GOSPEL: Luke 2:22-40
And when the day came for them to be purified in keeping with the Law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord- observing what is written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord- and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is prescribed in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. 

Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to the restoration of Israel and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said: Now, Master, you are letting your servant go in peace as you promised; for my eyes have seen the salvation which you have made ready in the sight of the nations; a light of revelation for the gentiles and glory for your people Israel.

As the child's father and mother were wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, 'Look, he is destined for the fall and for the rise of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is opposed- and a sword will pierce your soul too -- so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.'

There was a prophetess, too, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well on in years. Her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven years before becoming a widow. She was now eighty-four years old and never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer. She came up just at that moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem. 

When they had done everything the Law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And as the child grew to maturity, he was filled with wisdom; and God's favour was with him.


REFLECTION
This week Mary and Joseph travel to Jerusalem to present Jesus in the Temple.  It was customary that within 40 days after the birth of the firstborn son, the parents were to take the child to the Temple in Jerusalem and present him to the Lord.  As soon as Mary was able to travel, she and Joseph set out for Jerusalem as the law required.  It was a long journey for them, yet they wanted their newborn son to receive the sacred rite of purification.   

A man named Simeon was in the temple the day Mary, Joseph, and Jesus arrived in Jerusalem.  For many years Simeon had spent most of his time in the Temple waiting for the “consolation of Israel.” When Simeon saw Mary, Joseph and the baby, he recognized Jesus as the One for whom he had been waiting. 

Simeon immediately went to Mary and Joseph and took the baby, Jesus, into His arms.  Then Simeon loudly praised God and gave thanks that he was blessed to see and hold in his arms, “the Christ of the Lord” before he died!  Simeon then prophesied that this tiny baby was destined for greatness.

On that day, Anna, the prophetess, also was in the temple.  When Anna saw Mary, Joseph and Jesus she came to them and prophesied that this tiny baby would bring about the redemption of Jerusalem.  I wonder how the people in the Temple reacted to these prophecies.  Did they believe what Anna and Simeon were saying or were they skeptical and close-minded? 

Imagine yourself in this scene. How would you react to these happenings?  Would you be a believer or would you be a skeptic?  At various time in our history, we all have heard “prophecies” that were to occur in the near future.  Most often, we wait and wait, and the prophecy is never fulfilled.   However, the time will come when the prophecy will be fulfilled.

How would life be different for us if we lived each day as if this day were to be our last day?  How would you  spend your day if you knew that today were your last day on earth?  With whom would you spend your time?  Would you go to church or would you find another way to spend time with God?

Today may be our last day; we do not know when we will die. May we live this day and every day to the fullest.  May we be thankful for the many blessings we have received! (Sr Kristine Anne Harpenau)

WELCOME BACK
Welcome to a brand new school year. I hope however you spent your holidays, many blessing came your way and many memories were created. 

We have just experienced an unprecedented summer where we have seen an ongoing drought, extreme fires and damaging storms. This makes our new school theme very relevant as stewards of God's creation. Our theme this year is

"As stewards of God’s creation, we are called to make the earth a beautiful garden for the human family." Pope Francis 

This year we will be exploring the many ways we can make a difference to our world and rise to the mission of being true stewards of God's creation. We encourage you and your families to also take up the challenge and look forward to working in partnership with you.

VINNIES CHRISTMAS APPEAL
Thank you to all families who generously donated to the Vinnies Christmas Appeal at the end of last year. Your kindness and support for others assured that many in our community were able to have a wonderful Christmas.

OPENING SCHOOL MASS
Next Thursday, 13th February, we will be celebrating our Opening School Mass which will see the commissioning of our new school leaders. We extend a warm welcome to all of the Mt Carmel community to come and celebrate with us. The mass will commence at 9:45am at St Augustine's Church.

 
God Bless,
Warren Ziebowski
Religious Education Coordinator