Today's Feast of the Presentation of the Lord only falls on a Sunday about
once every six years or so. So only the daily Mass goers normally
get a chance to celebrate this special feast, but when it falls on a
Sunday like this year it gives us an opportunity to reflect on what
this feast is all about. It's not just about taking the baby Jesus
to the Temple forty days after His birth. We're not just talking
about the day we see Simeon and Anna make brief appearance in the
Gospel. This Feast is a celebration of the day in which Jesus, who
is like us in every way but sin, is presented in the Temple to be a
light to the world.
The fact that Jesus is a human being just like us is something that we can
get a chance to celebrate this special feast, but when it falls on a
Sunday like this year it gives us an opportunity to reflect on what
this feast is all about. It's not just about taking the baby Jesus
to the Temple forty days after His birth. We're not just talking
about the day we see Simeon and Anna make brief appearance in the
Gospel. This Feast is a celebration of the day in which Jesus, who
is like us in every way but sin, is presented in the Temple to be a
light to the world.
The fact that Jesus is a human being just like us is something that we can
easily take for granted. However, it is good for us to be reminded
that in the time of the early Church, no one had ever considered that
a divine being would have an offspring who was totally human. What
I'm getting at are those stories where we read about the various gods
and goddesses of ancient Greece and Rome and other pagan deities.
These myths are filled with stories about gods who come to Earth
disguised as humans, and goddesses who fall in love with a human and
have a child who is half-god and half-human. Sometimes a god or
goddess is banished from the dwelling of the gods and is forced to
walk about Earth as punishment. Now of course these stories aren't
true: the ancient people came up with them because they knew there
was something divine out there, but they didn't know how to explain
it yet. But when our one true God sends His only Son to be born on
this Earth as a human, we suddenly have something that no mere human
being came up with. One God sends His only Son to Earth. He is not
disguised as a human; He is not a half-god / half-human “mixed
breed”; He is fully God and fully human. The fact that He is fully
human means He is one of us. He is not sent to Earth as a punishment
for something that He did, but He does come to redeem us and forgive
our sins. The world had never heard of anything like this before.
Our second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews reflects on the significance
that in the time of the early Church, no one had ever considered that
a divine being would have an offspring who was totally human. What
I'm getting at are those stories where we read about the various gods
and goddesses of ancient Greece and Rome and other pagan deities.
These myths are filled with stories about gods who come to Earth
disguised as humans, and goddesses who fall in love with a human and
have a child who is half-god and half-human. Sometimes a god or
goddess is banished from the dwelling of the gods and is forced to
walk about Earth as punishment. Now of course these stories aren't
true: the ancient people came up with them because they knew there
was something divine out there, but they didn't know how to explain
it yet. But when our one true God sends His only Son to be born on
this Earth as a human, we suddenly have something that no mere human
being came up with. One God sends His only Son to Earth. He is not
disguised as a human; He is not a half-god / half-human “mixed
breed”; He is fully God and fully human. The fact that He is fully
human means He is one of us. He is not sent to Earth as a punishment
for something that He did, but He does come to redeem us and forgive
our sins. The world had never heard of anything like this before.
Our second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews reflects on the significance
of Jesus coming in human flesh. My favorite part of that passage is
when the author says, “Surely he did not help angels but
rather the descendants of Abraham; therefore, he had to become like
his brothers and sisters in every way”. The angels are pure
spirits. We on the other hand are flesh and spirit, with our bodies
and our souls. Jesus came to save us, not the angels, so He came
just like us: He came with a body in His human nature and as a spirit
in His divine nature. The author of the letter says, “He had to
become like His brothers and sisters in every way”. He needed to
become like us because He had to die in order to save us. It was
through the pain and suffering that He experienced in the flesh that
we were saved from sin and eternal death.
There are many days throughout the year that we
when the author says, “Surely he did not help angels but
rather the descendants of Abraham; therefore, he had to become like
his brothers and sisters in every way”. The angels are pure
spirits. We on the other hand are flesh and spirit, with our bodies
and our souls. Jesus came to save us, not the angels, so He came
just like us: He came with a body in His human nature and as a spirit
in His divine nature. The author of the letter says, “He had to
become like His brothers and sisters in every way”. He needed to
become like us because He had to die in order to save us. It was
through the pain and suffering that He experienced in the flesh that
we were saved from sin and eternal death.
There are many days throughout the year that we
could reflect on the significance of Christ coming in the flesh to
save us. Why bring it up today with the Feast of the Presentation?
In Jesus' time, the Jewish religion required that parents bring their
first born child to the Temple in Jerusalem to be presented to God.
