First Reading: Exodus 2:1-10
Now a man from the house of Levi went and took to wife a
daughter of Levi. The woman conceived and bore a son;
and when she saw that he was a goodly child, she hid him
three months. And when she could hide him no longer she
took for him a basket made of bulrushes, and daubed it
with bitumen and pitch; and she put the child in it and
placed it among the reeds at the river's brink. And his
sister stood at a distance, to know what would be done
to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe
at the river, and her maidens walked beside the river;
she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to
fetch it. When she opened it she saw the child; and lo,
the babe was crying. She took pity on him and said,
"This is one of the Hebrews' children." Then his sister
said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call you a
nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?"
And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." So the girl
went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's
daughter said to her, "Take this child away, and nurse
him for me, and I will give you your wages." So the
woman took the child and nursed him. And the child grew,
and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became
her son; and she named him Moses, for she said, "Because
I drew him out of the water."
_____________
Second Reading: Isaiah 49:1-7
Listen to me, O coastlands, and hearken, you peoples
from afar. The Lord called me from the womb, from the
body of my mother he named my name. He made my mouth
like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me
away. And he said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, in
whom I will be glorified." But I said, "I have labored
in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and
vanity; yet surely my right is with the Lord, and my
recompense with my God." And now the Lord says, who
formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring
Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to
him, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord, and my
God has become my strength -- he says: "It is too light
a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the
tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel;
I will give you as a light to the nations, that my
salvation may reach to the end of the earth."
_____________
The Epistle: 2 Timothy 2:16-end
But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal:
"The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Let every one
who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity." In
a great house there are not only vessels of gold and
silver but also of wood and earthenware, and some for
noble use, some for ignoble. If any one purifies himself
from what is ignoble, then he will be a vessel for noble
use, consecrated and useful to the master of the house,
ready for any good work. So shun youthful passions and
aim at righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with
those who call upon the Lord from a pure heart. Have
nothing to do with stupid, senseless controversies; you
know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant
must not be quarrelsome but kindly to every one, an apt
teacher, forbearing, correcting his opponents with
gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent
and come to know the truth, and they may escape from the
snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do
his will.
_____________
The Gospel: Luke 2:22-39
Now the parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem every year at
the feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years
old, they went up according to custom; and when the
feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus
stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it,
but supposing him to be in the company they went a day's
journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and
acquaintances; and when they did not find him, they
returned to Jerusalem, seeking him. After three days
they found him in the temple, sitting among the
teachers, listening to them and asking them questions;
and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding
and his answers. And when they saw him they were
astonished; and his mother said to him, "Son, why have
you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been
looking for you anxiously." And he said to them, "How is
it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be
in my Father's house?" And they did not understand the
saying which he spoke to them. And he went down with
them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and
his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus
increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with
God and man.