A thousand pardons, Blogosphere. One thing led to another and posts have been few and far between. So here are some quick posts to get you caught up to speed. For expediency’s sake, the texts are unedited. I’m sure you will get the idea nevertheless.
The Presentation of the Lord
Story: [I didn’t recognize you!]
It is now forty days since Christmas. Often called “Candlemas”, it commemorates the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple at the end of the 40-day period of purification after the birth of a child. In bringing the infant Jesus to the Temple, Mary and Joseph were fulfilling the dictates of the Law of Moses regarding a firstborn male.
Liturgically, we commemorate the Light of Christ entering the Temple with the blessing of the candles which will be used in the liturgies for the coming year. Sometimes families will also bring candles used for prayer at home. If you missed the blessing, feel free to bring your prayer candles by during the week or even next weekend to have them blessed.
It may seem like a small gesture to bring Jesus to the Temple, but just think about what is going on at that moment. For the Jews, the Temple was the dwelling place of God, the sign that God was with them (“Emmanuel”). With this first entrance of the infant Christ into the Temple, the meaning of this belief is no longer just symbolic. God is truly and substantially present. The words of the prophet Malachi (and many others) are fulfilled.
As happened so often in the life of Christ, the enormity of this event goes largely unnoticed, except by Simeon and Anna the Prophetess. These two are worth contemplating. Like all of Israel, Simeon was awaiting emergence of the Anointed One of God. Personally, this was his vocation. Perhaps his were the only eyes that could see the full impact of how God’s plan was unfolding before him. Truly, he was “awaiting the blessed hope, and the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ.”
Anna is a most intriguing figure. While it was Simeon’s vocation to wait, her’s was to be in the Temple. Yet because of her relationship with God, she is able to recognize Christ as the savior. She even takes it a step further. While it was Simeon’s role to give the private revelation to Mary and Joseph, Anna goes and speaks about the child to “all who were awaiting the redemption of Israel.” She spreads the Good News.
I think we need a little of both Simeon and Anna in our spiritual lives. We need to contemplate the mysteries of salvation and then make them known to a the world around us. Having come to know Christ, let us make him known.