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February 2nd, 2025 | The 23rd Times

By January 29, 2025No Comments

A Message from Fr. Jay

Dear Friends,

I want to wholeheartedly thank you for embracing me with your love, trust, and blessings during the installation Mass with Bishop Dewane last Sunday. I humbly pray that the good Lord continues to bless us and make our faith journey a fruitful one, starting from this Jubilee Year of Hope.

The month of February is named after the Roman month ‘Februarius’, named after ‘Februum’ in Latin, meaning purification. This weekend we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, where we read about Mother Mary fulfilling the purification ceremony for herself and presents the first born male baby Jesus in the temple.

Do they really need to do these ceremonies as Mother of God and redeemer of the world? No. It’s the other way around, that by fulfilling the obligations of Jewish religion, Mother Mary and Jesus together, purify the temple and present themselves to the world on the 40th day. (This is the exact 40th day after Christmas).

The first reading says, “He will sit refining and purifying silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi….” Yes, Jesus and Mother Mary are doing the purification that we all would need in our lives and particularly Jesus by atoning our sins (second reading).

Let us remember that we too, started our Christian lives with the purification ceremony of baptism. God expects us to be presented as gifts to the world as atonement for the sins of the world.

God Bless,
Fr. Jay Raju

Reading 1: Malachi 3: 1-4
Reading 2: Hebrews 2: 14-18
Gospel: Luke 2: 22-40