Tuesday within the Octave of the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord
Posted on December 29, 2020 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 2:22-24 (NKJV)
2:22 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
Devotion
The commands of our Lord are good and beneficial. In our efforts to make clear that we are not saved by the Law, sometimes we give the impression that the Law of God is evil or worthless. It is certainly not! Our abuse of His commands are evil and worthless, but not the wisdom of His Law itself.
Our Lord’s commands, whether they were ceremonial, moral, or sacramental, have been given so that His Holy Spirit can manifest His work and power in us. By faith Joseph and Mary did what the Lord had taught them in His Law, to show they had true fear, love, and trust in Him to accomplish what He promised in their new Son! They didn’t just sit at home and think pious thoughts about God’s Words; they believed and they obeyed.
When done in faith by the power of God’s Holy Spirit, deeds and obedience can teach the message of Christ’s mercy. So many people do not hear about God’s grace in Jesus Christ and His Church because we fail to do the simple works of our Christian vocation. The world does not stop doing its works to teach selfishness and deceit, and in the darkness of its sin, even a small work in Christian love can be a light to help others. The time of waiting during Mary’s purification, the journey to Jerusalem, and the small sacrifice of two birds may seem like unimpressive gestures, but according to faith in the Lord these gestures are monumental acts that serve the confession of Jesus Christ to this day!
Prayer: Almighty and everlasting God, direct our actions according to Thy good pleasure, that in the name of Thy beloved Son we may be made to abound in good works; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
