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Friday, January 31, 2020
2.2.2020
Celebrating Christ our Light
This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation. No, not the presentation of the Vince Lombardi trophy, though that will happen later in the evening. We celebrate the presentation of the child Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem according to Jewish custom. This feast is always February 2nd, but rarely falls on a Sunday (in which case it supplants the regular Sunday of Ordinary Time), and so it is a special gift to be able to observe this feast with more of the community present. The Presentation is for Christians a kind of bridging between the old and new covenants, as the longed for Messiah is brought to that holiest of holy places in the Jewish tradition, the tradition in which he was raised and from which Christianity organically develops. In the Gospel, we are introduced to two fascinating figures, Simeon, a “righteous and devout man,” who has long awaited the consolation of Israel, and Anna, a prophetess, who “never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.” They remind me of some of those parishioners in past assignments whose life, especially in old age, seemed to revolve around the Church. We get a sense of their steadfastness and devotion, their longing, and, finally, their joy in greeting this child. Simeon cries out, “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation...a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” And Anna offers a prayer of thanks to God and speaks of this child to all awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. This feast is also the traditional day for the blessing of candles, what we used to call “Candlemas,” as that image of light fits so beautifully with the coming of Christ our Light into the world in this more formal presentation in the temple. In these still long, cold and often dreary days of winter, may we imitate the patience and faithfulness of Simeon and Anna. And may Christ our Light be present in us and shine through us to the world. --Fr. Thom
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This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation. No, not the presentation of the Vince Lombardi trophy, though that will happen later in the evening. We celebrate the presentation of the child Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem according to Jewish custom. This feast is always February 2nd, but rarely falls on a Sunday (in which case it supplants the regular Sunday of Ordinary Time), and so it is a special gift to be able to observe this feast with more of the community present. The Presentation is for Christians a kind of bridging between the old and new covenants, as the longed for Messiah is brought to that holiest of holy places in the Jewish tradition, the tradition in which he was raised and from which Christianity organically develops. In the Gospel, we are introduced to two fascinating figures, Simeon, a “righteous and devout man,” who has long awaited the consolation of Israel, and Anna, a prophetess, who “never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.” They remind me of some of those parishioners in past assignments whose life, especially in old age, seemed to revolve around the Church. We get a sense of their steadfastness and devotion, their longing, and, finally, their joy in greeting this child. Simeon cries out, “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation...a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” And Anna offers a prayer of thanks to God and speaks of this child to all awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. This feast is also the traditional day for the blessing of candles, what we used to call “Candlemas,” as that image of light fits so beautifully with the coming of Christ our Light into the world in this more formal presentation in the temple. In these still long, cold and often dreary days of winter, may we imitate the patience and faithfulness of Simeon and Anna. And may Christ our Light be present in us and shine through us to the world. --Fr. Thom
