Homily for the Presentation of the Lord

Malachi 3:1-4

Hebrews 2:14-18

Luke 2:22-40

The feast of the Presentation of the Lord commemorates the day that the infant Jesus was presented in the Temple in Jerusalem, and during these rites he would likely have received the ritual circumcision which the law required. Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple to dedicate him and his life to the God who sent him.

Very fittingly, on the old Roman calendar it was this feast day which concluded the Christmas season. For centuries, people would take their household candles to be blessed on this feast day, for not only is this a beautiful symbol of the light of Christ, but for much of the Church's existence, the humble candle was the primary means of light in anyone's home. Because candles were traditionally blessed today, this feast received the name by which it became known in the English-speaking world for many centuries: Candlemas. 

Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to the temple and offered a sacrifice in accordance with the Law of Moses, and they consecrated Jesus to the Lord, just as the law commanded. Once again we see the example set very early on in the Life of Christ that obedience is a critical part of the virtue of a life that is at one with God. In obedience to the commands of God, Mary and Joseph dedicated Jesus to God In His Holy house. 

When they arrive there, they are given yet another sign of just exactly who Jesus is, in an infancy that was full of signs and symbols which very much put into the reality that Jesus was and is the Messiah and the Son of God. Simeon, a man who scripture calls righteous (or just) and devout, believed God that he would not die until he had seen Christ, and he recognized Christ in this little baby which had been brought into the temple by his parents. He said that Jesus would be the "downfall and rise of many in Israel," but he also issued a prophetic warning to the Blessed Mother that a sword would pierce her heart, owing to the reality that the Messiah would die and that the Blessed Mother would be witness to this. 

We know that aside from our very redemption by the Lord, as well as the loving desire on the part of God to again be close to man who he created in his own image, another reason which Christ came into the world was to set the example for us of just how it is that God expects us to live. One of the most important virtues which Jesus teaches us, and which the actions of the Blessed Mother and St Joseph re-enforce, is the extremely important virtue of obedience.

Obedience is not a word that we, as a society and as a culture, like to hear much today, yet obedience is exactly what the Holy Spirit repeatedly calls us to in the pages of Sacred Scripture. The Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple, and the events which occur during this particular mystery of Our Lord's life, serve as an example and a testimony to us that from the very beginning of Jesus's life, He and His family on Earth practiced the virtue of obedience before God, and set the example for us, as we are called to imitate Christ.

Obedience is not something that is always easy, and let's face it, being obedient to God and to the Church is not always something that goes down well when we have to swallow some bitter spiritual or ecclesiastical medicine (I think that there are plenty of priests and not a few deacons who can verify that). However, no matter what our state is in life, or in the Church, we are called to a spirit of humility, and a spirit of what used to be bluntly called the fear of the Lord. We are all called to an obedient attitude toward what God asks of each of us, and what His Church asks of each of us.

Let us pray for the spirit of obedience and piety that Mary and Joseph had when they came to the Temple with the baby Jesus, and for the grace to be obedient to the Church's teachings, and through the witness of our faithfulness, we can help spread the good news of Jesus to the ends of the Earth.