Douay Rheims Genesis 3

Book Of Genesis

Chapter 3

 

The serpent's craft. The fall of our first parents. Their punishment. The promise of a Redeemer.

[1] Now the serpent was more subtle than any of the beasts of the earth which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman: Why hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every tree of paradise? [2] And the woman answered him, saying: Of the fruit of the trees that are in paradise we do eat: [3] But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of paradise, God hath commanded us that we should not eat; and that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we die. [4] And the serpent said to the woman: No, you shall not die the death. [5] For God doth know that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened: and you shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil.

[6] And the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold: and she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her husband who did eat. [7] And the eyes of them both were opened: and when they perceived themselves to be naked, they sewed together fig leaves, and made themselves aprons. [8] And when they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in paradise at the afternoon air, Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord God, amidst the trees of paradise. [9] And the Lord God called Adam, and said to him: Where art thou? [10] And he said: I heard thy voice in paradise; and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.

[11] And he said to him: And who hath told thee that thou wast naked, but that thou hast eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat? [12] And Adam said: The woman, whom thou gavest me to be my companion, gave me of the tree, and I did eat. [13] And the Lord God said to the woman: Why hast thou done this? And she answered: The serpent deceived me, and I did eat. [14] And the Lord God said to the serpent: Because thou hast done this thing, thou art cursed among all cattle, and beasts of the earth: upon thy breast shalt thou go, and earth shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. [15] I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.

[16] To the woman also he said: I will multiply thy sorrows, and thy conceptions: in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children, and thou shalt be under thy husband' s power, and he shall have dominion over thee. [17] And to Adam he said: Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat, cursed is the earth in thy work; with labour and toil shalt thou eat thereof all the days of thy life. [18] Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herbs of the earth. [19] In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return to the earth, out of which thou wast taken: for dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return. [20] And Adam called the name of his wife Eve: because she was the mother of all the living.

[21] And the Lord God made for Adam and his wife, garments of skins, and clothed them. [22] And he said: Behold Adam is become as one of us, knowing good and evil: now, therefore, lest perhaps he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever. [23] And the Lord God sent him out of the paradise of pleasure, to till the earth from which he was taken. [24] And he cast out Adam; and placed before the paradise of pleasure Cherubims, and a flaming sword, turning every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Douay Rheims audible bible, Genesis 2

Book Of Genesis

Chapter 2



God resteth on the seventh day and blesseth it. The earthly paradise, in which God placeth man. He commandeth him not to eat of the tree of knowledge. And formeth a woman of his rib.

[1] So the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the furniture of them. [2] And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made: and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done. [3] And he blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. [4] These are the generations of the heaven and the earth, when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the heaven and the earth: [5] And every plant of the field before it sprung up in the earth, and every herb of the ground before it grew: for the Lord God had not rained upon the earth; and there was not a man to till the earth.

[6] But a spring rose out of the earth, watering all the surface of the earth. [7] And the Lord God formed man of the slime of the earth: and breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living soul. [8] And the Lord God had planted a paradise of pleasure from the beginning: wherein he placed man whom he had formed. [9] And the Lord God brought forth of the ground all manner of trees, fair to behold, and pleasant to eat of: the tree of life also in the midst of paradise: and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. [10] And a river went out of the place of pleasure to water paradise, which from thence is divided into four heads.

[11] The name of the one is Phison: that is it which compasseth all the land of Hevilath, where gold groweth. [12] And the gold of that land is very good: there is found bdellium, and the onyx stone. [13] And the name of the second river is Gehon: the same is it that compasseth all the land of Ethiopia. [14] And the name of the third river is Tigris: the same passeth along by the Assyrians. And the fourth river is Euphrates. [15] And the Lord God took man, and put him into the paradise of pleasure, to dress it, and to keep it.


[16] And he commanded him, saying: Of every tree of paradise thou shalt eat: [17] But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat. For in what day soever thou shalt eat of it, thou shalt die the death. [18] And the Lord God said: It is not good for man to be alone: let us make him a help like unto himself. [19] And the Lord God having formed out of the ground all the beasts of the earth, and all the fowls of the air, brought them to Adam to see what he would call them: for whatsoever Adam called any living creature the same is its name. [20] And Adam called all the beasts by their names, and all the fowls of the air, and all the cattle of the field: but for Adam there was not found a helper like himself.

[21] Then the Lord God cast a deep sleep upon Adam: and when he was fast asleep, he took one of his ribs, and filled up flesh for it. [22] And the Lord God built the rib which he took from Adam into a woman: and brought her to Adam. [23] And Adam said: This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man. [24] Wherefore a man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they shall be two in one flesh. [25] And they were both naked: to wit, Adam and his wife: and were not ashamed.

