Presentation in the Temple

  

 

                  The Presentation of the Lord

                  

 

 

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. We are told in today’s gospel that it was the custom of the Jews to consecrate their first born son to the service of the Lord. To do so, shortly after the birth of the child, they would present him to the priests of the Temple and offer a sacrifice, we are told, of two turtledoves or young pigeons.

 

The event as described in today’s gospel is full of meaning signified by the words in our first reading from the book of the prophet Malachi.  

 

And suddenly there will come to the Temple

the Lord whom you seek.

And the messenger of the covenant you desire

Yes, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.

 

Malachi says that the messenger will act like a refiner’s fire in that his words will burn out all the impurities in us and leave us spotless and clean. It will not be easy and can in fact be painful.  Anyone who has tried to take off a few pounds or work out with a trainer to get in shape can begin to imagine how hard it can be.

 

But let’s get to the Luke’s famous gospel account. When Mary and Joseph present the child, we are told that they encounter an old man named Simeon who has been waiting his whole life for the promised Messiah. He takes the Child in his arms and realizes that his long wait is over, and his own mission has been completed. In our translation he says, “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace,” but older Catholics will remember the Latin expression, “Nunc, dimittis”, the first words of his prayer. He then makes a prophecy of the future greatness of the child. 

 

Nevertheless, it is not all sweetness and light. Simeon claims that the “child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel,” and that He will “be a sign that will be contradicted.” Shockingly, he then says to Mary that “you yourself a sword will pierce.” What does that mean? Some translations say “your soul will be pierced with a sword,” and others say, “your whole being will be pierced with a sword.”

 

Artists throughout the ages have found it difficult to depict one’s whole being or a soul, which is a spiritual substance, on canvas. They will often resort to the image of a sword piercing Mary’s heart, a traditional symbol, not only of love, but also of one’s inner being. On the happy occasion of the presentation of her Child in the Temple, Mary is told that she can expect all the pain and suffering that any mother can experience.

 

Like her Son, Mary will suffer. She is human just like us. In today’s second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews, we are told that even Jesus had to suffer even unto death. Jesus became human so that through his suffering and death, he could conquer death and the fear of death.

 

Because he himself was tested through what he suffered,

He is able to help those who are being tested.

 

In my parish church there is a stained glass window that depicts the presentation of Jesus in the Temple. In the small window Mary stands on one side and Simeon on the other. Neither holds the infant Jesus who is in the center on a kind of pedestal that is meant to represent an altar. He is wrapped in what appears to be swaddling clothes but is actually a representation on the burial cloth. Even today altars are covered with a white cloth known as a corporale.

 

On the great feast of the Presentation we are reminded that Jesus was consecrated to the Lord, and he came to suffer and die for us. He was to experience what we have to experience before he would rise from the dead. Many people ask why God permits so much pain and suffering in the world. I like to think that rather than allowing or creating suffering, God came among us to heal our pain. After all, Jesus was not just a preacher but he was also a healer. When he had completed his mission, he asked us to be healers as well.

 

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Reading 1. Malachi 3: 1-4

Reading II. Hebrews 2: 14-18

Gospel. Luke 2: 22-40 (Presentation in the Temple)

The Holy Family

                                    Holy Family

Stained Glass Window
Assumption Church
Fairfield CT*

                                  

It is appropriate that we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family right after Christmas. Not only do we continue the narrative of the infancy of Christ but also at no time do families come closer together than at Christmas. However, there is a dark side. We all know that the Christmas season can strain and test family relationships.

Today's first reading from the Book of Sirach can be summed up in the great commandment to "honor thy father and mother." It would do us well to pay close attention to Sirach's words. He tells us that the authority of a father and mother come from God, and that it is ingrained in all of us. We would call it today a part of our genetic makeup. To depart from this practice violates our very nature and will only result in bitterness and unhappiness. 

In our time when so many of our parents can no longer take care of themselves, the words of Sirach are more important than ever.

            My son, take care of your father when he is old;

            grieve him not as long as he lives.

            Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him;

            revile him not all the days of his life.

In our culture the roles of father and mother have come increasingly under attack. Television and movies usually portray fathers as ignorant simpletons or as brutal abusers. This only reflects a culture where men casually urge their girl friends or wives to abort their own children. That men should act as guardians and protectors of their wives and children is now regarded as old fashioned and laughable.

In today’s gospel St. Luke tells the poignant and significant story of the Presentation of the infant Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem. Here Joseph and Mary fulfill their duty to “consecrate” their child to the Lord. Parents today do something similar when they bring their own newborn to church to be baptized. Maybe they don’t meet with such interesting characters or hear such puzzling prophecies, but they still should be amazed by what lies ahead of them and their child. The parents are taking on an awesome responsibility.

The role of father and mother is also the central theme of our passage today from St. Paul's letter to the Colossians. How are we to understand this reading especially that controversial passage where St. Paul says, "Wives, be subordinate to your husbands, as is proper in the Lord."

We could say that Paul, like so many of his contemporaries, was a "sexist" who thought that women were second-class citizens. We could also say that since Paul never married, he knew nothing about the actual relationship of a man and a woman in marriage or the way they would arrange responsibility in a household even then.

However, we could also say that Paul was dealing in this passage with a very practical problem that had arisen in the early Christian churches, especially among the Gentiles. It would appear that the new faith was especially attractive to women. Scholars tell us that in pagan families it was often the woman who first converted to Christianity, and then subsequently brought their husbands and families into the fold. This is not unusual even in our time.

However, there were cases where the husband would not convert, and women in this situation wondered what to do. Should they stay with their pagan husbands or should they leave? Paul always urges them to remain faithful to their marriage vows. He knew that there was no social safety net for these women outside of marriage but he also argued that they would be better able to bring their husbands and families to believe by remaining married.

