“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.” (Hebrews 2:17)
Reflections on the readings for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (February 2, 2022): MAL 3:1-4, PS 24:7,8,9,10; HEB 2:14-18; LK 2:22-40
MISSIO offers “Preaching Mission,” as a homily help, providing connections to mission from the readings of Sundays, Feast Days and Holy Days.
We can only ask ourselves about the depth of our own faith...
The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord dates back to the 4th century. Now we focus primarily on Jesus’ first visit to the temple of Jerusalem, when, like all Jewish baby boys, He was offered to Almighty God. Yet, this day also commemorates the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary after the birth of her Child. In the Gospel, we hear about a devout man named Simeon who was promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he saw the Messiah. So when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple, Simeon knew that the moment he had yearned for so long had come. “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’” (Luke 2:27-32). Simeon went on to tell the Blessed Mother that Jesus would change the lives of many and that her own heart would be pierced by suffering.
Then we meet another person dedicated to God: the prophetess Anna, a widow, who had spent years worshipping in the temple. She, too, was given the special blessing of recognizing Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah. And she proclaimed the good news to all. We cannot know what the people in the temple that day made of what they saw and heard. After all, the Son of an obviously humble husband and wife were acclaimed by two holy people as the Anointed One. Those present must surely have remembered such an unusual event. It’s even possible that a few of them were there twelve years later when Jesus was in the temple talking with learned scholars when His parents came looking for Him. Or, again, years after that when Jesus started His ministry and often visited the temple. These encounters must have made an impression on people. But whether this eventually led to their faith in Christ we cannot know. We can only ask ourselves about the depth of our own faith in the Redeemer who came to light our way home to Him.
