February 2^nd 2014 FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD

Gospel: Luke 2: 22-32

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

Don Fabio’s reflection follows the Gospel reading ...

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GOSPEL Luke 2:22-32

When the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the Law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord- observing what stands written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord- and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is said in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to Israel's comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said:

'Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace, 
just as you promised;

 because my eyes have seen the salvation
 which you have prepared for all the nations to see,
a light to enlighten the pagans 
and the glory of your people Israel'.

As the child's father and mother stood there wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, 'You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected -  and a sword will pierce your own soul too - so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare'.

There was a prophetess also, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well on in years. Her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven years before becoming a widow. She was now eighty-four years old and never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer. She came by just at that moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.

When they had done everything the Law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. Meanwhile the child grew to maturity, and he was filled with wisdom; and God's favour was with him.

The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

Kieran’s summary . . . The first reading from the Prophet Malachi has a certain ambiguity in it. We are told of the wonderful coming of the Lord to his Temple. But then the prophet asks, “Who can bear the day of his coming? Who will remain standing when he appears?” The Lord, we are told, will purify the sons of Levi as a refiner purifies gold. Is the day of salvation a happy day or a terrible day? The Gospel reading has the very same ambiguity. The Lord Jesus is presented by his parents in the Temple. Simeon is overjoyed and declares that he has waited all his life for the day of salvation when the Messiah would come. But then he warns Mary that this child will be a sign of contradiction! The fact is that the wonderful gift of God stands in marked contrast to the deceit and ugliness of our lives. The coming of salvation in the person of Jesus also involves the denouncement of the selfishness and evil that lurks in our hearts. In an environment where everyone is dishonest, the arrival of an upright person can lead others to feel discomfort. It is a great blessing from God that the arrival of Jesus makes us uncomfortable and unveils the contradictions in our hearts! Let us thank him for unmasking us! Let us offer ourselves to him today, confronting his goodness with that which is unacceptable in our lives.

Is the day of the Lord’s coming a happy day or a terrible day?

The key to interpreting the Gospel this Sunday is found in the first reading from the Prophet Malachi. “Look, I am going to send my messenger before you. And the Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple. And the angel of the covenant that you are longing for, yes he is coming, says the Lord.” This is all very positive and joyous, but then the reading goes on: “Who will be able to bear the day of his coming? Who will remain standing when he appears? For he is like the refiner’s fire, . . .”  Should we really long for this Lord who is coming or should we fear him? Is the Day of the Lord a happy occasion or a terrible occasion?

The significance of offering the first-born son

The Gospel has a tender description of Mary and Jesus making the offering of the poor in the Temple. The first-born son was offered to the Lord because we offer the most precious things to the God who creates us, keeps us, protects us and loves us. In return for his goodness we give him the first and best of what comes from us. In ancient times the first-born son had a special significance. He behaved like a second father to his siblings and had all the hereditary rights. He was seen as a gift from the Lord and so must be offered back to him. The ritual of the presentation in the temple was a way of saying, “This child is yours lord, but we offer you these pigeons in place of the gift you have given us.”

The ambiguity surrounding the day of salvation re-emerges in the Gospel reading

There is great love and mutual oblation in this ritual, but the ambiguity surrounding the Day of the Lord soon emerges in the Gospel. Jesus is the second person of the Blessed Trinity, of the same substance as the Father and completely oriented towards him. But he is also the fist-born in the flesh from Mary and must be offered by her back to the Lord. Simeon then enters the scene. He has been waiting all his life for the Messiah and now he takes Him in his arms. “'Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace, just as you promised; because my eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared for all the nations to see, a light to enlighten the pagans and the glory of your people Israel.” This text is full of happiness and light. But then Simeon blesses Mary and Joseph and says, “You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign of contradiction - and a sword will pierce your own soul too – so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.” This recalls what we have just seen in Malachi. We have this marvellous arrival of the Lord but it is accompanied by an uncomfortable upheaval. The point is that the things of God are beautiful precisely because they have this aspect. The wonderful gifts of God stand in marked contrast to certain objectionable aspects of our existence. To accept and welcome these gifts demands a challenging process of discernment in our hearts. The Lord with all of his beauty denounces the ugliness of our lives. And this is something good.

It is a tremendous gift of God to have the deceit in our hearts unveiled!

The Lord Jesus, offered as the first-born child to God, denounces all of the deceit and darkness that is endemic in our lives. The gift of Jesus stands in stark contrast to the fact that we have not entered wholeheartedly into a tender relationship with God. We live clinging onto material things, our nails digging in desperately to the things that we possess! Our hearts hide the negativity within. In the heart of every human being there is deceit and self-interest. It is a tremendous gift of God to have this deceit unveiled! And how is the evil in the heart of man be unveiled? By the most curious of ways! A little child, offered to the Lord, unmasks the horrors within us. Goodness holds evil up to the light. If everyone is a hypocrite in a certain environment, then the arrival of a sincere person becomes “a sign of contradiction.” If everyone is dishonest, then the presence of a person of righteousness becomes an uncomfortable condemnation of everyone else. The honest person becomes an object of hate because his behaviour denounces the environment implicitly. If we wish our hearts to be honest then we must allow this righteous sword of the Lord to pierce them. Mary is on the side of Jesus and she too must accept this piercing of the heart. Later, in Acts of the Apostles, Peter announces the Gospel and the listeners feel pierced to the heart because they recognize their error in rejecting Jesus.

Let us offer ourselves to the Lord daily, confronting his beauty with the contradictions in our heart

It is the act of offering ourselves to the Lord that liberates us definitively from the deadweight in our hearts. When we offer ourselves to God we become aware of all that there is in our hearts that must be eliminated. Let us ask the Lord that his beauty may illuminate us and help us to banish what is contradictory from the core of our being.