Presentation of Jesus

The Feast of the presentation of Jesus is celebrated on 2nd February (falling on Sunday this year), which is 40 days after Christmas. It marks the end of Christmas season.
The presentation of Jesus is an important event in the life of Jesus. Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem, 40 days after his birth, “to present him to the Lord” as the law of Moses required. Mary and Joseph knew Jesus is God, yet they obeyed the law of Moses, presenting God to God. They knew there was no need to bring Jesus to the temple, but in humility (not wanting to appear as ‘special ones’ in the community) they followed the law. This is also what Jesus did when He presented himself to John the Baptist to be baptized, throughout His public ministry whenever Jesus cured the sick, He insisted that they follow the procedures of cleansing laid down in Jewish law.

According to the Law of Moses, because of the blood connected to the birth of a child, a woman was considered ‘unclean’ for seven days. On the 8th day, the child if male, was circumcised and given a name. Thirty-three days later that is on the 40th day the woman had to go to the temple and offer sacrifice to complete the cleansing process because of the birth of the child. The woman had to offer a lamb and a turtle dove or a pigeon as a part of sacrifice, If they were poor, they offered 2 turtle doves or 2 young pigeons (Leviticus 12:6,8). We learn that Mary and Joseph were poor because they offered only 2 turtle doves.
Mary and Joseph consecrated Jesus as ‘Holy’ to the ‘Lord’. But Jesus was truly consecrated to God at the crucifixion when Jesus offered Himself to the father, through the power of the Holy Spirit, as a true sacrifice for the forgiveness of the sins of the world. Not only was Jesus’ body put to death but Mary also suffered and died with Jesus spiritually because a sword pierced her soul as Simeon prophesied. That is why she is called the Queen of Martyrs.
What are the lessons we learn from the presentation of Jesus in the temple?
1) Mary and Joseph were not only obedient to the Jewish law, but also poor. We live in a world where people with wealth and power, feel that the laws of the land do not apply to them.
2) When Jesus was presented in the temple, Simeon immediately knew who Jesus was and gave thanks to God. God had promised him that he would not die before seeing the Messiah. Simeon took Jesus in his arms and responded by praising God. He prophesied about Jesus to Mary and that a sword would pierce her soul.
3) Annas a prophetess spent all her time in the temple praying and fasting, she knew immediately who baby Jesus was and gave thanks to God, She responded by telling everybody around her about Jesus the long-awaited Messiah.
Prophet Simeon and Prophetess Anna teach us that the more we spend time with God in daily prayer, the more God reveals Himself to us. Never neglect daily prayer or rush through it. To know God we must spend more and more time in His presence.
Annas is an example to us of how we, as Disciples of Christ, should act. We should wait with hope for the second coming of Jesus. As we learn more and more about Jesus through homilies and teachings, we should be able to talk about Jesus to everybody around us.
4) When Mary and Joseph finished everything required by the law, they returned to Galilee in Nazareth. Jesus grew up strong and filled with wisdom and God’s favour was upon Him.
Proper upbringing of children begins with presenting them to God. If we want our children to grow strong and wise, we must present them to God. They need to be taken to church, sent for catechism class at the Sunday school in order to learn the truths of our faith. They need the daily rosary, a reading from the Bible to learn about the birth of Jesus, His Resurrection, Ascension, so that they can come to know and love Jesus. We cannot assume that our children will make right choices in their life without proper guidance. As said in Book of Proverbs. “Train your children in the right way, and when old they will not stray”

As Jesus came into the temple, He was missed by all except by two elderly persons; others were busy with their business, useful no doubt for those coming there. May this 4th joyful Mystery not be a mechanical repetition during the Rosary, rather may we open ourselves to God in our lives like Mary and Joseph. May we be truly prepared for the second coming of Jesus Christ.

J. Rodrigues