Presentation of the Lord

Why should Mary be purified, and a sacrifice be offered? St. Luke tells us it is because Joseph and Mary were in every way faithful to their religion. Notice how many times St. Luke speaks of Joseph and Mary fulfilling the law of the Lord.
            The canticle of the holy man Simeon is a prayer that is prayed as part of the Night Prayer by all who pray the divine office. It is a beautiful prayer for nighttime: ‘’Now Lord you can dismiss your servant…’’ In this prayer, St. Luke is telling us that Jesus came to save all people: Christ would reveal his light to the Gentiles. St. Luke hints of the cross that is ahead for Mary and her child: ‘’and you yourself a sword will pierce,’’ Simeon tells Mary. St. Luke was very sensitive about gender. So often when he tells one of Jesus’ parables about a man, he follows it up with one about a woman. Or if he tells us about Jesus healing a man, he immediately tells us about an occasion when Jesus healed a woman. Here too, he introduced Simeon to us, then he tells us about Anna. In Anna, we have a good example of an evangelist. After she saw Jesus, she ‘’spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.’’ You don’t have to be a priest or religious to tell others about Jesus. All you must do is to be excited about God’s saving love given to us in Jesus Christ.
            I would like you to consider how Simeon and Anna recognized Jesus. I’m sure he looked like many other little babies who had been brought to the Temple over the ages. How did they know this was the one? Well, St. Luke tells us they were guided by the Holy Spirit and that would have been necessary. But he tells us also they were holy people. They were close to God and spent a lot of time with God in the Temple. I think it’s like anything else. When l walk down the street l see trees. Maybe l might recognize a maple or an oak or sycamore, but most trees are just trees. I hear different kinds of birds, but l don’t recognize any specific bird call or melody. A person who has studied biology or botany is much more aware of the many types of living creatures and plants that surround us. A person who has studied music can get much more out of Bach or Beethoven than I can. A person who has studied medicine is more able to recognize signs of health or sickness. If we are really close to someone, we can discern their moods better than a stranger can. Consequently, the closer we are to God, the more aware we are of God’s presence in our everyday lives. Simeon and Anna could see with the eyes of their minds and hearts what human eyes could not see. That’s how they knew Jesus was the one. Do we want to see what our eyes cannot see, do we want to have a greater awareness of God’s presence and his love, do want to see the goodness and holiness in ourselves and in others? It’s not hard to do. The way is to draw closer to our Lord. The better we know him, the more visible he will be to us and the Holy Spirit will be there to help. Let us ask our Lord to help us recognize him now in prayer and sacrament as we continue with Mass.