Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
Luke 2:22-40
Most of us would want to imagine what our child would be when he or she grows up. For some of us, we may imagine that our child would become a doctor one day, or a teacher, or that they could become a footy player. However, what if a prophet came to you and said that your child will be a sign to be rejected and a sword will pierce your soul so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare. Most probably, you would be frightened about that prospect - and yet Mary kept all these things in her heart.
Today, we celebrate the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Today marks the 40th day after the birth of Jesus. In Jewish custom, the woman, 40 days after giving birth, would undergo a purification ritual so that she could be ritually clean again. Also, in accordance to Mosaic Law, they should present the first-born male for consecration to the Lord. Then they could “buy back” the infant through some animal offerings which in this case was a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. Yet this presentation is quite unusual for a devout man called Simeon who came to approach the family. The Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon that he would not see death until he had seen the Christ. That’s why this moment is so special to him. Yet, the blessing of Simeon was a bittersweet moment for the family especially to Mary. While, Mary was pleased that Simeon, and later on Anna a prophetess, blessed them and praised God because of the child Jesus who would be the deliverance of Jerusalem, the prospect of Jesus being a sign to be contradicted and the prophecy that a sword would pierce Mary’s heart, must have been a little bit too much for the young mother. Joseph must also have been affected by that prophecy. Yet, in everything the young couple must have just trusted God that his will be done.
The Presentation of the Lord has brought us so many lessons that we could learn from. Firstly, Mary and Joseph, even though they knew that their child Jesus was somebody special and he was considered as the “Son of the Most High”, they still obeyed the requirements of the Mosaic Law. They knew that even if their child was something special, that didn’t exempt them from doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord and in following the law. Secondly, for Simeon and Anna, the Holy Spirit must have revealed to them about the coming of this child for a long time now. We could have imagined how Simeon and Anna would go every day to the temple always hoping that one day their eyes would see the Redeemer. Now at their advanced age, they must have been losing hope as their days were getting shorter and yet, they never lost faith and that fateful day came when their old eyes did indeed see the new hope for the redemption of everyone. Thirdly, Mary must have been distressed upon hearing of the future fate of her son. She knew from the day the angel Gabriel visited her that this child would be someone special and so far, everything had been happy events like the homage of the wise men and the shepherds and now the blessing from Simeon and Anna, yet she was warned that her son would be a sign that would be contradicted and a sword will pierce her heart. Yet, Mary kept everything in her heart.
How about us? Would we also have the same composure like Mary if we heard that kind of news about our child or any other issue for that matter? Would we be like Mary who can wait and let life go on its course and let it unravel itself as part of God’s will? Or are we a kind of person who can’t wait and live in a life of worries and anxieties?
The Presentation of the Lord gives us examples of how to be patient, never losing hope and accepting God’s will. May this feast teach us these lessons and praise God for giving us Jesus as our Saviour and Redeemer.
IMAGE: The Presentation - Canterbury Cathedral. Photo by Lawrence Lew OP, Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/paullew/32543795371/in/photostream/