There, the child would be dedicated to God. It was a way of saying
thank you to God for giving them the joy of having children, and to
bring that child closer to God. Obviously Jesus is already very
close God; in all reality, He doesn't need to be presented to God.
What happens is that Jesus is presented to the whole world, as God
made flesh who will bring salvation to all people.
Our first reading from the Prophet Malachi gives
save us. Why bring it up today with the Feast of the Presentation?
In Jesus' time, the Jewish religion required that parents bring their
first born child to the Temple in Jerusalem to be presented to God.
There, the child would be dedicated to God. It was a way of saying
thank you to God for giving them the joy of having children, and to
bring that child closer to God. Obviously Jesus is already very
close God; in all reality, He doesn't need to be presented to God.
What happens is that Jesus is presented to the whole world, as God
made flesh who will bring salvation to all people.
Our first reading from the Prophet Malachi gives
a prophesy about the coming of the Messiah. God is talking about a
messenger who will come first to prepare the way for this Messiah.
We Christians see this as John the Baptist. Soon after this
messenger, God Himself will appear in the Temple and will be present
among the people. Then God will make all things pure once more and
the sacrifices and prayers of the people will be made pure as well
and will be heard by God. We are talking about Jesus coming into the
world. Since Jesus was only a baby on the day He was presented, He
has just barely even gotten started, but still, this day marks the
beginning as He is presented to the world.
Malachi says “the Lord whom you seek” will be
messenger who will come first to prepare the way for this Messiah.
We Christians see this as John the Baptist. Soon after this
messenger, God Himself will appear in the Temple and will be present
among the people. Then God will make all things pure once more and
the sacrifices and prayers of the people will be made pure as well
and will be heard by God. We are talking about Jesus coming into the
world. Since Jesus was only a baby on the day He was presented, He
has just barely even gotten started, but still, this day marks the
beginning as He is presented to the world.
Malachi says “the Lord whom you seek” will be
in the Temple. This of course can be directed at any of us. We all
desire happiness, and being with God is what will bring us the
greatest joy. So I believe we are all seeking to be with God. This
desire is shown fittingly well in the two people we are introduced to
in the Gospel for today. Simeon and Anna show true joy in being in
the presence of the Word made flesh. It is described that Simeon
will not die until he sees the Christ. This suggests that he is up
in years and has been waiting for a long time. No one can deny that
he is going to die a happy death! The words that he speaks as he
takes the Christ child into his arms show the immense joy that he
felt at seeing the child. Those words are called “The Canticle of
Simeon”. Priests and religious throughout the world pray these
words each night before we go to bed in our Night Prayer. “Now you
let your servant go in peace, your word has been fulfilled” is the
translation we say. We pray we may have a restful night of sleep and
a peaceful death when we do die. My point is, Simeon is saying that
his joy is now complete. He has seen this child who “is destined
for the rise and fall of many in Israel” and who will be “a light
for revelation to the Gentiles”.
The prophetess Anna is also at the temple. Like
desire happiness, and being with God is what will bring us the
greatest joy. So I believe we are all seeking to be with God. This
desire is shown fittingly well in the two people we are introduced to
in the Gospel for today. Simeon and Anna show true joy in being in
the presence of the Word made flesh. It is described that Simeon
will not die until he sees the Christ. This suggests that he is up
in years and has been waiting for a long time. No one can deny that
he is going to die a happy death! The words that he speaks as he
takes the Christ child into his arms show the immense joy that he
felt at seeing the child. Those words are called “The Canticle of
Simeon”. Priests and religious throughout the world pray these
words each night before we go to bed in our Night Prayer. “Now you
let your servant go in peace, your word has been fulfilled” is the
translation we say. We pray we may have a restful night of sleep and
a peaceful death when we do die. My point is, Simeon is saying that
his joy is now complete. He has seen this child who “is destined
for the rise and fall of many in Israel” and who will be “a light
for revelation to the Gentiles”.
The prophetess Anna is also at the temple. Like
Simeon, she seems to be waiting and praying at the Temple expecting
this great day to come at any moment. We don't hear any specific
words from Anna, but she gives thanks to God for the child. Her joy
is complete as well.
Simeon and Anna's words of joy show the great
this great day to come at any moment. We don't hear any specific
words from Anna, but she gives thanks to God for the child. Her joy
is complete as well.
Simeon and Anna's words of joy show the great
importance of how Christ came as one of us to save us. Today we mark
this presentation to the world; a world in need of saving. May our
words and actions in every day of our lives thank God for that
awesome gift.
this presentation to the world; a world in need of saving. May our
words and actions in every day of our lives thank God for that
awesome gift.
No comments:
Post a Comment