Obedient to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph take Jesus to the temple 40 days after his birth. While at the temple, the Holy Family meet Simeon and Anna, two faithful Jews awaiting the revelation of the Messiah. In words heard in the gospel of the day and prayed each night as part of the Liturgy of the Hours, the prophet Simeon declares that Jesus is a “light (of revelation) to the nations and the glory of God’s people, Israel” (Luke 2:32). For this reason, on this day, the church traditionally blesses the candles used both in the liturgy and in Christian homes, reminding us that Christ is the light of the world.
Today's feast is a steppingstone taking us down the path from Christmas to Easter, hinting in a big way at the suffering that is to come. At Christmas we let ourselves bask in the goodness and all that God would choose to walk with us so closely on this human journey, yet this is not a walk that comes without difficulties. We too can choose to walk closely with others, especially those who are isolated, oppressed, or marginalized. This choice comes with suffering as our hearts break for each other, but it is a path Jesus walks with us, and if we also do the work of charity and justice activities with others in our parish, it allows the difficulty to become more palpable.
Pope Francis points to the presentation of Jesus as a story of people being brought together in Jesus, and reminds us that Jesus calls us to an encounter that “takes place within the people of God, in its concrete history, in its living traditions: in the temple, according to the law, in the context of prophecy, in young and old together” (homily of Pope Francis, February 2, 2019). Do we see Jesus drawing people together to encounter him through our own parish community? How can we make this encounter more alive?
Join us for a healthy discussion at our parish Social Concerns and Justice meeting Tuesday, February 4 at 6:00 p.m. in Fr. Jim Hall south.
God Bless,
