Lk 2:22-35
22When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, [Joseph and Mary] took [Jesus] up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, 23just as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,” 24and to offer the sacrifice of “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,” in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
25Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon... 27He 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, 28he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
29“Now, Master, you may let your servant go/ in peace, according to your word,/ 30for my eyes have seen your salvation,/ 31which you prepared in sight of all the peoples,/ 32a light for revelation to the Gentiles,/ and glory for your people Israel.”
33The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; 34and 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 35(and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
FAMILY: < In Hebrew, family is bet-ab, literally “house of the father.” Family and marriage are “father-centered.” The family is a community of persons, bound by ties of marriage and kinship, and ruled by the authority of the father. It includes father, mother, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters (until their marriage), grandparents, other kinsmen, as well as servants and, in some cases, concubines. The extended family group, including relatives, is called mispahah, “clan.”
The “father” (also grandfather or great-grandfather) is the authority behind the family. He generates, instructs, disciplines, and loves his children. The mother (Hebrew: am) bears the children and has a considerable authority over the family’s life. The little children grow up under her care.
Sons come second to the father. Since descent is reckoned through the male, it is through a man’s sons that his name and personality are perpetuated. When a daughter marries, she joins the household of her husband’s father.
Respect and obedience are demanded for both father and mother. Sons, especially, are to honor their parents and to take care of them in their old age. Children are brought up in the fear of God, and couples observe the traditions of Israel, as exemplified by Mary and Joseph who present the child Jesus to God in the temple.