Novena to St. Jude

Novena To
St. Jude

Most holy Apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus,  the Church honors and invokes you universally, as the patron of difficult  cases, of things almost despaired of, Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone.
Intercede with God for me that He bring visible and speedy help where help is  almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive  the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and  sufferings, particularly -

(make your request here)

- and that I may praise  God with you and all the saints forever. I promise, O Blessed St. Jude, to be  ever mindful of this great favor granted me by God and to always honor you as  my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you.
Amen

PRAYER

May the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, and loved in all the  tabernacles until the end of time. Amen.

May the most Sacred Heart of Jesus be praised and glorified now and forever. Amen

St. Jude pray for us and hear our prayers. Amen.

Blessed be the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Blessed be the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Blessed be St. Jude Thaddeus, in all the world and for all Eternity.

(say this prayer, followed by the Our Father and the Hail Mary)

Douay Rheims, Genesis 1

Book Of Genesis

Chapter 1


God createth Heaven and Earth, and all things therein, in six days.

[1] In the beginning God created heaven, and earth. [2] And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God moved over the waters. [3] And God said: Be light made. And light was made. [4] And God saw the light that it was good; and he divided the light from the darkness. [5] And he called the light Day, and the darkness Night; and there was evening and morning one day.

[6] And God said: Let there be a firmament made amidst the waters: and let it divide the waters from the waters. [7] And God made a firmament, and divided the waters that were under the firmament, from those that were above the firmament, and it was so. [8] And God called the firmament, Heaven; and the evening and morning were the second day. [9] God also said: Let the waters that are under the heaven, be gathered together into one place: and let the dry land appear. And it was so done. [10] And God called the dry land, Earth; and the gathering together of the waters, he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

[11] And he said: Let the earth bring forth the green herb, and such as may seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, which may have seed in itself upon the earth. And it was so done. [12] And the earth brought forth the green herb, and such as yieldeth seed according to its kind, and the tree that beareth fruit, having seed each one according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. [13] And the evening and the morning were the third day. [14] And God said: Let there be lights made in the firmament of heaven, to divide the day and the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years: [15] To shine in the firmament of heaven, and to give light upon the earth. And it was so done.

[16] And God made two great lights: a greater light to rule the day; and a lesser light to rule the night: and the stars. [17] And he set them in the firmament of heaven to shine upon the earth. [18] And to rule the day and the night, and to divide the light and the darkness. And God saw that it was good. [19] And the evening and morning were the fourth day. [20] God also said: Let the waters bring forth the creeping creature having life, and the fowl that may fly over the earth under the firmament of heaven.

[21] And God created the great whales, and every living and moving creature, which the waters brought forth, according to their kinds, and every winged fowl according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. [22] And he blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the waters of the sea: and let the birds be multiplied upon the earth. [23] And the evening and morning were the fifth day. [24] And God said: Let the earth bring forth the living creature in its kind, cattle and creeping things, and beasts of the earth, according to their kinds. And it was so done. [25] And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, and cattle, and every thing that creepeth on the earth after its kind. And God saw that it was good.

[26] And he said: Let us make man to our image and likeness: and let him have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts, and the whole earth, and every creeping creature that moveth upon the earth. [27] And God created man to his own image: to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them. [28] And God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon the earth. [29] And God said: Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed upon the earth, and all trees that have in themselves seed of their own kind, to be your meat: [30] And to all beasts of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to all that move upon the earth, and wherein there is life, that they may have to feed upon. And it was so done.

[31] And God saw all the things that he had made, and they were very good. And the evening and morning were the sixth day.

Dos Santos, Reasons

David's affair with Bathsheba and what that teaches about Purgatory

Read 2 Sam 11, 12 and 13

Mass Readings Feb 23, 2014

Objection to the Penance that a priest gives

Objector says:

Roman Catholics, will you point to where it is written in Scripture, that Jesus instructed the apostles to impose a "penance" on those people who confessed their sins to them

Jesus Christ did not command it explicitly, but gave the example.  Let me lay the background, the headings of Jesus Christ are prefigurings of the Sacraments.  In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we present ourselves to Christ and ask Him to heal our soul.  Lets look at what Jesus says to a certain leper whom He heals:

Matthew 8:4

And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

The equivalent of the penance, at this point, is the command to offer the gift that Moses stipulates.

We also see that St. Paul, in the book of Acts, requires that Gentiles to "works meet for repentance."  That is the wording used in the King James Bible.  But in the Catholic Douay Rheims, it is much more explicit:

Acts 26:20

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)

20 But to them first that are at Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and unto all the country of Judea, and to the Gentiles did I preach, that they should do penance, and turn to God, doing works worthy of penance.

There are not many verses addressing this topic.  But the faith of Jesus Christ is not about how many verses are in the Bible concerning the matter.  Even if there were only one verse, that would be enough.


