Homily for the Week of February 2, 2014

HOMILY: Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, 2014

         Most of you may not know that this weekend has several celebrations associated with it. You may all know that it is the Super Bowl weekend, but may have realized until you came to Church that it was the Presentation of Jesus by his mother and father in the temple, or it was Candlemas Day in those churches where candles are used, or it was weekend when a groundhog in Pennsylvania will predict whether or not we will have more weeks of winter. But today I want to concentrate on the Presentation of Jesus in the temple.

         Young parents, after having experienced the birth of a beautiful baby, are eager for the many presentations they will soon make. Certainly there will presentations of their baby to family, presentations to friends, and hopefully the presentation to the Catholic church at the baby’s Baptism.  Over and over again they will present their child as a sign of love and thanks.

         It would only be natural that Mary and Joseph would also celebrate the birth of their baby Jesus. The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord recalls two Jewish parents faithfully fulfilling the requirements of their faith.  Six weeks after the birth of Jesus,  Mary and Joseph followed a Jewish religious custom of bringing their child to the temple and presenting him to the rabbi and others who were there.

         In the temple was an elderly couple by the name of Simeon and Anna. They meet the baby Jesus, who had been brought to the Temple by his parents. This meeting of young and old represents a turning point in the history of humanity’s relationship with God. Simeon and Anna have spent their lives serving God and looking forward to the coming of a Saviour. Then one day Jesus suddenly enters his Temple. Simeon is overcome with joy and peace as he realizes that the age-old hopes of the Chosen People have found their fulfillment in this six weeks old baby.

         But with this joyful event there comes a warning to Mary. Simeon warns Mary that a some day a sword will pierce her heart. That was a prediction of the kind of suffering and death that would be part of Jesus’ life -- and Mary, his mother.

         Every day we are tempted to choose what we want over what God wants for us and of us. God presents himself to us in many and varied ways. Simeon and Anna prayed to see the coming of the Lord whom Malachi and the other prophets had foretold. How was it they recognized in one baby the answer to their prayers? Of this we have no clue, but what we do know is that they were looking. We are being reminded that God presents himself to us daily, and we too must be looking. As we begin to see God in our lives, we are expected to respond. A sword waits to separate those who choose to respond with their best from those who choose to hold back and place themselves and their wants above the needs of God.

         Will we choose to be like the two faithful Jewish parents who took their faith seriously enough to make a return to the Lord of the most precious thing in their lives, that is, their son whom they presented to God in the Temple? Or, will we choose to penny-pinch and be cheap like the people with whom Malachi was frustrated? Have we “robbed God” by withholding our tithe? Or, will the sword discern our generous love?

         Every day we are tempted to chose what we want rather than what God wants for us and of  us.  God presents himself in many and varied ways. Simeon and Anna prayed all their lives to see the coming of the Lord whom Malachi and others had mentioned was coming.  Somehow they recognized in one baby the answer to their prayers. God presents himself to us every day, many times a day. But we must be looking to recognize him. Once we begin to see God in our lives, we will respond.

         The Risen Jesus is present with us here and now in a very real way.  The question is whether our vision is as keen as that of Simeon's.  We will see Jesus in the ordinary events of our daily life. It is not a new pair of glasses or bifocals that will allow us to see Jesus. The PRESCRIPTION for seeing Jesus is the Holy Spirit  This is the Holy Spirit we received at Baptism.  At that Baptism we were also given a lighted candle and invited to be the light of the world. Of course, as babies, it was our parents who held the candle for us. But as teenagers and adults have we ligthted our own candle so that we could be the a light to those around us? God is not a distant God that is out there.  God is present to each of us.  On this day of the meeting of the Lord, let us see Jesus present in us and in others: our spouses and children, our friends, and also our enemies.  Let us be God’s presence of love and joy in the world. Our world will be starving for goodness unless we ourselves make a presentation  of our goodness to others.