Gospel of February 2, 2021 with the comment of Pope Francis

READING OF THE DAY
First Reading

From the book of the prophet Malachi
Ml 3,1-4

Thus says the Lord God: «Behold, I will send my messenger to prepare the way before me and immediately the Lord whom you seek will enter his temple; and the angel of the covenant, whom you long for, here he comes, says the Lord of hosts. Who will bear the day of his coming? Who will resist its appearance? He is like the fire of the smelter and like the lye of the launderers. He will sit to melt and purify the silver; he will purify the sons of Levi, refine them like gold and silver, so that they can offer the Lord an offering according to justice. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in ancient days, as in distant years. "

Second reading

From the letter to the Jews
Heb 2, 14-18

Since children have blood and flesh in common, Christ too has become a sharer in them, to reduce to impotence through death the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and thus free those who, for fear of death, they were subject to lifelong slavery. In fact, he does not take care of the angels, but of Abraham's lineage. Therefore he had to make himself similar to his brothers in all, to become a merciful and trustworthy high priest in things concerning God, in order to atone for the sins of the people. In fact, precisely because he has been tested and suffered personally, he is able to come to the aid of those who undergo the test.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Luke
Lc 2,22-40

When the days of their ritual purification were completed, according to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph took the child to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord - as it is written in the law of the Lord: "Every firstborn male will be sacred to the Lord" - and to offer as a sacrifice a pair of turtle doves or two young doves, as prescribed by the law of the Lord. Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon, a righteous and pious man, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. The Holy Spirit had foretold him that he would not see death without first seeing the Christ of the Lord. Moved by the Spirit, he went to the temple and, while his parents brought the baby Jesus there to do what the Law prescribed for him, he too welcomed him in his arms and blessed God, saying: "Now you can leave, oh Lord , may your servant go in peace, according to your word, because my eyes have seen your salvation, prepared by you before all peoples: light to reveal you to the people and glory of your people, Israel. " Jesus' father and mother were amazed at the things that were said about him. Simeon blessed them and Mary, his mother, said: "Behold, he is here for the fall and resurrection of many in Israel and as a sign of contradiction - and a sword will pierce your soul too - so that your thoughts may be revealed. of many hearts ». There was also a prophetess, Anna, daughter of Fanuèle, of the tribe of Asher. She was very advanced in age, had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, had since become a widow and was now eighty-four. He never left the temple, serving God night and day with fasting and praying. On arriving at that moment, she too began to praise God and spoke of the child to those who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had fulfilled all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their city of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, full of wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. Word of the Lord.

WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER
Mary and Joseph set out for Jerusalem; for his part, Simeon, moved by the Spirit, goes to the temple, while Anna serves God day and night without stopping. In this way the four protagonists of the Gospel passage show us that the Christian life requires dynamism and requires readiness to walk, letting oneself be guided by the Holy Spirit. (...) The world needs Christians who allow themselves to be moved, who never tire of walking the streets of life, to bring the consoling word of Jesus to everyone. (Angelus of February 2, 2020)