The Presentation of the Lord

Presentation of the Lord
Assumption Church
Fairfield CT*

                     

                           

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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* Image by Melissa DeStefano

Reading 1. Malachi 3: 1-4

Reading II. Hebrews 2: 14-18

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

Fishers of Men

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

St. Andre Besette

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom
a light has shown

These words from the prophet Isaiah are repeated in today’s gospel reading. It is clear that the St. Matthew believed that Jesus was the light that Isaiah referred to, and since that time Christians have agreed with him.

It is not just that Jesus, the light of the world, will dispel darkness and gloom but that he will be a healer. In the words of Isaiah,

For the yoke that burdened them,
The pole on their shoulder,
And the rod of their taskmaster
You have smashed.

Practically the first thing that Jesus does when he sets out on his public mission is to call disciples to follow Him and assist Him in His work of healing. In today’s gospel we see Him walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee when He sees Peter and his brother, Andrew. They were fishermen and He says to them, “come after Me and I will make you fishers of men.” We are told, “At once they left their nets and followed Him.” Immediately after, he saw two other fishermen, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, and called them as well. Again we are told, “Immediately they left their boat and their father and followed Him.”

What strikes me most about this passage is how quickly they were converted. They did not require instruction or lessons in theology. They did not have to go through an extended course of study. They seemed to have asked no questions or made any inquiries about His background. From what follows in the gospels we know that these first disciples did not have a clear idea of who He was or what He was going to do. Like most of us when we embark on life’s great adventures, they did not know what they were getting into or where they would wind up.

There must have been something about Him that made them immediately give up their jobs and families to follow Him. There was something that led them to put their full faith in Him.

This passage reminded me of a book I recently read about Brother Andre, a recently canonized Canadian saint, who had as little theological knowledge and book learning as his namesake, Andrew, in today’s gospel. Andre was a poor orphan who received practically no education beyond what his mother taught him before she died when he was only 12. Thereafter, he had to work to help support himself and help out with his brothers and sisters. Eventually, a local priest, impressed with his holiness, asked the Holy Cross Fathers in Montreal to take him in. Since he did not appear to be very intelligent, he could not even be made a brother, but they gave him a job as doorkeeper or porter at their school.

To make a long story short, within a few years people were flocking to the school because Andre had gained the reputation as a healer. Some would come on crutches but go away walking on their own, leaving their crutches behind. Many of these crutches can still be seen today in St. Joseph’s Oratory, the magnificent church eventually built to accommodate all the pilgrims who wanted to visit him. When Brother Andre died in 1937 over a million people filed by his casket.

I mention Brother Andre because during his whole life he denied that he was a miracle worker possessed with great healing powers. Like Jesus, Andre often used material objects like oil and medals in healing people but he also denied that these had any magical powers. He had a special devotion to St. Joseph and asked all who came to him to pray to St. Joseph but even that he regarded as only a means for them to enhance their faith in Jesus, the light of the world. Andre always gave the credit for all of his accomplishments to faith in Jesus Christ.

In today’s second reading St. Paul does the same thing. He says to the Corinthians that it has come to his attention that some of them place their faith in him; that others believe in Apollos, or in Peter. He is shocked at this development.

Was Paul crucified for you?
Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

A few years ago, in my own parish a beloved pastor had to retire after 18 years for health reasons. Tears ran down faces when the announcement was made. His farewell Mass and reception were packed. He had been a compassionate pastor as well as a wonderful homilist. He had a knack for involving people in every aspect of parish life. He was also a skilled and thrifty administrator who had taken the parish out of debt, and left it with a large surplus.

Nevertheless, I never heard him claim any credit for himself. If you asked him, I’m sure he would have said that anything he had accomplished was due to Christ working through him. The last thing he would want is for people to leave their parish community because he had had to leave. In today’s gospel we are told that Jesus is still here, “proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness.”

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Reading 1. Isaiah 8: 23-9:3
Reading II. 1 Corinthians 1: 10-13, 17
Gospel. Matthew 4: 12-23 (fishers of men).

Behold the Lamb

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lamb of God window
Assumption Church
Fairfield, CT

Older Catholics will remember that before the Second Vatican Council there were only two major readings from Scripture at each Mass. There was the Epistle usually taken from one of the letters of St. Paul, and the Gospel reading from one of the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. The same readings were repeated every year. Moreover, the priest read the readings in Latin with his back to the congregation. Only in the last century did he repeat the Gospel in the vernacular while facing the people.

Besides allowing the use of the native language throughout the Mass, the Council sought to expand the selection of readings in order to put greater emphasis on the proclamation of the word of God, which became known as the Liturgy of the Word. This was done in two ways. First, a third reading was added to the traditional two. Now we have a first reading usually taken from the Hebrew scriptures or Old Testament. Then a second reading taken from the Epistles or Acts of the Apostles; and, finally, the Gospel.

However, the Church also introduced three cycles of readings, an A, B, and C cycle. That is, instead of the same readings every year, it would take three years before the readings would be repeated. The cycles are primarily differentiated by the gospel selections. In the A cycle, the gospel readings will be primarily from the Gospel of St. Matthew. In the B cycle it will be St. Mark, and in the C cycle it will be St. Luke. We will find readings from St. John interspersed throughout all three cycles.

Today is the second Sunday in Ordinary time. Ordinary time signifies that part of the church year which is not part of any particular feast, like Christmas or Easter. We might ask what happened to the first Sunday in Ordinary time? Well, it was last week when we celebrated the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. It marked the beginning of the public life of Jesus with his baptism by John the Baptist at the river Jordan. Today, we follow up on that important event.

But let's begin by taking a look at our first reading today from the prophet Isaiah. The reading refers to a servant of the Lord who will derive his strength from the Lord, and who will be a "light to the nations," in order that the Lord's "salvation may reach to the ends of the earth."

