Fourth Joyous Mystery

 The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple is recounted in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2:22-40). According to the Gospel, Mary and Joseph took the infant Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem 40 days after his birth, following the Jewish custom of presenting a firstborn son to the Lord. They also offered a pair of doves or two young pigeons as a sacrifice.

In the Temple, they encountered the righteous and devout Simeon, who had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. When Simeon saw Jesus, he took the child in his arms and praised God, uttering the prayer known as the Nunc Dimittis. Simeon acknowledged Jesus as the fulfillment of God's promise and spoke of the child being a light for the revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of Israel.

The Fourth Joyful Mystery, the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, is a moment of both joy and solemnity as Mary and Joseph fulfill their religious duties and encounter the recognition of Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah by Simeon and the prophetess Anna. This mystery invites reflection on the themes of dedication, obedience, and the fulfillment of divine promises.

 

 

Brown Pelican Eyes Galveston

 

Brown Pelican Eyes Galveston

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Liz and I this shot this image last year on Galveston Seawall. The brown pelican is a common coastal bird in many parts of North and South America, including the Gulf of Mexico region where Galveston is located. They are known for their distinctive appearance, including a long bill and a large throat pouch. 

 

There is a long-standing and symbolic connection between pelicans and Christian religious imagery, including associations with the crucifixion of Christ. The symbolism describes in times of famine that a mother pelican would pierce her own breast with her beak to feed her chicks with her blood. This act of self-sacrifice was seen as a symbol of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, with the mother pelican representing Christ.

 

The symbolism is captured in the medieval hymn "Adoro Te Devote" attributed to St. Thomas Aquinas, which includes the lines:

 

"Like what tender tales tell of the Pelican;

Bathe me, Jesus Lord, in what Thy bosom ran—

Blood that but one drop of has the power to win

All the world forgiveness of its world of sin."