Homily: Presentation of the Lord
February 2, 2025
My dear brothers and sisters, today, we celebrate the feast of the presentation of the child Jesus in the temple. In this feast, we recall to our mind the journey of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph to the temple at Jerusalem to offer the Infant Jesus to God. One can tag this event of the presentation of the child Jesus as another instance where the child Jesus born on the Christmas day was manifested as the Savior of the world. This event is inserted as the fourth joyful mystery of the Holy Rosary. This insertion shows us indeed the spiritual significance of the mystery therein in what happened at the temple that day.
The events of the presentation in the temple give us a vivid picture, a strong example of what it means for a child of God to live in holy waiting, a life of sincere thirsting for salvation. The psalmist tells us in Psalm 42:2, “My soul thirsts for God, when shall I come and behold the face of God.” It is a soul who is thirsting for God that will see the face of God. It is a soul who is committed sincerely in climbing the mountain of the Lord that will feast on the rich banquet of heavenly food and choicest wine.
In the temple of Jerusalem on that fateful day were two characters; Simeon and Anna who committed themselves to holy waiting and sincere thirsting for salvation all the days of their life. We remember the word of God in Isaiah 40:31, “those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Simeon and Annah with prayer and fasting thirsted for the salvation which God promised His holy people and they really found Jesus. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the author of salvation Himself; the child Jesus was given to them in their very hands even while they were still alive on earth. Has God ever forgotten a child of His who is sincere in seeking the face of God?
We know too well the salvation history that started with the Israelites. Israel was looking forward to the fulfilment of the prophecy of Malachi that we read today in the first reading. They were living in expectation of that terrific day when the Lord would enter His temple in all His glory and power, to judge and condemn those who had not kept the law. Israel was expecting from its God a show of force, a force that would destroy their enemies. Jesus who came through the humble family of Mary and Joseph, who grew up to start preaching love, peace and the cross was very far from their expectation and many never believed in Him as the Messiah. This category of people unfortunately never discovered the Messiah because the type of God they wanted never existed. Their lives ended with eternal disappointment.
Conversely, there were some who never had any dream of violence or power or armies with banners, they believed in a life of constant prayer, spiritual mortification, quiet watchfulness until when God would come. The traces of their footsteps could never be erased from the temple of God. In prayer, worship, good works, charity, they waited quietly and patiently upon God. Simeon was like that; Anna too was like that. You know what? In the final analysis, their mouths were filled with song, they found that Messiah, their song became the Nunc Dimittis. Which song is the Nunc Dimittis, it is this song of Simeon. In our breviary prayers, we normally sing it every night-At last all-powerful Master (At last all-powerful mistress) my eyes have seen the salvation which God promised His holy people. My brothers and sisters, we should follow the footsteps of Simeon and Anna in waiting upon the Lord with prayer, worship, good work, charity, so that one day we too shall sing the Nunc Dimittis-At last all-powerful master (At last all-powerful mistress).
