Presentation of the Lord in the Temple falls on 40th day after Christmas. Mary and
Joseph fulfilled Jewish law, custom regarding a male child and purification of a mother
after child birth. Jewish law required that the first born male child be offered to God; rich
parents offered a one year old lamb, the poor were allowed to offer a pair of doves. For
Mary and Joseph, Presentation was celebration of birth of Jesus, worship in the temple,
praising and thanking God who is the source of life. God must be praised for his gifts
and watch for his coming in the ordinary events of life: In an early Christian text the Lord
says, ‘when there are two, they are not without God, where there is one alone, I say, I
am with him. Lift the stone and there shall you find me; split the wood and I am there’.
Daily events of life, all stages of life are occasions of encounter with God, a call to make
sacred life’s journey. A young monk asked and elderly Monk, what was necessary to do
to be saved. He was sitting and making rope. Without looking up he said: you are
looking at it! Christian spirituality is about celebrating presence of God in the ordinary:
family, food, friends, work, leisure etc. Our task is to make the rhythm of daily life,
rhythm of love!

The disciple asked his master: what can I do to attain God? Master asked him: what can
you do to make the sun rise? Annoyed the disciple said: then why are you giving us all
these methods of prayer? Master replies: to make sure you are awake when the sun
rises! Simeon and Anna were examples of self-offering to God, faith and life of prayer;
they were awake to behold when the sun [Jesus] entered the temple. It is said that we
long for God because God longs for us. Simeon and Anna meeting baby Jesus was a
coming together of God’s longing and human longing; they also remind us to appreciate
the faith and wisdom of our grandparents and elderly people in the community. We were
offered to God or presented to God in our baptism; we were helped to know and love
Christ more deeply in our first communion and confirmation. Our offering of ourselves to
God is renewed and nourished in prayer and every time we celebrate Eucharist.

Simeon said: this child will be a sign of contradiction, thoughts of many hearts will be
revealed. Jesus, his life and gospel will judge people and their actions, dangerous
illusions humans live. Jesus is God’s love, justice, forgiveness and life renewing grace.
How do people react to him. Those refuse to reform and change would oppose him;
opposition will be deadly and Simeon told Mary that a sword will pierce her heart,
foretelling Jesus’ death on the cross. She would watch her son being struck by human
hatred and violence. Mary standing beneath the cross gazing upon her crucified son is
an example for us to deal with suffering in life, when we feel sieged, hopes lost; gazing
upon the crucified Jesus would soften our suffering. Great love involves great suffering;
God so loved us, he embraced great suffering. A reflection on the presentation of the
Lord says: ‘The King entered poor, un-noticed. Only Simeon and Anna knew he is
redeemer, the world is no longer going to be the same. Two doves signified the Kings
big offering on the cross. Lift the gate of your heart, for the king to enter’!