The Favor of God Was upon Him
Introduction: Presentation
of Jesus in the Temple: May you continue to be aware of the Light of Christ
that shines upon you, and through you and through others, out in the darkness
of the world.
Often, we use
candlelight to help focus the awareness of the presence of Christ, the Light of
the World. Sometimes we have individuals light their candles from another
person’s candle. The idea of light casting out the darkness and the darkness
not being able to overcome the light is seen as a sign of Christ overcoming the
power of evil and sin.
Today we once
again focus on the Light that/Who has come to shine in the darkness. Even as an
Infant, Jesus is recognized as the source of healing and forgiving Light
that/Who will have a positive effect on individuals who are open to the Light.
He will be the means of separating those individuals of the Light from those of
darkness. This will cause pain for Him and for those who love Him, but in the
end the Light will shine even brighter, and the darkness will not be able to
overcome the Light.
As we read
today’s readings, we may have flashbacks to images we heard during the
Christmas season, and rightly so. For today is the fortieth day since
Christmas. Today’s feast is the close of the infancy narratives for the
liturgical year. Once again, we hear that Jesus was taken to the Temple forty
days after His birth to be presented to GOD according to the Jewish law. There
is much to reflect on in the readings for this feast.
In the First
Reading from Malachi, we hear that the LORD GOD is sending a messenger (an
angel, a prophet, a proclaimer of Good News) to announce that GOD is coming to
the Temple. The messenger is to announce a cleansing and purifying of the
people of GOD and the Temple. This reading has been taken to refer in a minor
way to John the Baptist and in a major way to Jesus. Both came to proclaim the
Good News. Both called for metanoia – change of heart, purifying of lifestyles.
Jesus is seen in the Temple many times throughout the Gospels. In today’s
Gospel, Jesus is brought to the Temple to be presented to GOD according to the
Jewish Law. In another passage in Luke’s Gospel, we hear that in His youth,
Jesus remained in the Temple listening and teaching while His mother and Joseph
searched for Him for three days. Jesus comes into the Temple throughout His
public ministry, one time turning over the tables of those who are making GOD’s
house a den of thieves – thus cleansing and purifying the Temple for the holy
service of GOD.
First Reading; Malachi 3:1-4: The
Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple
Commentary: This
first reading from Malachi is dire and threatening. The Lord will come to his
Temple and refine it. The reading seems to fit better the coming of Jesus to
cleanse the Temple in the final days of his ministry than the coming of the
child Jesus in helpless innocence. Yet the searing, final coming is already
presaged in the coming of the young Jesus to the Temple to be greeted by Simeon
as the fulfilment of God’s promise of salvation or completion. Malachi
prophesied the purging of the sons of Levi, and no one can deny that a dreadful
purging of the sons of Levi took place at the sack of Jerusalem in 70 AD. They
had failed to recognize their Lord. This cannot but give us pause to reflect
whether we, who have theoretically committed ourselves to Christ, have in fact
responded and been converted and purged. Are we in any way better than those
who were condemned and suffered, or are we merely more secretive, better at
concealing faults and secret distortions from others? The thoughts of all
hearts will be laid bare in the end. It might be as well to start laying them
bare or purging them now.
Responsorial Psalm 24:7-10; Who
is the king of glory? He, the Lord, he is the king of glory.
Our
Responsorial is the psalm speaking about the LORD, the Ruler of Glory, entering
into the holy place. This psalm is tied to David’s bringing the Ark of the
Covenant into the City of Jerusalem to the tent where the Ark would dwell. Yet
it is also appropriate for this feast when we celebrate Jesus being brought
into the Temple for the presentation on this day, the fortieth day after His
birth.
Second Reading; Hebrews 2:14-18:
He took to himself descent from Abraham
Commentary: Throughout this passage about Christ
early in the Letter he is contrasted with the angels. The angels could not have
done what Christ did, since they are not of the same stock as us human beings.
It is only because Christ is of the same stock as ourselves that he can
sanctify us; therefore it is essential that he really was fully human,
completely like his brothers. This is why the tradition has always stressed the
importance of Christ’s fully human nature: if he were not like us in all
respects he could not have redeemed us, for by taking to himself human nature
he lifted it up to his own level.
