In all of sacred scripture, there are only two accounts that tell us of the life of Jesus between his birth and his public ministry: his presentation in the temple – as we celebrate today – and his finding in the temple when he was twelve years old. We hear the account of Jesus in the temple every three years on Sunday but the account we heard today about his presentation in the temple occurs on a Sunday only when the second of February is a Sunday; the last time we heard this story was in 2014! Both accounts are important, however, because they give us insights into the faith of his family and his preparation for his life, following the path that God had laid out for him. And, as they speak of his life, they give us important lessons for our lives as families of faith who strive to prepare our children for the path that God has laid out for each of them in their lives. For those of you here today who are involved in scouting – whether as boy scouts or scout leaders – you also know that the purpose of scouting is to help you be good and faithful contributors to our world as you develop skills and build relationships, all according to God’s plan for you. I’m sure you take seriously your oath to do your duty to God and your country. So, let’s examine today’s incident.
According to ancient Jewish Law, every first born male, whether animal or human, was to be consecrated to the Lord. This was a sign of gratitude to God for his generosity and an act that demonstrated absolute reliance on the Lord, as you would live in hope that God would provide more offspring. In the case of animals, the firstborn male was sacrificed. In the case of human beings, the firstborn male was redeemed by the sacrifice of “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,” as we hear in today’s Gospel. This practice may seem to be rather primitive and barbaric to us today, but it reminds us that everything we have comes from God and belongs to God; we are merely the faithful stewards of his creation and are given these blessings through his generosity to help us build up his kingdom in our midst. Remember, when God created Adam and Eve, he placed them in his garden to tend it for him. And, ever since Adam and Eve – representing all of humanity – turned away from God, he has pursued us to bring us back into a good relationship with him, as his beloved creation. His work of salvation is carried down to us through his special relationship with his people, the Jewish nation.
Mary and Joseph were faithful Jews. As we see throughout the Gospels, they were well versed in their faith and followed God’s laws with great humility and trust. So, as we hear in today’s Gospel, they went to the temple in Jerusalem to present their firstborn – Jesus – to the Lord, according to the dictates of the law. And, as they did so, they received precious insight into their son’s future as they encountered Simeon. Notice that the Holy Spirit was upon Simeon; that means he was open to the Spirit of God.
I invite you – you who are parents in our midst – to reflect on the time when you presented your children to the Lord at their baptism. Recall the instruction the priest gave you during that celebration, when he said, “It will be your duty to bring your child up in the faith, teaching him/her God’s commandments, to love God and neighbor.” And, remember when you presented your children once again at their confirmation, when the Spirit of God, which was first given to them at their baptism, came in fullness to them as the bishop imposed hands on them and anointed them with the sacred chrism.
When you did this, you were following the example that Joseph and Mary give us, faithful to God’s laws and humble in service to God, who blessed you with your children.
Your children are precious to you, I’m sure. They are more precious to God, for he has made them for himself. And God has a plan for each of them, for they are his children. Although we have begun Ordinary Time, the feast of the presentation completes the Christmas season. You will notice that it is celebrated 40 days after Christmas and 40 is a number that, in the Bible, speaks of preparation. Now, we are fully into Ordinary Time, when we recognize that God has ordered everything for our good. As we celebrate this feast of the presentation of the Lord, let us follow the example of the Holy Family every day and present ourselves to God, humbly submitting to his plan for us. In welcoming us into his family at our baptism, and filling us with his Holy Spirit at confirmation, God has called us to share in the building up of his kingdom, the kingdom that Jesus established in our midst when he came among us. And, you scouts, as you earn your badges, realize that you are able to accomplish each task because of the skills and talents that God had given you. How blessed we are to know that God loves us so much to call us his children and entrust us with this important task of building up his kingdom right here in our midst.