(Jesus of Nazareth - Franco Zeffereli)
"My eyes have seen your salvation"
Luke 2: 22 - 40
This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of the presentation of the
child Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem by his parents, Mary and Joseph. The Gospel account tells the story of the
event both ordinary, as it was a common Jewish practice to dedicate the first
born son to the Lord by his parents, but also strange as both Simeon and Anna
play a key role in the future destiny and purpose of this child’s birth.
We might stretch a comparison to this event in the infancy of
Jesus to our own baptism. We were in a
sense presented to the Lord and to the community of the faithful. We were signed with the cross, that indelible
tattoo claiming us for Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit was given to us as we
are washed clean of sin and born in to a new life. Once parents complete the baptism ritual,
pictures and all, they return home as Mary and Joseph did.
However, as we read the life of Jesus in the Gospels we must
always remember that they were written post-resurrection. By now the early Christian community is
settled in its initial form, St. Paul is busy about his missionary activity,
the Gospels of Matthew, and Mark have been written, the Apostles are preaching,
stories have been told and recorded in various places about the life and events
around Jesus. Luke then comes along to put down in writing his account of such
infancy events as the presentation in the Temple. Links between the prophecies of the Old
Testament and the person of Christ are being made and so we see in the arrangements
of the Sunday readings a word from the prophet Malachi: “And suddenly there will come to the Temple the LORD whom you seek.”
In this statement and our Christian tradition we see what the
early Christians believed; that this presentation in the Temple was the
fulfillment of the prophecy of Malachi.
The Lord in Jesus comes to the Temple, not as the twelve year old
conversing with the learned teachers, not as the adult Jesus who later drove
out the dishonest money changers and cleansed the Temple, but as a baby in the
arms of his mother. We see in Jesus the
moment when God has reclaimed the central place of worship now and in this new
beginning once again comes to dwell among his people.
This is a moment unlike ever before. God is enfleshed in our human nature, he will
walk among us literally, will ultimately sacrifice his own life for the sinful
and rise to give us all hope of new eternal life in him. Later we will hear, at the time of his visit
to cleanse the Temple, that this building of stones will be destroyed but a new
temple will rise – that of his own Body, the Church. So, indeed this is far
more than a stretch to our own baptism which seems to pale in comparison. In the Preface for today’s Feast we hear: “For your co-eternal Son was presented on
this day in the Temple and revealed by the
Spirit as the glory of Israel
and Light of the nations.”
Jesus is that light of God shining in the darkness of our
world. This common practice of ancient
Judaism is captured by the writers of Scripture and we see God’s faithful
fulfillment of his prophets but also a call to mission for us.
We may make the comparison to our baptism, though, maybe in
this way. As Christians born in the waters of the Holy Spirit we are called not
only to imitate Jesus in our life but to also present him to the world around
us. And, we do have a visitation by the
Lord to our own “Temples” or places of worship, the Church. Here Christ visits us in the Holy Eucharist
as we gather with the full community of believers. We see Christ present under the signs of
bread and wine and we welcome him to our lives that we might be energized to go
and “announce the Gospel of the Lord.”
Let’s face it things are tough these days as society is more
and more secular and indifferent to religion.
For believers we can easily hide in the bubble of our faith communities;
surrounding ourselves with likeminded people and just assume that all is
well.
But, if we have a mission to carry out it does mean going
outside of ourselves. Jesus came as a
light “for the Gentiles” as Simeon proclaims in his gratitude. Anna speaks in the same vein as Simeon as
these two older Jews, so persevering in their faith and prayer in the Temple,
patiently waited to see God’s salvation now made visible in this baby.
This all implies that we in our mission must be people of
action who live our faith in a way that is attractive to others. We live our faith grateful for what God has
done in Christ and we are given the light of Christ to carry to others. When is the last time you invited a
non-Catholic friend of yours or a non-practicing Catholic you may know to come
to Mass with you? They may not accept
but at least an invitation was extended.
When was the last time you actively took part in some
charitable work of feeding the hungry, educating others, participating in a
parish group that reaches out to the homeless?
These are simple ways we can bring the light of Christ to others. We live not for ourselves alone. Maybe joining the RCIA team in your parish
where the faith is shared with those who are seeking.
God entered our human history in space and time thousands of
years ago; he has never left us and he continues to invite us to walk in the
way he offered in Christ. May our
Eucharist be a strength for that journey to bring the light of Christ in our
darkness.
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