Two more
important points are also made in this reading. Firstly, Christ is here called
the high priest. In the New Testament, there is no mention of other Christian
priests, only elders. The priesthood belongs exclusively to Christ, not to any
other human being; what this priesthood means is elaborated in chapters 7-10 of
the Letter. In the Book of Revelation, the people of God are a line of priests
because incorporated into Christ, but no individual has this title. The
Eucharist is offered by Christ and by the Church as the Body of Christ,
assimilated into him; the Christian ‘priest’ merely presides at the Eucharist
of the Christian people.
Secondly, great
stress is laid at various points of the letter on the compassion of Christ with
us because he too has been through temptation. The author is surely here
thinking primarily of the testing and the sufferings of Christ in his Passion.
But in addition, the sinlessness of Jesus would be vain unless he too had been
tempted and tested in daily life, just like ourselves, temptations of laziness,
sex, jealousy, and impatience. Only he was not led astray by these temptations.
Gospel Luke 2:22-40: My eyes
have seen your salvation
Commentary: The story of the Presentation of the
child Jesus in the Temple is dominated by Simeon’s welcome, ‘a light to
enlighten the gentiles and the glory of your people Israel’, and by his warning
to Mary, a sword will pierce your heart’. Simeon reiterates the angel’s
promise that the child would fulfill the destiny of Israel and Israel’s task to
the nations. Much like any family life, the promised future included the
delights of the growing, developing child, and the background fear that the
great destiny of each child may include sorrow and even heartbreak. How much
did Mary and Joseph know about the precious child they were nurturing? As he
grew to independence, did he become more loving and supportive? How did his
contemporaries find him? Was he a leader? Did he stand out from the pack? Each
of us has a private picture of the child, the boy, the adolescent, and the young
man. All we know for sure is that ‘the child grew to maturity’, and that Mary
‘pondered all these things in her heart’, with Simeon’s welcome and warning
before her mind.
Reflection: Do you
know the favor of the Lord? After Jesus' birth, Mary fulfills the Jewish rite
of purification after childbirth. Since she could not afford the customary
offering of a lamb, she gives instead two pigeons as an offering of the poor.
This rite, along with circumcision and the redemption of the firstborn point
to the fact that children are gifts from God. Jesus was born in an ordinary
home where there were no luxuries. Like all godly parents, Mary and Joseph
raised their son in the fear and wisdom of God. He, in turn, was obedient to
them and grew in wisdom and grace. The Lord's favor is with those who listen to
his word with trust and obedience. Do you know the joy of submission to God?
And do you seek to pass on the faith and to help the young grow in wisdom and
maturity?
The Holy Spirit reveals the presence of the Savior of the
world: What is the significance of Simeon's encounter with the baby
Jesus and his mother in the temple? Simeon was a just and devout man who was
very much in tune with the Holy Spirit. He believed that the Lord would return
to his temple and renew his chosen people. The Holy Spirit also revealed to him
that the Messiah and King of Israel would also bring salvation to the Gentile
nations. When Joseph and Mary presented the baby Jesus in the temple, Simeon
immediately recognized this humble child of Bethlehem as the fulfillment of all
the messianic prophecies, hopes, and prayers. Inspired by the Holy Spirit he
prophesied that Jesus was to be "a revealing light to the Gentiles".
The Holy Spirit reveals the presence of the Lord to those who are receptive and
eager to receive him. Do you recognize the indwelling presence of the Lord with
you?
The 'new temple' of God's presence in the world: Jesus
is the new temple (John 1:14; 2:19-22). In the Old Testament God manifested his
presence in the "pillar of cloud" by day and the "pillar of
fire" by night as he led them through the wilderness. God's glory visibly
came to dwell over the ark and the Tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-38). When the first
temple was built in Jerusalem God's glory came to rest there (1 Kings 8). After
the first temple was destroyed, Ezekiel saw God's glory leave it (Ezekiel 10).
