Year B: Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
The Presentation in The Temple
Luke 2:22-40
When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord, every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord, and to offer the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons, in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.”
The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted—and you yourself a sword will pierce—so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
Discussion Questions:
- Making this passage our own, Jesus is presented to us each day. In what ways do you recognize Jesus being “presented to you” in your life at this time?
- What are some promises or consolations you hope God might fulfill for you in your lifetime?
- Do you think holiness = perfection, or is there deeper meaning here? In what ways do you understand and experience holiness in the context of your family?
- How do you gauge the health of your family’s spiritual center, so together you can better the life you share?
Biblical Context
Luke 2:22-40
Margaret Nutting Ralph
To understand Luke’s story of Jesus’ presentation in the temple we must know a little about infancy narratives. Infancy narratives are a distinct literary form. They are written, not to respond to the question, “How can we tell the story of this person’s birth exactly as it happened?” but to respond to the question, “How can we tell the story of this person’s birth so that people will understand just how great he became?”
At the core of an infancy narrative are historical events: Jesus was born in a definable location and in a definable time in history. Jesus’ parents were Mary and Joseph. They were Jewish and were faithful to Jewish practices. However, the story is not told just to recount these facts. The story is told in hindsight to teach what was understood about the person after that person had become great. The infancy narratives about Jesus are post-resurrection stories that teach what was understood about Jesus after the resurrection, after the post-resurrection appearances, and after the coming of the Spirit.
An understanding of the infancy-narrative literary form resolves some misunderstandings that people might have when reading the story. For instance, someone might ask, “Why? given the fact of the annunciation, were Mary and Joseph ‘amazed at what was said about him’?” This question would be difficult to answer if we thought we were reading simply a historical account. However, we are reading stories that grew up in oral tradition, independent of each other, stories that the Gospel editor arranged in their present order.
What post-resurrection understandings is Luke teaching by including this story in his narrative? First, Luke is teaching that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel. Luke describes Simeon “righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel?” and says that he “should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.” These details are references to God’s covenant relationship with the Israelites. Part of God’s covenant promise was that God would protect the chosen people. As a result of God’s promise to love and protect them, the Israelites, through the centuries, expected God to send an anointed one, a Christ (Christ and messiah both mean “an anointed one”) to save them from their political enemies. Luke pictures Simeon announcing that God has been faithful to God’s promises, and that Jesus is the fulfillment of those promises. Even though Jesus is a different kind of messiah from the one the people were expecting.
Another post-resurrection understanding that Luke is teaching is that the salvation that Jesus has accomplished is for all nations. Simeon says,
“…for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples. a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel. ”
This insight is very important for Luke because his audience is primarily Gentiles. As you may remember from reading the Acts of the Apostles, the understanding that Jesus’ salvation is for all nations is a post-resurrection understanding (see Acts 10).
Luke also explores a mystery that the early church, as well as every generation since, has pondered: the mystery of suffering, is the cross central to Christianity? Simeon tells Mary and Joseph, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted—and you yourself a sword will pierce….” In Luke’s Gospel Mary is the preeminent disciple, the one who says, “May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). Now that Disciple is being told that suffering will be part of her discipleship. As those in Luke’s audience read this account they, like we, realize that the same mystery is present in their own lives.
A Life that Fits
Reflection
Fr. Michael K. Marsh
I recently heard a man say, “I feel as if I have dropped into my own life and it fits.” It made me smile. It was such a great description. I think we all want to be able to say that. He went on, however, to say that it wasn’t about his family, his work, or even anything he could specifically name. It was more about what was happening within him than what was happening around him.
There are moments in our lives when our senses awaken and open to a greater reality, a larger world, a more whole life. Those are the moments when our seeing gives way to recognition and acknowledgement of a deeper and more profound reality. They are the moments of presentation, moments of meeting, moments when divinity and humanity touch, and heaven and earth are joined. That’s what this day, the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple, is all about. In those moments we are living today’s (Luke 2:22-40). In those moments we catch a glimpse of what Saint Simeon saw. We stand in his shoes and we see with his eyes.
We’ve all had those moments. Now we probably don’t say, “Oh, wow! Look! Heaven and earth are joined, humanity and divinity are touching.” No, we say it differently. Nevertheless, that’s what’s happening. Think about a time when you said aloud or maybe to yourself, “I never want this moment to end.” That wasn’t about the passing of time. It was about presence. You were fully present to the moment. You were acknowledging that somehow all the pieces of your life fit. There was an integrity and authenticity about you and your life. There was a reality greater than the circumstances of that moment.
How about this? Have you ever been so immersed in the presence of another person, your work, a hobby, a conversation with a friend, that you lose all track of time? We look at our watch and wonder, “Where did the time go?” I’m not talking about time that was wasted but time that was full and complete. In those minutes and hours, we had softened and opened ourselves to the eternal.
Maybe you’ve experienced it this way. You look back on a particular time in your life and think, “I don’t know how I got through that. I didn’t think I would. I didn’t think I could.” You don’t know how you got through that, you only know that you did. That was a moment of presentation, a moment of meeting with a presence greater than yourself.
In all those and a thousand others like them it seems as if that moment is presenting itself to us but I think it is just the opposite. We are being presented to the moment. God’s Spirit guides and takes us to that place of meeting. We see that moment but not with our eyes. We hold it but not with our hands. We taste it but not with our tongues. We smell it but not with our nose. We hear it but not with our ears. We meet a presence greater than what our physical senses can experience or understand. That’s why this man I just told you about couldn’t name what was going on, what had changed, only that it had changed and he was somehow different. He wasn’t just living. He was alive.
Simeon saw more than just a child. He looked at the child and he saw salvation. He saw the fulfillment of God’s promise. He saw the Lord’s Messiah. He saw the Light of God’s glory. He saw the freedom to go in peace. He saw the fullness of his own life and it fit him perfectly.
Today is not just for or about Simeon. It is also for and about us. This is our day. All of us have the possibility of becoming God-receivers. All of us are intended to be God-receivers. The light Simeon sees is not just for himself but for the nations, all the peoples, you and me included.
The truth of this story and the fulfillment of God’s promise, for Simeon and for us, do not depend on resolving the factual contradiction. They are found in the paradox. We spend so much time and effort trying to make life fit by resolving the facts and controlling the circumstances. Simeon didn’t do that. Maybe we shouldn’t either. He showed up at the temple knowing he was blind and believing he would see. That was enough for Simeon and it was enough for God. Let it be enough for us.
Step into the paradox of an old blind man that sees the Christ and you will see the invisible, hear the unspoken, smell the odorless, taste the uneaten, and touch the intangible. Those are the sights, the sounds, the fragrance, the taste, and the feel of a life that fits, a life in which heaven and earth are joined and humanity and divinity touch. Try it on for size. Drop into your life and discover that it fits.
Selections from Breaking Open the Lectionary: Lectionary Readings in Their Biblical Context for RCIA, Faith Sharing Groups, and Lectors—Cycle B, by Margaret Nutting Ralph, Copyright © 2005 by Margaret Nutting Ralph. Paulist Press, Inc., New York/Mahwah, NJ. Reprinted by permission of Paulist Press, Inc. www.paulistpress.com.
Reflection Excerpt from “Interrupting the Silence” Fr. Michael K. Marsh www.interruptingthesilence.com Used by permission.