First reading
Malachi 3:1–4
The Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple.
Responsorial psalm
Psalm 23(24):7–10
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Second reading
Hebrews 2:14–18
He took to himself descent from Abraham.
Gospel acclamation
Luke 2:32
This is the light of revelation to the nations, and the glory of your people, Israel.
Gospel
Luke 2:22–40
My eyes have seen your salvation.
Images from the Word
- Consecrated to the Lord
- Spirit rested on Him
- Go in peace
- My messenger
- Compassionate and trustworthy
Liturgical notes
In [the celebration of the Mass] is found the high point both of the action by which God sanctifies the world in Christ and of the worship that the human race offers to the Father, adoring him through Christ, the Son of God, in the Holy Spirit.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §16
In the Mass, we have both the consecration of the world in Christ and the world offering acceptable worship to the Father in Christ. On this feast of the Presentation, we name both these mysteries: of the world being consecrated by the presence of Christ and of the world returning to the Father with acceptable worship. So we, too, come into the temple of the Church to allow God’s action in our lives and to offer our lives as acceptable worship to the Father.
‘Your merciful love, O God, we have received in the midst of your temple. Your praise, O God, like your name, reaches the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with saving justice.’ —entrance antiphon