Homily on “Lessons from Mary and Joseph, Simeon and Anna” on the Feast of The Presentation of the Lord (based on the Gospel of Luke 2:22-40) – Feb. 2, 2020
Today’s feast marks the Presentation of the Lord Jesus in the Temple, forty days after he was born. As the first born, according to the Law, Mary and Joseph were required to take Jesus to the Temple and “redeem” him by paying what was required by the law. At the same time, the Law required the child’s mother to offer sacrifice in order to overcome the ritual impurity brought about by childbirth.
Jesus, the Son of God, is already consecrated to the Lord. Mary, who is all-pure, immaculately conceived, still presented herself to be purified. Such is the humility of our God. Such is the humility of the Blessed Mother Mary. They submitted to the law even though they were not bound by it.
The Presentation of the Lord concludes the celebration of the Nativity – the Incarnation of God – God becoming one of us in the flesh - and with the offerings of the Virgin Mother and the prophecy of Simeon, the events now point towards Easter.
Simeon called Jesus the Light of the Nations, 'the light to enlighten the nations' including the Gentiles and so the image of Christ as the Light has led to the celebration of light countering darkness, and that is why we have the blessing of candles on this day. This day is also called Candlemas.
In the Eastern Church, this feast was called the Feast of the Encounter – meaning, this is the first encounter of the Old Testament, represented by Simeon and Anna and the Temple, with the New Testament, represented by the Lord. Jesus is presented in the Temple following the ancient Jewish laws. In the New Law of the Kingdom of God, Jesus' own body would become the New Temple.
When we were baptized in Christ – we received the light of Christ – and therefore we are also called to be the Light of the World… to be other Christs in the world. At our baptism, we were also presented to God because we belong to God.
At baptism, we also presented our children to God. The children that we have are not really ours. They are given to us, in trust, for a time, a short time and we are asked to be mothers and fathers, mentors, guardians, protectors, teachers and friends to them but they are never really our children. They belong to God. If we understand this, we will be less inclined to act as owners of our children, to manipulate our children for our own needs.
In the image of Joseph and Mary presenting Jesus in the Temple, we have a wonderful model of husband and wife united in practicing the faith and in raising their child in the faith.
A scholar was conducting a study of an Amish village. The Amish live in traditional rural villages far from industrialization and technology: no computers, televisions, refrigerators and telephones. In his study of the Amish village school, the researcher noticed that Amish children never screamed or yelled. That surprised him. So he decided to check it out with the schoolteacher. He told the teacher that he had not once heard an Amish child yell, and asked him why that was so. The teacher replied, “Well, have you ever heard an Amish parent yell?” Meaning – it is clear: Like the parents, so the children!
As parents, we have the duty and privilege of raising our children in such a way that they grow up to become good and responsible citizens as well as committed children of God.
The example of Joseph and Mary, and the example of the Amish community, show us that the best way to achieve this is not just by talking and shouting at our children but by leading the way and showing them by the example of our own lives.
Our life is not just for ourselves. We are called to be a gift for others, a gift that leads them to God. This is the greatest thing about our life: We are called to give life. We are called to participate in the fruitfulness of God. We give life by enlightening others. We help other people come to the light by starting with ourselves by trying sincerely to be united with the One Who is the Light and by not fearing to show people the truth. The light shed by our lives produces a real effect in souls.
The question to us is this: Can we become more aware that we are in God’s presence now, that we too are God’s servants, and that we too are part of this story of salvation?
Every time we gather for our Eucharistic celebration here in the church, like Simeon and Ana in the temple, the House of God, we encounter Christ, and we recognize Him in the breaking of the bread, our Bread of Life.
… and very important to realize - we encounter one another. We are a blessing to one another. Do we see each other as a blessing to one another.
The meeting between Joseph, Mary and Simeon and Anna – is a blessing to both generations. Just like our gathering now here in our Eucharistic celebration….
– look around – various generations – the young and the elders – from different cultures …
- The Youth are graced by the wisdom of the living faith of the older generations and the elders are graced by the trust and promise of the youth.
Each one of us…. All of us….who gather here in the church for our Eucharistic celebration are a blessing to one another… because we are all beloved sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters in Christ, co-heirs with Christ of the kingdom of God.
There is a story told of a rabbi in ancient times who gathered his students together very early one morning, while it was still dark. He put this question to them: "How can you tell when night has ended and the day has begun?"
One student made a suggestion: "Could it be when you can see an animal from a distance and you can tell whether it is a sheep or a goat?"
"No, that's not it," answered the rabbi.
Another student said: "Could it be when you look at a tree in the distance and you can tell whether it is a fig tree or a peach tree?"
Again the rabbi answered: "No."
After a few more guesses the students said: "Well, how do you tell when night has ended and the day has begun?"
The rabbi answered: "It is when you look on the face of any man or woman and you see them as your brother or sister. If you cannot do this, then, no matter what time it is under the sun, it is still night."
Now, turn to the people around you and look at each other’s faces. What do you see?
Is it still night?
… or has the day begun?
