Shalom to you all! How are you? I hope that you are well and experiencing the peace (“Shalom” in Hebrew) of the Lord. This Saturday, February 2nd, we will celebrate one of the great moments in salvation history. While it does not have the same liturgical rank or accompanying festivities like Christmas it is nonetheless an important occasion to commemorate. During the Rosary the celebration of February 2nd is prayerfully contemplated as the penultimate or second to last Joyful Mystery. Most commonly it is referred to as the Presentation of the Lord.
This particular moment is described within Luke 2:22-40. Mary and Joseph traveled to Jerusalem to present the little child Jesus within the Temple. It was there that the righteous man Simeon took the child into his arms and expressed a prayer of gratitude to the Lord for revealing to him the Messiah. The holy woman and prophetess Anna spoke about Jesus as the one who would be the redeemer of Jerusalem. This was in fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 52:9 to those living in exile which had declared, “
Break out together in song, O ruins of Jerusalem! For the LORD has comforted his people, has redeemed Jerusalem.”
According to Jewish custom it was forty days after the birth of the child that the mother would go to the Temple in Jerusalem to offer a sacrifice of an unblemished lamb to the Lord. For those who could not afford a lamb then the tradition was to offer two turtledoves or pigeons. It’s somewhat striking to note that Luke 2:22 speaks about “their purification” which has been interpreted to refer to Mary
and
Joseph. They both presented turtledove - evidence of their material poverty and dependence upon the Lord - for their purification in fulfillment of the Law of Moses. Though Joseph was a righteous man and Our Blessed Mother was immaculately pure without sin, they nonetheless followed the customs of their family and spiritual ancestors.
Some of you might be thinking, “Well that’s certainly interesting and good to know, but what are some of the takeaway lessons from the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple?” That’s a marvelous question. I’m glad you asked it. It’s worth noting that February 2nd takes place exactly forty days after the birthday of Jesus on December 25th. Liturgically, it’s a very appropriate day to commemorate his Presentation in the Temple nearly two thousand years ago. At the same time, outside of the liturgy, Saturday could be a day to prayerfully ponder the Presentation in light of your own spiritual journey.
With whom do you resonate most with from that sacred moment? Are you like Joseph who was a righteous man striving to do the will of the Lord in all things? Are you like Our Blessed Mother who was devoutly living out the traditions of her faith? Are you like Simeon, filled with a sense of profound joy and gratitude for the work of God in your life? Are you compelled to speak boldly like the prophetess Anna for others to get to know Jesus as the redeemer and cause of their salvation? Are you like the crowds that were present in the Temple but not fully aware of what great event was taking place? For much of my life I would have identified myself with the crowds who would have been there on that momentous occasion. They had undoubtedly seen hundreds, maybe even thousands, of children being presented to God by happy and grateful parents. What would have been so distinct about that couple from Nazareth?
With the Grace of God at work within us, may we be opened to seeing and joyfully acclaiming Jesus as the Messiah and redeemer of all things good, true, and beautiful. May we take him into our arms with grateful love and devotion, especially in the celebration of the Eucharist. In doing so our lives will be purified and we will grow in our friendship with Emmanuel, “God with us.”
