And a very Merry Christmas!
During this octave of Christmas I’ve been trying to remember Christmas is now! It has just begun, we just entered into the Christmas season on Christmas Day! So, I hope you are all feasting and celebrating this beautiful and holy time with your families!
Now that it has quieted and the tempo has slowed I feel peace slipping into our days and I’m trying to be more present while all our kids are still home and under one roof. I’m not sure where you are finding yourself this season with your family, maybe it’s your first Christmas together as a married couple, or your first Christmas with your new baby and the meaning of family makes your heart burst when you look at your most perfect Christmas gift?? Or maybe you're in the thick of it with a bunch of little ones and you're trying to keep the true meaning of Christmas at the forefront without getting swept up into the secular Christmas that can leave you feeling empty. Maybe this is your first Christmas without your loved one, or perhaps it’s your eighteenth, but it still hurts like the first. Whether you're single, or a religious, or married, or widowed, we all have different emotions around the holidays. The question is, what’s our relationship with the Holy Family?
Jesus, Mary and Joseph?
“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”
(John 3:16)
He comes to us as a helpless little baby, to show us the way to the Heavenly Kingdom. Mary, with her beautiful Yes to the angel Gabriel, and Joseph with his faith and trust in the Lord gave us an example on how to live and how to love and how to trust and how to be unashamed, how to listen to God and live for him. So by doing so we may live for others. Loving others well. How do we love others well? Loving them is willing their good, this is not always easy, this can mean dying to ourselves sometimes. Willing the good of the other and wanting Heaven for them can get uncomfortable, because maybe it means being honest about what might be harming them.
(John 3:17)
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
The Holy Family is our beautiful example on how to live! I love the statues of Joseph with his carpenter tools, I love the idea that he taught his skills to the young Jesus with love and patience. I also love the thought of Jesus as a skilled carpenter, smoothing and shaping our rough edges, perfecting his creation to be formed into who we were created to be. So sometimes the things we may see as flaws in our lives, God is using that very thing, that hardship, that suffering to shape us into His masterpiece.
(Romans 8:28)
“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
He will not waste any of our suffering. He is not surprised when we do suffer… I heard a reflection from Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers on suffering, he said, “we exist not to avoid suffering that seems meaningless, but to find meaning in the suffering that is unavoidable”
So I’m afraid suffering is part of the deal here on earth, but who’s our help? Let’s look to the Holy Family to be our help. Let’s get to know our Blessed Mother better and ask her how we can love her Son. Let’s ask Saint Joseph to help us listen for God’s voice in our lives. Let’s start this year, today, this New Year’s Eve differently than any other. Let’s ask the Holy Family to help us become the very best version of ourselves this 2024! God bless you and your family!
Today’s devotion is written by Beth Brennan
