PRESENTATION OF
THE LORD
Introduction: Today is the Feast of the Presentation
of the Lord, also known as Candlemas. It is final event of the Christmas
festival of light. In celebration, candles are blessed, lit and carried in
procession to welcome Jesus, the Light of life, the One who enlightens all men
and women.
Let none of us remain a stranger to this divine lustre; let
no one who filled with it ever fall into darkness.
The Homily: If you go to the old city of Jerusalem Golden
Gate has long since been walled up, and the temple site is in the
hands of the Muslim authorities. From early dawn you will observe Christians
(mostly Arabs) standing in front of the wall, holding little candles. They
stand around quite casually, holding the burning candles in one hand and
protecting them with the other, not from the breeze but from the prying eyes of
the Muslim guards. No Christian religious services are allowed in that area.
The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord is a prolongation
of the Nativity. Yet is has a definite Good Friday and Easter colouring. The
Good Friday colouring is in the humble submission of Jesus entering his
Father’s temple. And the Easter colouring is seen in Christ as Light of the
world. The acclamation of Christ the Light is a prelude to the flowing liturgy
of the Eater vigil. Today we look back to Christmas and also anticipate Easter!
Simeon and Anna come forward to witness to the Lord. They
anticipate the witnesses to the Resurrection of Jesus. In the temple the old
and the new meet. The old become young again because they can see clearly. They
have seen the Lord; and they leave the young with an agenda – an agenda and a
sword!
The first word of Yahweh in the book of Genesis was, “Let
there be light.” And here is Jesus the Light, the light of the world. He
promises that those who follow him will not walk in darkness but will have the
light of life. What is darkness? Darkness signifies confusion, despair,
depression, self-loathing and aimlessness. Light, in contrast, can mean
clarity, joy, vision, direction, hope and love. What does this mean for us in
our actual experience? Can we look into ourselves and spot the areas of
darkness which we hide in shame from the light of Christ? There may be, for
instance, a long-standing sense of guilt over some wrong doing or sin committed
years ago. There may be, again, resentment against someone. You can nurse
resentment against someone until you find it impossible to see any good in
them. There are many situations we face that can propel us into a spiral of
dark and depressing thoughts: illness, failure, unemployment, family disorder.
That is why we need the Christ light to disperse the darkness and illuminate
the good qualities we do have.
Going back to today’s gospel, we observed Simeon and Anna
encountering their Lord. One day I happened to be with the very small group of
laymen, middle aged and elderly. They began talking about a certain priest, and
one of them said, “Oh yes, Father so and so; he’s a good man. He has
encountered Jesus.” “He has encountered Jesus.” What a beautiful compliment, I
thought. How I wish I could honestly say that I have encountered Jesus.
Finally, let me talk about the prophecy of Malachi and
relate it to the Catholic priest. The prophet Malachi declares that the Lord
will definitely purify the priests and other ministers of the sanctuary. First,
God will correct the abuses that tarnish the worship. Then God will pull up the
ministers for their personal conduct. He will demand a reform of conduct.
Indeed, God is offended when the offerings are presented by priests who do not
live a holy life. The priests’ reprehensible behaviour turns that people away
from God, and God, for his part, withdraws from the temple. Praise of God must
come from pure lips together with the offering of a righteous life. This is
true encounter with God.
It is as we meet Jesus in humble need, acknowledging our
areas of darkness, and asking for the light to illuminate and heal, that we
shall know the truth of the promise of Simeon’s prophecy.
PRAYER: A
Prayer with a Candle (abbreviated) by Margaret Dewey.
My Lord and my God
thank you for drawing me to yourself...
Keep me burning of my desire for you
as clear and steady as the flame of this candle,
- a single undivided focus of attention,
a steady offering of the will.
Let my whole being be filled with your light
so that others may be drawn to you.
Let my whole being be cleansed
by the flame of your love
from all that is contrary to your will for me
- my Lord and my God.
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