Mal 3:1-4
Ps 24
Heb 2:14-18
Lk 2:22-40
Rarely does the celebration of a feast trump the liturgy for a particular Sunday, even in ordinary time. Today is one of those exceptions. The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord is historically known as Candlemas. It was the day on which the Church blessed the beeswax candles for use in the coming year. I don't think there is a blessing for the paraffin-fueled fakes that sit on too many altars.
The Gospel for the Feast of the Presentation includes the exquisite Nunc Dimittis, the equivalent of the Church’s lullaby when intoned at Compline.
Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine,
secundum verbum tuum in pace:
"O Lord, now you let your servant go in peace
Your word has been fulfilled . . . "
Through detailed descriptions, that occur early in and are unique to his gospel, Luke gives us a window into the dynamics and relationships in Jesus’ early family life. These vignettes include, the Visitation, Jesus’ birth, and His presentation at the Temple. Luke's narrative of Jesus in the Temple when He was 12 is the only glimpse we get of Him during what Ignatius calls, "The Hidden Life of Jesus" in the Exercises. The details Luke supplies are family snapshots that remind us that Mary and Joseph were observant Jews who fulfilled all the religious laws and customs demanded of them. These details remind us that Jesus was like us in all things but sin.
We just heard In the second reading "Since the children share in blood and flesh,
Jesus likewise shared in them, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death . . . and free those who, through fear of death, had been subject to slavery all their life."
Jesuit Theologian Karl Rahner pointed out an important fact when he wrote that
Jesus; “came
into the world the same way we did in order to come to terms with the given
facts of human existence, . . . and to
begin to die”
The given facts of human existence, particularly the inevitable suffering and certain death we all face are not always easy to understand. Many rage violently against those facts. Many rage even more violently against the fact that those we love must suffer and die as well. Here we turn to Mary.
Simeon’s cryptic comment “and you yourself, a sword will pierce” warns her of the pain to come. 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 than that of a parent who buries a child at any stage in the child's life from stillbirth to the child in old age. There is crushing pain in watching a parent, a husband, or a wife, moving through the stages of dementia. Pain defines coping with the harsh realities of cancer or the myriad of other diseases that lead to death. All of us will have our hearts pierced with a sword many times in our lives and will carry those wounds with us until our own deaths.
"And suddenly there will come to the temple the LORD whom you seek, And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts." The Gospel tells us that Malachi's prophecy was fulfilled. Held in His parents' arms in the Temple Jesus was recognized only by two old people whose eyes were open. Jesus was recognized by an old woman and an old man who were awaiting the Lord, and were disposed to recognize Him when He came.
The narrative of the Presentation is one of the rare times in the New Testament when we hear the voices of the elderly. Simeon and Anna are us. They are examples for us because, with the wisdom exclusive to the elderly, they recognized Jesus in the infant brought into the Temple. They realized the grace of Jesus' presence. They knew of God's promise and were eagerly awaiting the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One the One in whose presence they now found themselves.
We are challenged daily to recognize Jesus when we encounter Him, wherever we encounter Him and in whomever we encounter Him: the adolescent at school, the child noisily exploring the world, and most critically to recognize Jesus in those children being carried in their mothers' wombs; the children who have been under concerted attack for decades. We are called to recognize Jesus in the elderly patient afflicted with dementia, and in the old men and women dying of other illnesses as well. We are called to recognize Jesus in all whom we encounter.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday March 5, almost as late as it can be. We will hear more in the Gospel narratives how Jesus was like us in pain, suffering, and death, how Jesus was like us in all things but succumbing to temptation.
Today on Candlemas we celebrate that Jesus is the light of the world, a light that can never be extinguished.
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The photos of candles come from several locations in Lyon, France, the U.S. and Slovenia.
Fr. Jack, SJ, MD