Here is one concerning suffering and the doing away of sin:

Here is where St. Peter says it:

1 Peter 4:1

King James Version (KJV)
4 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

He also says it here:
1 Peter 3:17-19

King James Version (KJV)
¹⁷ For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
¹⁸ For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
¹⁹ By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

Note how he begins by saying that we must suffer. Then he explains that we must suffer because Jesus ALSO suffered for sins.

In other words, Jesus suffered for our sins so that we might also suffer for our sins.

Now, St. Paul is not as explicit about the expiation for personal sin, but he is explicit about suffering for the sins of the Church:
Colossians 1:24

King James Version (KJV)
²⁴ Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:

and he says that unless we suffer with Christ we will not inherit the Kingdom with Christ:
Romans 8:17

King James Version (KJV)
¹⁷ And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

2 Timothy 2:12

King James Version (KJV)
¹² If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

For those who deny the Traditions of Christ, they will not understand this teaching. But for those of us who accept the Traditions of Christ, we know that this means that we expiate our sins in suffering.

The Objector continues:

- of course this question is based strickly on the Roman Catholic teaching that the apostles were 'appointed by Christ to forgive sins' through the ritual that the RCC calls their 'sacrament of 'confession,' - which is now refered to as the sacrament of 'reconcilliation' by the RCC.

Which is based upon many verses of the Bible. But the two which fit the best are these:

John 20:23

King James Version (KJV)
²³ Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

Hebrews 13:17

King James Version (KJV)
¹⁷ Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

The Objector continues:
What is the consequence if a Roman Catholic does not do the "penance" assigned to them by the Roman Catholic priest, after they confess their sins?If he is disobedient to the Priest, then he is disobedient to Christ whom the Priest represents:

In Heb 13:17 above, it says that this would be "unprofitable for you".  So, its not a good thing.  Because Scripture says that the Priest is the Ambassador of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:19-21

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)

19 For God indeed was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing to them their sins; and he hath placed in us the word of reconciliation.

20 For Christ therefore we are ambassadors, God as it were exhorting by us. For Christ, we beseech you, be reconciled to God.

21 Him, who knew no sin, he hath made sin for us, that we might be made the justice of God in him.

Thus,

Luke 10:16

King James Version (KJV)
¹⁶ He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.

and Christ only saves those who obey Him:
Hebrews 5:9

King James Version (KJV)
⁹ And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

The Objector continues:

As a young catholic I was told/taught that the "penance" part was to atone for my sin, to make it right again and remind me not to do it again. Of course this is not biblical.

Show me where Scripture says you must not pay for your sins.
Luke 19:8-10

King James Version (KJV)
⁸ And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
⁹ And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
¹⁰ For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Zacchaeus found salvation after he paid for his.

The Objector continues:

 I do not know if there is an official sanction, others might know this of course, I can just remember feeling as if I would be in big trouble and my sin would not be forgiven if I did not do the penance.

 If you refuse to do the penance, you are disobeying Christ whom the Priest represents.

The Objector continues:
Of course that is not biblical either, and makes your "atonement" rather works based, instead of what it is in the bible.

What is it in the Bible? You guys keep saying it is something else. But I see where God wants us to work to show our faith. Where does He say, "just sit on your hands and claim to be saved by faith alone."?

I want to see it. Show me from Scripture.

The Objector concludes:
I do not know of what authority a priest would even have to assign a non biblical penance. He can not tell my heart. Only God can.

I guess you just have a spirit of disobedience. Christ, whom the Priest represents, gave the Church authority to enforce Her rules:
Matthew 18:17

King James Version (KJV)
¹⁷ And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

But again, if you disagree, show me from Scripture.

Sincerely,

De Maria

Mass Readings Feb 16, 2014

Scripture is easy?

Acts 8:30-32

King James Version (KJV)

³⁰ And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readiest?  ³¹ And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.  ³² The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:  

2 Peter 3:16

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁶ As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

A conversation about good works in the life of a Christian

St. Scholastica - feastday Feb 10

Is there merit in doing good?

Is there merit in good works?

Frequently people will tell me that there is no merit in good works. The argument is that all works are as dirty rags before God. They forget that it is God who commands us to do good works. But what are good works? Is anything that we do considered good?

Good works are those which are done according to the will of God. The most excellent example of good works are the 10 Commandments. But the 10 Commandments are listed of things which God does not want us to do. God does not want us to commit idolatry. He does not want us to ignore the Sabbath day. He does not want us to disobey our parents. He does not want us to injure our neighbors. He does not want us to lie. He does not want us to steal. And he does not want us to commit adultery. These are things we are to avoid.