Finally, I think we could say that St. Paul is preaching a revolutionary new doctrine here. For a minute, let's concentrate on his advice to the men. "Husbands, love your wives." It is hard for us to realize that in the ancient world, love of a husband for his wife was not the ideal. Our idea of a young couple falling in love and dedicating their whole lives to one another was an alien idea in the ancient world. At that time and for centuries after marriages were arranged between families. A young woman or girl might only meet her future husband, often an older man, for the first time at their engagement. A woman was little more than a child-bearing machine. If she could not bear children, her husband was obligated to divorce her. As far as romantic feeling or sexual pleasure was concerned, a man usually found that outside of the bonds of matrimony.

Despite today's popular opinion, Christianity elevated the role of women not only in society but also in the eyes of her husband. St. Paul understands the teaching of Christ to mean that Christian men must give up their whole lives for their wives and families, a rare thing in any time. Look at the first part of today's reading. St. Paul is telling the Colossians and us to put on virtue in the same way we would put on a suit of clothes. The relationship in a family should consist of "heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." A family built on these virtues won't have to worry about who's the boss.

Today's feast is not just about "The Holy Family" but it’s about making our families holy.

            And over all these put on love,

            that is, the bond of perfection.

            And let the peace of Christ control your hearts,...

###

*Image by Melissa DeStefano

Reading 1. Sirach 3: 2-6, 12-14

Reading II. Colossians 3: 12-21

Gospel. Luke 2: 22-40 (the child grew and became strong).

Feast of the Holy Family…

                                    The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

                                  

Holy Family Window
Assumption Church
Fairfield CT*

It is appropriate that we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family right after Christmas. Not only do we continue the narrative of the infancy of Christ but also at no time do families come closer together than at Christmas. However, there is a dark side. We all know that the Christmas season can strain and test family relationships.

Today's first reading from the Book of Sirach can be summed up in the great commandment to "honor thy father and mother." It would do us well to pay close attention to Sirach's words. He tells us that the authority of a father and mother come from God, and that it is ingrained in all of us. We would call it today a part of our genetic makeup. To depart from this practice violates our very nature and will only result in bitterness and unhappiness. 

In our time when so many of our parents can no longer take care of themselves, the words of Sirach are more important than ever.

            My son, take care of your father when he is old;

            grieve him not as long as he lives.

            Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him;

            revile him not all the days of his life.

In our culture the roles of father and mother have come increasingly under attack. Television and movies usually portray fathers as ignorant simpletons or as brutal abusers. This only reflects a culture where men casually urge their girl friends or wives to abort their own children. That men should act as guardians and protectors of their wives and children is now regarded as old fashioned and laughable.

In today’s gospel St. Luke tells the poignant and significant story of the Presentation of the infant Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem. Here Joseph and Mary fulfill their duty to “consecrate” their child to the Lord. Parents today do something similar when they bring their own newborn to church to be baptized. Maybe they don’t meet with such interesting characters or hear such puzzling prophecies, but they still should be amazed by what lies ahead of them and their child. The parents are taking on an awesome responsibility.

Presentation in the Temple
Assumption Church
Fairfield CT*

The role of father and mother is also the central theme of our passage today from St. Paul's letter to the Colossians. How are we to understand this reading especially that controversial passage where St. Paul says, "Wives, be subordinate to your husbands, as is proper in the Lord."

We could say that Paul, like so many of his contemporaries, was a "sexist" who thought that women were second-class citizens. We could also say that since Paul never married, he knew nothing about the actual relationship of a man and a woman in marriage or the way they would arrange responsibility in a household even then.

However, we could also say that Paul was dealing in this passage with a very practical problem that had arisen in the early Christian churches, especially among the Gentiles. It would appear that the new faith was especially attractive to women. Scholars tell us that in pagan families it was often the woman who first converted to Christianity, and then subsequently brought their husbands and families into the fold. This is not unusual even in our time.

However, there were cases where the husband would not convert, and women in this situation wondered what to do. Should they stay with their pagan husbands or should they leave? Paul always urges them to remain faithful to their marriage vows. He knew that there was no social safety net for these women outside of marriage but he also argued that they would be better able to bring their husbands and families to believe by remaining married.

Finally, I think we could say that St. Paul is preaching a revolutionary new doctrine here. For a minute, let's concentrate on his advice to the men. "Husbands, love your wives." It is hard for us to realize that in the ancient world, love of a husband for his wife was not the ideal. Our idea of a young couple falling in love and dedicating their whole lives to one another was an alien idea in the ancient world. At that time and for centuries after marriages were arranged between families. A young woman or girl might only meet her future husband, often an older man, for the first time at their engagement. A woman was little more than a child-bearing machine. If she could not bear children, her husband was obligated to divorce her. As far as romantic feeling or sexual pleasure was concerned, a man usually found that outside of the bonds of matrimony.

Despite today's popular opinion, Christianity elevated the role of women not only in society but also in the eyes of her husband. St. Paul understands the teaching of Christ to mean that Christian men must give up their whole lives for their wives and families, a rare thing in any time. Look at the first part of today's reading. St. Paul is telling the Colossians and us to put on virtue in the same way we would put on a suit of clothes. The relationship in a family should consist of "heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." A family built on these virtues won't have to worry about who's the boss.

Today's feast is not just about "The Holy Family" but it’s about making our families holy.

            And over all these put on love,

            that is, the bond of perfection.

            And let the peace of Christ control your hearts,…

###

Reading 1. Sirach 3: 2-6, 12-14

Reading II. Colossians 3: 12-21

Gospel. Luke 2: 22-40 (the child grew and became strong).

* Images by Melissa DeStefano