Presentation Of Jesus In The Temple

[cappie]

Historical back ground: This is a combined feast commemorating the Jewish practice of purification of the mother after childbirth and the presentation of the child in the temple. It started in Jerusalem in the first centuries and got spread to the other parts of the church It is celebrated on Feb. 2nd, the 40th day after Christmas (Dec. 25th).

Exegesis: The Blessed Virgin Mary redeemed her First-Born from the Temple (Numbers 18:15), and she was purified by the prayer of Simeon the just, in the presence of Anna the prophetess (Luke 2:22 sqq.). This event was the first solemn introduction of Christ into the house of God where he would be recognized as the promised Savior of Israel. Here the first announcement of God's act of salvation takes place in the temple (Luke 24: 53) through Simeon. Hence Luke portrays the temple as the continuity between Judaism and Christianity

Simeon and Anna, two devout and faithful Israelites had been waiting in the temple for the revelation of God's salvation. Simeon recognized Jesus as the Lord's anointed one and in his prayer of blessing, he prophesied that Jesus was meant to be the glory of Israel and the light of revelation to the Gentiles. Simeon blessed Jesus' parents, but he warned that the child would be a “sign of contradiction” and that Mary would be “pierced with a sword”. The prophecy of Simeon, the flight into Egypt, the three days' loss of the child Jesus in the temple, meeting Jesus carrying the cross, the crucifixion, the taking down of Jesus’ body from the cross, the burial.) Simeon was talking about the universal salvation that would be proclaimed in Jesus and the necessity of suffering in the mission of the Messiah.

Messages: 1: Every Mass is our feast of presentation. At every holy Mass we are presenting ourselves and our dear ones on the altar before God our Father through Jesus Christ our Savior. Let us live our daily lives with the awareness that we are dedicated ones, consecrated to God and obliged to lead holy lives.

2- Baptism is our day of presentation in the temple. We were presented to God on the day of our baptism. It was the day of our purification from sin and the day of our transformation as sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus and heirs of heaven. Let us renew our baptismal promises on this Feast of the Presentation and pray for our parents and godparents who presented us to God.

3- Reminder of the holy presence in us. Today the Church invites each one of us to keep our souls a Temple of God by a purer and holier life, where the Holy Virgin can bring her Divine child. Ask for the grace to experience that divine presence within us and say with Simeon: “My eyes have seen your salvation, now let your servant depart in peace”.

4- A day to count our blessing. We are better blessed than Simeon and Anna because we receive our God not only in our hands for a few minutes. But we have the rare privilege of retaining Him in our hearts by Holy Communion, experiencing His saving power and the guidance of His Holy Spirit and the providing care of His loving and forgiving Father every day of our lives. Let this conviction of God’s presence within us enable us to converse with God living within us, as the old Simeon and Anna did, “spending their time in prayer”

5-Message of peace. Just as Simeon and Anna could ‘go in peace’ after meeting Jesus their Savior, we too are asked at the end of the Mass: “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord”. Let our presentation and offering on the altar enable us to do more, selfless and humble service to others, presenting Jesus to them as love, compassion and forgiveness.

[tnavarro61]

Amen. Thanks Father for this post. Now I am excited to go to Mass this noon to renew my baptismal promises

Edited February 1, 2011 by tnavarro61

[Chamomile]

A great Feast (actually, one of the 12 Great Feasts for the Eastern Churches).

And at some Masses we will still have candles blessed



[img]http://www.melkite.org.au/images/users/2/ICONS/Icons%20of%20St.%20John%20Church/Presentation%20of%20our%20Lord%20to%20the%20temple%20001.jpg[/img]




[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Ambrogio_Lorenzetti_001.jpg[/img]