They took him up to Jerusalem

28 DECEMBER (Lk 2,22-40)

A family is such if it is born from the faith and in the faith consumes all of its days. Never a day should go by without adapting itself to the law of faith. A day passes without faith in the family and it is a sad one, because it is a day of spiritual death.

Today, the family is in crisis. Not only does it live its days in the absence of faith, people want to constitute it even apart from its own natural truth. They claim that a family is the union of a man with another man and of a woman with another woman. A man cannot generate with another man. There is no love. Not even a woman can generate with another woman. There is no love. The family is the highest expression of love in God’s creation. When it cannot be based on love, never might it be said to be a family. It lacks in substance, truth and its essence.

The model of every real family is that of Mary, Jesus and Joseph. This family starts not simply from the faith, but from a particular will of Godmanifested both to Mary and Joseph. Their pure, chaste, holy and virgin love must be entirely directed toward Jesus. They will have to feed him with the purest love. Maria will also have to conceive him with her virginal love, through the work of the Holy Spirit.

The family of Nazareth is born from the present Word of God that calls it into existence and lives according to the Word of God, contained in the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms. Every prescription of the Lord is punctually observed and put into practice by them. Nothing is left out of the law to be observed, not even one jot or an apex of it. In this family the Word of the Lord reigns supremely. Nothing is done without the Word, nothing against the Word, instead all is in full compliance of it.

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 Messiah 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 favour of God was upon him.

It is always within the observance of the Law, in an environment of true faith that the Lord is manifested, is revealed and reveals his plan ofsalvation. Today in the Jerusalem temple two prodigious things happen. But they have their principle in the purity of the faith of Mary and Joseph.Today, they are in the temple, not because they have made a vow, or they went there on pilgrimage. They are there for obedience to a Word utteredby God that they live in the fullness of faith and love, truth and justice, of listening and devoted consecration to the Law of their Lord. When a familyis born from the faith and lives of true faith, it is a wealth for humanity.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints make us from faith for the faith.