Lk 2:22-40 Full Readings
Being Consecrated to Christ
Brethren, today we celebrate the presentation of Jesus in the Temple, 40 days after his birth. On the same day, we celebrate the day of consecrated religious men and women and those of Apostolic life societies. It is an invitation to consecrate ourselves to Christ in serving and loving his people. It is also an invitation to present our children to the Lord.
Those who are living the vocation of consecrated life have given themselves in service of God as celibates. In a culture that embraces norms of sexual promiscuity and material luxury, someone living a life of joy without these things is surely a sign of contradiction after our Lord Jesus Christ who was surely the sign of contradiction as Simeon had prophesied in today's Gospel. This contradiction led him to death, and we too as religious and in fact all Christians are called to follow Jesus' footsteps. The consecrated, living a joy-filled life–set apart in service to God and others–speaks loudly to many restless hearts trying to fill the emptiness of a life without Christ. May the Lord bless consecrated souls and help us all to live a joyful life that honours Christ.
The Gospel of today describes how the presentation of Jesus in the temple happened. Joseph, as the head of the Holy Family of Nazareth, presented Mary and the baby Jesus in the Temple of God for the mother’s purification and the child’s “redemption.” It also describes the Holy Family’s encounter with the old prophet Simeon and the holy widow Anna. In his prophecy, Simeon extols the divine blessings that the Messiah is bringing to Israel and to all men and predicts that Mary will play a crucial and sacrificial role in her son’s redemptive work by sharing in his sufferings. Mary indeed suffered too much pain as he saw his Son die on the cross, but she kept her faith, knowing that God never disappoints and keeps his promise. In all our pain and suffering, it's always good to imitate our mother Mary.
When Luke narrates the story of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, he refers to Exodus 13:2, which says: “Consecrate to me all the first-born; whatever is the first to open the womb among the sons of Israel, both man and of beast, is mine.” This means that the first-born sons and the first-born of the animals in Israel all belonged to God. The first-born sons of the people were to be dedicated to sacred ministry, while the firstlings of the cattle, sheep, and goats were offered to the Lord as sacrificial victims. Now, because the sons of Israel sinned at Sinai by worshipping the golden calf and the Levites rallied to the side of Moses, the descendants of Levi earned the privileges of consecration originally possessed by the first-born sons. While the Levite sons were consecrated for service, the non-Levite first-born sons of Israel had to be redeemed from their service or bought back (Exodus 34:20) with a payment of five shekels (Numbers 18:15-16). Instead of saying that Mary and Joseph brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to redeem him, Luke says that they brought him up to present him to the Lord and implies that Jesus was consecrated as a priest even though he was not a Levite.
Today's feast is also the fulfilment of the promise of God to bring back the glory of God to the temple because Jesus brings back the lost God's glory from the temple and also becomes a new temple where God's glory would be shown to all the world, as a light to the Gentiles, as Simeon puts it. We remember that in the Old Testament, God's glory visibly came to dwell over the ark and the Tabernacle (Exodus 40:34–38). When the first temple was built in Jerusalem, God's glory came to rest there (1 Kings 8). After the first temple was destroyed, Ezekiel saw God's glory leave it (Ezekiel 10). But God promised one day to fill it with even greater glory (Haggai 2:1-9; Zechariah 8-9, and in today's first reading). That promise is fulfilled when the "King of Glory" himself comes to his temple (Psalm 24:7-10 (today’s psalm); Malachi 3:1). This King of Glory is Jesus, who, when he entered the temple, brought back God's glory.
Jesus, through today's feast, not only brought God's glory back to church, but through his coming in the flesh and through his saving death, resurrection, and ascension, we are made living temples of his Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). By this, we are all supposed to keep God's glory shining in our lives; let the glory of God not leave us as Ezekiel saw it leaving the temple. We keep it when we keep his commandments and heed Jesus' teachings with love of God and neighbour. Ask the Lord to renew your faith in the indwelling presence of his Spirit within you. And give him thanks and praise for coming to make his home with you.
As we celebrate the presentation of the Lord, we are called to present and consecrate ourselves anew to God. This means to continually worship God in spirit and in truth like Simeon and Anna. The scripture describes Simeon as a very upright and devout man and Anna as a widow who continues to serve God day and night in fasting and prayer. This no doubt earns them the privilege of recognising the Messiah amid the many children that were brought to the temple that day. One thing to learn at the presentation of the Lord is that he is not just a light to the nations and the glory of Israel but also a sign that is spoken against, a sign of contradiction. Being a sign of contradiction for the sake of the kingdom is always the better part. Despite all the odds, let us focus on God and daily consecrate and renew our commitment to him.
Let us Pray: Act of Consecration to Jesus
Lord Jesus Christ, I consecrate myself today anew and without reserve to your divine Heart. I consecrate to you my body with all its senses, my soul with all its faculties, my entire being. I consecrate to you all my thoughts, words and deeds, all my sufferings and labours, all my hopes, consolations and joys. In particular I consecrate to you this poor heart of mine so that it may love only you and may be consumed as a victim in the fire of your love. I place my trust in you without reserve and I hope for the remission of my sins through your infinite mercy. I place within your hands all my cares and anxieties. I promise to love you and to honour you till the last moment of my life, and to spread, as much as I can, devotion to your most Sacred Heart. Do with me what you will, my Jesus. I deserve no other reward except your greater glory and your holy love. Take this offering of myself and give me a place within your divine Heart forever. Amen
Happy feast day of the consecrated religious, all the elderly people and Be blessed
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