But God promised one day to fill it with even greater glory (Haggai 2:1-9;
Zechariah 8-9). That promise is fulfilled when the "King of Glory"
himself comes to his temple (Psalm 24:7-10; Malachi 3:1). Through Jesus' coming
in the flesh and through his saving death, resurrection, and ascension we are
made living temples of his Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). Ask the Lord to
renew your faith in the indwelling presence of his Spirit within you. And give
him thanks and praise for coming to make his home with you.
Mary receives both a crown of joy and a cross of sorrow: Simeon
blessed Mary and Joseph and he prophesied to Mary about the destiny of this
child and the suffering she would undergo for his sake. There is a certain
paradox for those blessed by the Lord. Mary was given the blessedness of being
the mother of the Son of God. That blessedness also would become a sword that
pierced her heart as her Son died upon the cross. She received both a crown of
joy and a cross of sorrow. But her joy was not diminished by her sorrow because
it was fueled by her faith, hope, and trust in God and his promises. Jesus
promised his disciples that "no one will take your joy from you"
(John 16:22). The Lord gives us a supernatural joy that enables us to bear any
sorrow or pain and which neither life nor death can take away. Do you know the
peace and joy of a life surrendered to God with faith and trust?
The Holy Spirit renews our hope in the promise of God: Simeon
was not alone in recognizing the Lord's presence in the temple. Anna, too, was
filled with the Holy Spirit. She was found daily in the temple, attending to
the Lord in prayer and speaking prophetically to others about God's promise to
send a redeemer. Supernatural hope grows with prayer and age! Anna was
pre-eminently a woman of great hope and expectation that God would fulfill all
his promises. She is a model of godliness to all believers as we advance in
age.
Advancing age and life's disappointments can easily make us cynical and hopeless if we do not have our hope rightly placed. Anna's hope in God and his promises grew with age. She never ceased to worship God in faith and to pray with hope. Her hope and faith in God's promises fueled her indomitable zeal and fervor in prayer and service of God's people.
Our hope is anchored in God's everlasting kingdom of
righteousness, peace, and joy: What do you hope for? The hope which
God places in our hearts is the desire for the kingdom of heaven and everlasting
life and happiness with our heavenly Father. The Lord Jesus has won for us a
kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). The
Holy Spirit gives hope to all who place their trust in the promises of God. God
never fails because his promises are true and he is faithful. The hope that
God places within us through the gift of the Spirit enables us to persevere with
confident trust in God even in the face of trials, setbacks, and challenges
that may come our way.
Is there
anything holding you back from giving God your unqualified trust and submission
to his will for your life? Allow the Lord Jesus to flood your heart with his
peace, joy, and love. And offer to God everything you have and desire - your
life, family, friends, health, honor, wealth, and future. If you seek his
kingdom first he will give you everything you need to know, love, and serve him
now and enjoy him forever.
Lord Jesus, you
are my hope and my life. May I never cease to place all my trust in you. Fill
me with the joy and strength of the Holy Spirit that I may boldly point others
to your saving presence and words of eternal life.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Christ who was rich became poor, by Origen of
Alexandria (185-254 AD)
"For this
reason, it seems wonderful that the sacrifice of Mary was not the first
offering, that is, 'a lamb a year old,' but the second, since 'she could not
afford' (Leviticus 5:7) the first. For as it was written about her, Jesus'
parents came 'to offer a sacrifice' for him,' according to what is said in the
law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."' But
this also shows the truth of what was written, that Jesus Christ 'although he
was rich, became a poor man' (2 Corinthians 8:9). Therefore, for this reason,
he chose both a poor mother, from whom he was born, and a poor homeland, about
which it is said, 'But you, O Bethlehem Ephrata, who are little to be among
the clans of Judah' (Micah 5:2), and the rest. (excerpt from HOMILIES ON LEVITICUS
8.4.3)
“Now I see” (Jn 9:25): “My eyes have witnessed
Your saving deed displayed for all the peoples to see.” —Luke 2:30-31. The
Church Fathers pictured Adam and Eve as viewing through the persons of Simeon
and Anna the undoing of their earlier rebellion. Adam and Eve could thus say
with Simeon, “Now we can die in peace; we have seen God’s salvation” (see Lk
2:29ff). They finally saw the fulfillment of God’s promise of victory over evil
in the Infant Jesus (see Gn 3:15). God let Simeon and Anna see the promise,
just as He let Moses see the Promised Land and feast his eyes upon it (see Dt
34:4). They “did not obtain what had been promised but saw and saluted it from
afar” (Heb 11:13).
