Daily Gospel Reflection
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February 2, 2019
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.””
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.””
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.
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.
As I looked around my classroom at St. Monica’s Nursery School in Gulu, Uganda, I took in the chaotic scene of fourteen rambunctious four-year-olds running around the room and yelling, just begging for me to let them outside for recess. As I swung open the classroom door with my chalk-covered hands, they flew out and so did any hopes I had of completing the lesson I had planned.
All summer I had been waiting for my students to listen and to understand what I was teaching in class. I felt like Simeon as he waited for the Lord to come, though I perhaps lacked his patience! I left school each day frustrated with myself for not being able to be the teacher my students needed, and I wondered where God was in all of this chaos.
When I stepped out of my classroom, I felt a tugging on my hand and looked down to see one of my students calling me to come play with him. In that invitation, I recognized that Christ’s light had been present to me in the unconditional love of my students every day as we played endless games of ring around the rosy, danced joyfully, and sang “Jesus Loves Me” at the top of our lungs. God did not abandon me in the chaos—God used the chaos to love me and my students fiercely.
After meeting Jesus, Simeon says, “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace.” Leaving school that day, I found myself more at peace as I realized God’s presence in my students and knew that Jesus would continue to love me and my students even in the craziest preschool moments. Let us also seek this peace as we encounter God’s presence in even the most chaotic times.
Prayer
Lord, the prophet Simeon saw you and knew at once that you were the Messiah, the Promised One. He foresaw that you would be a light to the nations, and the glory of the people of Israel. But he also knew that you would be rejected by many. Protect us, Lord, so that we may never reject you or your message of salvation. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Today’s feast of the Presentation of the Lord is a hinge upon which we pivot our gaze from Christmas and the Incarnation to Easter and Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection.
This day falls 40 days after Christmas, and in the older liturgical calendars, the Presentation of the Lord closed the Christmas season (it now concludes with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord). The roots of this feast are found in Scripture, which tells of Mary and Joseph bringing Jesus to the Temple to follow Jewish law.
The law prescribed two rites following a birth. In one, the new mother was to offer a sacrifice of a lamb and a dove in thanksgiving for a safe delivery (those who were poor, like Mary and Joseph, were allowed to offer two doves, which they did). This offering was also intended for the purification of the mother and it took place 40 days after the birth of a male (80 days after the birth of a female).
In the other rite, which was to symbolically offer the new child to the Lord, the parents presented the child in the Temple and then ransomed him or her with money. In what must be one of the great paradoxes in history, Mary and Joseph “redeemed” Jesus with the traditional five shekels..
The Scriptural accounts of Jesus’ presentation in the Temple tell of the meeting with Simeon, the aged man who had been promised by God that he would see the Messiah before his own death. Along with the prophetess Anna, Simeon represents the hope of devout Jews who were waiting for God’s rule.
Simeon recognizes Jesus as the Messiah, and, after giving thanks to God, makes a prophecy to Mary. His words call to mind the suffering that Jesus will endure for our redemption, and the confusion and sorrow that go with it. The ancient Church used this scene to transition from celebrating Jesus’ Incarnation to preparing to enter the Paschal Mystery in the Lenten and Easter seasons.
The celebration of this feast began in the ancient Church—it appears to have begun in the fourth century, and was celebrated as the culmination of the Christmas season during the Middle Ages.
This feast was always celebrated with candles (and used to be known as Candlemas) because of Simeon’s recognition that in the person of Jesus, God has given us salvation—“a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people, Israel.” The scene with Simeon is depicted in the Basilica, as shown in today's featured image.
On this feast of the presentation of the Lord, let us join Simeon in recognizing our salvation in Jesus, the light of the world!