Presentation of the Lord
Today’s Feast of the Presentation of the Lord Is celebrated on Sunday only every five or six years. The Church marks this 40th day after Christmas as Candlemas — the day Jesus was presented in the temple. The old Simeon and Anna, who spent their lives waiting, are fulfilled when they recognize Jesus as the Savior of the World. We profess, like Simeon and Anna, that Jesus is our light.
To the point: Mary and Joseph were faithful to the law when they presented their forty-day old Son in the temple and offered the prescribed sacrifice. Simeon and Anna show us that more is necessary than obedience to the law in order to recognize the Messiah’s presence. Filled with expectation, they actively waited and looked for “the Christ of the Lord” and the “redemption of Jerusalem.” Their expectation and waiting was the work of the Holy Spirit within them. As with Simeon & Anna, our lives must be filled with an expectation and waiting that is the work of the Holy Spirit within us. Only then will we see the Messiah in our midst.
Connecting the Gospel (Luke 2: 22-40) to the second reading: The Gospel shows one way that Jesus was like us: he fulfilled the law at the temple to be offered to God. The second reading shows us other ways that Jesus was like us: “Shared in blood and flesh … was tested … suffered.”
Connecting the Gospel to experience: The stronger our desire for what we await, the greater our impatience tends to be when its arrival is delayed. If we feel impatient for the coming of salvation in Christ, however, perhaps we are not seeing what is already before our eyes.
Centering prayers
The Gospel
(Luke 2:22-40 or 2:22-32)
“Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord.”
For the price of two turtledoves, a poor man’s offering,
the king made offer of sacrifice. Gates lifted. The King of Glory entered in.
And this child redeemed the world. Our universe rich now, beyond any telling.
Lord, let us wait for you in the Spirit, with Anna and Simeon.
You are born into our world and into our hearts, today, moment by moment.
The First Reading
(Malachi 3:1-4)
“Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me.”
Christ, our hearts build, bearers of your covenant.
Craft us as you would gold and silver. But shape us gently, please.
The Second Reading
(Hebrews 2:14-18)
“Because he himself was tested through what he suffered,
he is able to help those who are being tested.”
Lord, you became flesh and blood.
And you underwent trial, suffering from hope.
You, God, came to help us, to make us more like you.
We, too, have been tested in many ways.
Please reach all the way into our hearts!
Copyright © 2025, Anne M. Osdieck
Music for reflection