Who is this servant? Is it Isaiah, himself? Is it the whole people of Israel? Is it some person in the future, say John the Baptist or even Jesus, himself? It is hard to say. Both Jesus and the Baptist appear in today's gospel account. Let's take a close look at what happens.

Representatives of the leaders of the Jews had approached John to ask him if he was the promised Messiah. John replied that he only baptized with water but that there was someone in their midst, “the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to loose.”

The next day the gospel account tells us that John “saw Jesus coming toward him” and said,

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

We have just completed the joyous feast of Christmas but the Church in its liturgical year does not dwell on the babe in the manger but immediately starts by confronting us with the whole purpose of the Lord’s mission. Jesus is going to sacrifice himself for us. He is the sacrificial Lamb who will atone for the sins of the people. From that point on sacrifice becomes the key element not only in our liturgy but in our lives.

Jesus is going to embark on a mission that will end with his crucifixion and death. Immediately after His baptism, the Evangelist tells us that Jesus began to call disciples to follow him. First Andrew and Peter, and then the rest ending with us. Fortunately, the sacrifice of Jesus is sufficient for us. Most of us will not have to face torture and a cruel death. But if we call ourselves followers of Christ, we will have to give up, in our own little way, our own lives in the service of others.

Husbands will give up their lives for their wives, and wives for their husbands. Both will have to sacrifice for their children. When they grow older, the children will have to sacrifice for their parents. Scripture tells us that people without spouses and children are called to even greater sacrifice. Not one of us is exempt. To save our life, we must lose it.

We all love sports but don’t we admire those players who sacrifice themselves for the good of the team? Even baseball has a special play called a “sacrifice” where a player gives himself up to advance a teammate.

So in today’s second reading when St. Paul tells the Corinthians to be “holy”, he is not telling them to become plaster saints. He is calling them to a life of hard work and sacrifice in doing the work of the Lord. Just as Jesus did, he is calling us to become disciples, and “take one for the team.”

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Reading 1. Isaiah 49: 3, 5-6
Reading II. 1 Corinthians 1: 1-3
Gospel. John 1: 29-34 (lamb of God).

Baptism of the Lord

                           Baptism of the Lord

                           

Piero della Francesca

Last week we celebrated the great feast of the Epiphany of the Lord which brought to completion the 12 days of the Christmas season. Epiphany is a Greek word which means manifestation or appearance. The appearance to the Magi signified the mission of our Lord to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews.

Today we celebrate another divine appearance. Today's feast commemorating the Baptism of the Lord marks the beginning of the public life of Jesus. In one week we've gone from the little babe in the manger to our Lord's appearance to John the Baptist at the Jordan river.  

The first reading from the Book of the prophet Isaiah introduces a mighty figure:

         Here is my servant whom I uphold,

         my chosen one with whom I am pleased,

         upon whom I have put my spirit;

These words find their counterpart in today's gospel. After the Baptism of Jesus,

         the heavens were opened for Him,

         and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove

         and coming upon Him.

         And a voice came from the heavens saying,

         "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

Let's examine the scene of the Baptism a little more closely. First, Jesus comes to John to be baptized and John hesitates because he recognizes that someone far greater than he is standing before him. Nevertheless, Jesus insists on following the precepts of the Law since He is the one who will bring the Law to its fulfillment.

After the baptism we have the first manifestation of the Holy Trinity--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is unfortunate that over the years religious artists have found it almost impossible to depict the Holy Trinity. They have had remarkable success with the Son because Jesus did take on a human form. For the most part artists have had to resort to depicting the Father as a white-bearded old man--an angry one at that-- flying around in the sky. Even worse, they've depicted the Spirit as a bird, because today's gospel says that Jesus saw the Spirit descending "like a dove." 

These images, well-intentioned as they are, have led to a lot of misunderstanding. We are made in the image and likeness of God. God is not made in our image and likeness. God is not an angry old man and the Holy Spirit is not a bird. Especially in the case of the Spirit, the image of the dove has led many to trivialize and underestimate His role.

Not only did God create the world, the world could not exist for an instant without the continued presence of His Holy Spirit. Every breath we take, every move we make is inconceivable without the presence of the Spirit of God. We're like fish swimming in the ocean but the ocean is the Spirit of God. Just like fish we don't realize that we're in the ocean and that every thing that sustains us comes from the ocean of God. We're even worse than fish because we think that we can do without the ocean. We can even, if we're smart enough, convince ourselves that it doesn't even exist.

St. Peter had no misunderstanding. Today's second reading from the Acts of the Apostles takes place after the Resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Even after those incredible events, Peter and many other Christians had difficulty in realizing that the word of God had come for all nations and not just for Israel. In this scene which ends in the house of the pagan convert, Cornelius, Peter finally realizes that "God shows no partiality." He then recalled the scene at the Baptism where it all began.

         You know...what has happened all over Judea,

         beginning in Galilee after the Baptism

         that John preached,

         how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth

         with the Holy Spirit and power. 

From that day on the teaching of the Church has always been that our own Baptism is similar to our Lord's. At Baptism it's not just that the stain of original sin is washed away. We believe that at our Baptism we become children of God, and that we receive His Holy Spirit. In a way we should regard the day of our Baptism as the most important day of our life. 

I know that there are those who do not attach much importance to the sacraments anymore. But at the outset of His public life Jesus, despite the objections of John the Baptist, attached great importance to His Baptism. He chose to have the waters flow over Him and to be anointed by the Father "with the Holy Spirit." At the outset of our own children's lives, why would we not choose to follow His example?

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Reading 1. Isaiah 42: 1-4, 6-7

Reading II. Acts 10: 34-38

Gospel. Matthew 3: 13-17 (my beloved Son).