God lets us glimpse the heavenly future in today’s feast of the Presentation of Jesus. We may not live to see all our hopes come to pass, but God, in His mercy, lets us “feast our eyes” upon the promise and get a glimpse. We are privileged to see Jesus in Word, Eucharist, and Sacrament. We, too, can see the Light to the Nations and the Glory of Israel (see Luke 2:32).
Moses, Simeon,
Anna, and the holy heroes of faith were the best of faithful Israel. Likewise,
God lets us see a Light of revelation. This sign will be for our “rise,” the
rise of many (Lk 2:34). In seeing the Eucharist, reading the New Testament, and
living in the Church, the Body of Christ, we not only fulfill Simeon and Anna’s
hope but far exceed it. Let us rejoice in all the Lord allows us to see.
Prayer: Father, I will feast my eyes upon that
which glorifies You, rather than upon worldly “enticements for the eye” (1 Jn
2:16). “Since [Jesus] was Himself tested through what He suffered, He can help those who are tempted.” —Heb 2:18. “O Lord, our Lord, how glorious is
Your name over all the earth!” (Ps 8:2).
Personal action for today: When have I been aware of the presence of GOD in ordinary people and in my daily living experiences? How have I pointed out the specialness
of others due to the fact that GOD’s Light is shining through them? How can I let
the Light of GOD shine through me and through others?
Presentation of the Lord: At
the end of the fourth century, a woman named Etheria made a pilgrimage to
Jerusalem. Her journal, discovered in 1887, gives an unprecedented glimpse of
liturgical life there. Among the celebrations she describes is the Epiphany,
the observance of Christ’s birth, and the gala procession in honor of his
Presentation in the Temple 40 days later. Under the Mosaic Law, a woman was
ritually “unclean” for 40 days after childbirth, when she was to present
herself to the priests and offer sacrifice—her “purification.” Contact with
anyone who had brushed against mystery—birth or death—excluded a person from
Jewish worship. This feast emphasizes Jesus’ first appearance in the Temple
more than Mary’s purification.
The observance
spread throughout the Western Church in the fifth and sixth centuries. Because
the Church in the West celebrated Jesus’ birth on December 25, the Presentation
was moved to February 2, 40 days after Christmas.
At the beginning of the eighth century, Pope Sergius inaugurated a candlelight procession. At the end of the same century, the blessing and distribution of candles, which continues to this day, became part of the celebration, giving the feast its popular name: Candlemas.
In Luke’s
account, Jesus was welcomed in the temple by two elderly people, Simeon and the
widow Anna. They embody Israel in their patient expectation; they acknowledge
the infant Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah. Early references to the Roman
feast dub it the feast of Saint Simeon, the old man who burst into a song of
joy which the Church still sings at day’s end.
Let us Pray: Blessed are You, LORD GOD, source of Light. Through Your Goodness, You desire that all people come into Your Light where they will receive warmth, energy, healing, knowledge, and joy. Yet, we have sometimes tried to stifle Your Light and we have chosen to stay in the darkness of doubt, cold, sickness, sadness, and sin. We ask that we may be more open to Your Light shining in the world of darkness. Not only have You sent Your Son to be the Light of the world, but also, He, in turn, has enlightened others and sent them out to be lights in the darkness. Through the power of Your Holy Spirit, open our eyes to the brightness of Your Light shining in and through others, and in and through us. We make this prayer, in the name of Jesus, the Light of the world, Who is with us, His disciples, and Who is also with You and the Holy Spirit, for You are our one and only GOD, living and reigning, for ever and ever. Amen.
