When a Jewish woman had given birth to a male child, she was considered unclean for 40 days. She could not enter the temple or participate in religious ceremonies. After 40 days, she was required to bring a lamb and a young pigeon or dove to the temple as an offering. (Leviticus 12: 6)
Livestock is expensive now, and it was then as
well. The law allowed a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons for those who could not afford the lamb. This was called the offering of the poor, which Mary and Joseph brought.
Mary and Joseph were poor but devout, and God was central to their lives. They show us we do not need possessions or riches to commit our lives to the Lord. If we wait for riches or better life circumstances, we might miss out on what the Lord wants to
offer us.
The Lord invites us to come to him today as we are, not as we hope and wish to be, without judging or looking down on ourselves because we lack what we think makes us worthy.
How different might your life be if you genuinely believe you are enough as you are with all that you possess or might not possess?
Reflections by Morongoa Selepe
