Ps 24
Heb 2:14-18
Lk 2:22-40
Today is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also
known as Candlemas. On Candlemas the
beeswax candles used in both Church and home for the coming year were
blessed. It is a ritual that should be
returned more widely to custom although I'm not certain if there is a ritual
for blessing bottled liquid paraffin (horrible stuff and ugly
"candles"). The Gospel just proclaimed includes one of the many
exquisite prayers given to us by Luke, Simeon’s prayer, the Nunc Dimittis
"O Lord, now you let your servant go in peace
Your word has been fulfilled
My own eyes have seen the salvation
Which you have prepared . . . "
The Church prays the Nunc
Dimittis daily at the end of compline or night prayer. It is the Church's
lullaby, a lullaby that has been set to music by many composers through the
centuries.
More than any other evangelist, Luke gives us a window into
the dynamics of Jesus’ family life and relationships. The Annunciation, the Vistitation, Jesus’ Nativity,
his Presentation, and a brief look at Jesus at the age of 12. This detail is a reminder that Mary and
Joseph fulfilled all of the Jewish laws and customs surrounding the birth of a
son. They were not "cafeteria"
Jews who chose what to believe or observed only those laws that they found
convenient. They were indeed righteous.
All of this emphasizes that Jesus was like us. He was like us in all things but sin. The story of Jesus is a human and humane
one. The details of Jesus' life as put
forth in Luke's Gospel are details with which we can identify.
The late Jesuit Theologian Fr. Karl Rahner points out what
is obvious from the first reading, that Jesus “came into the world the same way
we did in order to come to terms with the facts of human existence, . . . and
to begin to die”
'in order to come to terms with the facts of human existence
and to begin to die'
What Rahner calls the facts of human existence are not
always easy to understand or accept.
Many of us rage against the fact that we must suffer and die. Perhaps we
rage even more violently against the fact that those we love must suffer and
die. Here we can turn to Mary.
There are hints of the pain to come in Simeon’s cryptic
comment to Mary, “and you yourself, a sword will pierce” or, in another
translation “and a sword will pierce through your own soul also.”
What did Mary feel when she heard these words? Did she recall them later as she stood at the
foot of the cross? There is no pain
greater pain than that of a parent who endures the death of a child, no matter
the child's age. There is anguish in
watching a parent in end-stage Alzheimer's, a spouse coping with the harsh
realities of cancer, or suffering from any of a myriad of diseases that may
slowly claim each of us.
We heard how the prophecy from the Book of Malachi, was
fulfilled in the Gospel. Jesus was not
recognized by the crowd. He was recognized by Simeon and Anna. Simeon and Anna
are us. They are examples for us because
they recognized Jesus in the infant brought into the Temple. They were open to the grace of Jesus'
presence. They knew of God's promise and
were eagerly awaiting the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One. Only with the wisdom of old age could they
recognize the Child brought into their presence. Our challenge is to recognize Jesus when we
encounter Him, wherever we encounter Him, and in whomever we encounter
Him.
Lent begins twelve days from today. We will hear more in the Gospel narratives
about how Jesus was like us in pain, suffering, and death, about how Jesus,
tempted as he was in the desert, was like us in all things but sin. But today, on Candlemas, the Feast of the
Presentation of the Lord, we recall and celebrate that Jesus is the light of
the world, a light that will never be extinguished.
Organ pipes in color. I converted the same photo in black and white. Each has a different impact.
No comments:
Post a Comment