Holy Family

In those days,
the word of the Lord was addressed to Abram in a vision:
"Do not be afraid, Abram!
I am a shield for you.
Your reward will be very great."
Abram replied:
"My Lord God, what could you give me?
I am going childless,
and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus."
Abram continued:
"You have not given me any offspring,
and so one of my servants will be my heir."
Then this word of the Lord was addressed to Abram:
"It will not be he who is your heir,
but someone of your own blood."
Then he brought him outside and said to him:
"Look at the sky,
and count the stars, if you can..."
And he declared:
"So will your descendants be!"
Abram put his faith in the Lord
and the Lord considered him to be righteous.
The Lord visited Sarah
as he had announced;
he acted for her as he had promised.
She became pregnant,
and she bore a son for Abraham in his old age,
at the time God had set.
And Abraham gave a name
to the son Sarah had borne him:
he called him Isaac.

– The word of the Lord.

Give thanks to the Lord, proclaim his name,
make known among the peoples his mighty deeds;
sing and make music for him,
tell of his wondrous works without end.

Glory in his holy name:
let the hearts rejoice that seek God!
Seek the Lord and his power,
seek unceasingly his face.

Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,
you descendants of Abraham his servant,
the children of Jacob, whom he has chosen.

He has always remembered his covenant,
the promise he made for a thousand generations:
the promise made to Abraham,
confirmed by oath to Isaac.

Brothers and sisters,
by faith, Abraham obeyed the call of God:
he set out for a land
he was to receive as an inheritance,
and he set out not knowing where he was going.

By faith, Sarah herself, despite her old age,
was enabled to become the mother of descendants
because she considered that God is faithful to his promises.
That is why, from one man, already as good as dead,
was born a lineage as numerous
as the stars in the sky
and as the sand on the seashore,
an innumerable multitude.

By faith, when he was put to the test,
Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice.
He offered his only son,
even though he had received the promises
and been told:
It is through Isaac that your descendants will bear your name.
He reasoned, in fact,
that God is able even to raise the dead;
thus his son was given back to him:
this was a prefiguration.

– The word of the Lord.

When the time prescribed by the law of Moses
for purification was completed,
the parents of Jesus brought him up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
according to what is written in the Law:
Every first-born male
shall be consecrated to the Lord.
They also came to offer
the sacrifice prescribed by the law of the Lord:
a pair of turtledoves
or two young pigeons.

Now there was in Jerusalem a man named Simeon.
He was a just and devout man,
who was waiting for the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
He had received a revelation from the Holy Spirit
that he would not see death
before he had seen the Christ, the Lord’s Messiah.
Prompted by the Spirit, Simeon came to the Temple.
At the moment when the parents were presenting the child Jesus
in accordance with the custom of the Law concerning him,
Simeon took the child in his arms, and blessed God, saying:
"Now, Master,
you may let your servant depart
in peace, according to your word.
For my eyes have seen your salvation
which you have prepared in the sight of all peoples:
a light for revelation to the gentiles
and the glory of your people Israel."
The child's father and mother
were amazed at what was said about him.
Simeon blessed them,
then said to Mary his mother:
"This child
will cause the fall and rise of many in Israel.
He will be a sign of contradiction
—and you yourself, a sword will pierce your soul—
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 very advanced in years;
after seven years of marriage,
having remained a widow,
she was now eighty-four years old.
She never left the Temple,
serving God day and night with fasting and prayer.
At that very hour she came by,
she proclaimed the praises of God
and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the deliverance of Jerusalem.

When they had completed all that was required by the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong,
filled with wisdom,
and the grace of God was upon him.

– Let us acclaim the Word of God.

or shorter reading

When the time prescribed by the law of Moses
for purification was completed,
the parents of Jesus brought him up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord.

When they had completed all that was required by the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong,
filled with wisdom,
and the grace of God was upon him.

– Let us acclaim the Word of God.