But there are specific things which God wants us to do. We are supposed to be religious and worship God continually. We are supposed to be loving and kind to our neighbors. We are supposed to be helpful and considerate of those who need our assistance. We are supposed to be prayerful and industrious.

There is merit in the eyes of God when people avoid evil and do good. It is these people which God will save precisely because they do a good which he wants them to do.

And, those people who avoid doing good are the people which God will not save precisely because they do not do the good which he wants them to do. Notice that they don't have to do evil in order to be condemned. They only need to avoid doing good. They only need to avoid praying to God and worshiping God. They only need to avoid helping their neighbor.

Therefore, there is a great deal of merit in doing good.

Sincerely,

De Maria

February 2, 2014

USCCB »  Bible »  Daily Readings

 

 « February 2  Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Lectionary: 524

Reading 1MAL 3:1-4

Thus says the Lord God:
Lo, I am sending my messenger
to prepare the way before me;

This is a reference to St. John the Baptist who came to prepare the way for the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Note that the Lord God says that he is the Messiah because his messenger is preparing the way for him.

And suddenly there will come to the temple
the LORD whom you seek,
And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.

 The messenger here has a double meaning. It is either St. John the Baptist or Jesus Christ. But it more likely represents Jesus Christ because he is God whom we seek.

Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
But who will endure the day of his coming?
And who can stand when he appears?
For he is like the refiner’s fire,
or like the fuller’s lye.
He will sit refining and purifying silver,
and he will purify the sons of Levi,
Refining them like gold or like silver
that they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD.

 This confirms that the messenger is a reference to Jesus Christ, God, the second person of the holy Trinity, whose presence is like fire:

Hebrews 12:29  For our God is a consuming fire.

1 Peter 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem
will please the LORD,
as in the days of old, as in years gone by.

 This is a reference to the Eucharist. Which is the sacrifice that  pleases the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm PS 24:7, 8, 9, 10

R. (8) Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up, O gates, your lintels;
reach up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may come in!
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is this king of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, mighty in battle.
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Lift up, O gates, your lintels;
reach up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may come in!
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Who is this king of glory?
The LORD of hosts; he is the king of glory.
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!

 Jesus Christ is the King of glory. Glory is another word for heaven. Jesus Christ is the King of heaven.

Reading 2 HEB 2:14-18

Since the children share in blood and flesh,
Jesus likewise shared in them,

 The children who share blood and flesh represents humankind. Jesus Christ took upon himself the blood and flesh in order to become one of us.

that through death he might destroy the one
who has the power of death, that is, the Devil,

 Jesus Christ was conceived in Mary's womb and born in order to die upon the cross and thus to destroy the devil's power.

and free those who through fear of death
had been subject to slavery all their life.

 by dying upon the cross and rising again, Jesus freed those who were afraid of death and thus subject to the devil's power.

Surely he did not help angels
but rather the descendants of Abraham;

 Angels do not die therefore, Jesus death and resurrection did not help their status. It only helped those men who have faith. That is why Abraham is here mentioned. Because all have faith in God our children of Abraham.

therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters
in every way,
that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God
to expiate the sins of the people.

 Therefore, Jesus had to become like us in order that we would recognize that he suffered like us.

Because he himself was tested through what he suffered,
he is able to help those who are being tested.

 By our knowledge of his sacrifice we begin to understand how much he loves us.

Gospel LK 2:22-40

When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord. 

 Jesus was obedient to the law of God from the time he was born. Mary and Joseph brought him to the temple to be consecrated to God in accordance with the law of Moses. Thus, his parents fulfilled God's will for him just as we fulfill God's will for our children when we baptize our infants.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. 

 St. Simeon was a very holy man who had received a revelation from God that he would not die before he saw the Messiah, the Christ, the anointed Savior of the world.

He 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,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:

“Now, Master, you may let your servant go 
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.”

 This is a beautiful prayer which the Catholic Church has prayed every night before we go to bed.

The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and 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
—and you yourself a sword will pierce—
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

 St. Simeon forewarned Mary of the suffering which she and her child would face in the future. When her child died upon the cross it was as though a sword had pierced her in two.

There was also a prophetess, Anna,
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years,
having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,

and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She never left the temple,
but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.
And coming forward at that very time,
she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child
to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.

 God also revealed to St. Anna the prophetess about the Christ child. And she spoke about this to all who came to the temple.

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions
of the law of the Lord,
they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;
and the favor of God was upon him.

 And when Mary and Joseph had fulfilled the law of Moses with respect to Jesus Christ they went back home. And Jesus grew up physically strong and very wise and beloved of his heavenly Father.

The alternate gospel reading is a subset of the original and needs no further comment.

Or 

LK 2:22-32

When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord. 

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. 
He 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,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:

“Now, Master, you may let your servant go 
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory for your people Israel.”