Daily Gospel Reflection
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February 2, 2022
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.”
Luke writes that Simeon was “a man in Jerusalem” but gives us few other personal details. Was he a widower? Did he have children? Luke only states that he was “righteous and devout.” Perhaps this is the most important thing to know about someone—Simeon had made prayer a habit in private as well as public worship. As a result, he became familiar with the movements of God.
Luke describes how the Holy Spirit prompted Simeon to enter the temple just as Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to fulfill the Mosaic Law. He was one of the earliest to recognize the infant Jesus as the promised Messiah!
Pause a moment and consider the Simeon-like people we may have encountered over the course of our lives. For me, it was my dad, who died at the age of 84. No matter the time, place, or situation, he made time for prayer.
Like Simeon, my dad had an openness to the Spirit. Whenever he drove by a Catholic church, he subtly bowed in reverence to the Blessed Sacrament. My dad knelt for prayer every night by his bed before sleeping. He seemed to carry a rosary everywhere and even hung one around his bedpost. We gathered as a family to say the rosary on Sunday evenings. Even when traveling for vacation, he would pull out his rosary, and we prayed.
I continue to attend Mass and say the rosary today because of the devotion instilled by my dad.
As Simeon and my dad exemplified their faith in both public and private worship, let us all strive to make prayer such a habit. It will not only transforms our own lives but will also reach those we encounter around us.
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!