PRESENTED TO BE PURIFIED.

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February 2, 2021
Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.

Readings: Mal 3:1-4; Ps 24:7, 8, 9, 10; Lk 2:22-40.

An Irish proverb says, “Cleaning the house will not pay the rent.” And an Agni proverb adds, “He who doesn't clean his mouth before breakfast always complains that the food is sour.”

God’s presence is found and contemplated in the place of his dwelling. The Temple, in the Jewish culture, is the place of all the great encounters for, there dwells the Most-High in all his glory. The Temple is also the seat of holiness. Therefore, all that is offered or presented in the Temple becomes holy.

The feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple of Jerusalem is before all an obedience to the Law of purification. The Law states that “Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord.” (Luke 2:23) That was in answer to the Law in Leviticus 12:2-3. So, Jesus, today, is consecrated to God in obedience to the Mosaic Law. It is for him to belong fully to the Lord, and to remain present where God dwells. He is presented to be present in the Temple and live according to the will of God.

This feast marks also the purification of his mother, Mary. For us, consecrated people and religious, it is an exhortation to reflect anew on our own consecration or presentation to the Lord. For, the day of our vows, we were presented to God and we promised him to live in purity of mind and body and always obedient to his will expressed through the vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience.

While celebrating the feast of the presentation of the Lord, the word of God today, emphasizes the Lord coming in his Temple and the fulfillment of all the prophecies. In the first reading, the prophet Malachi announces to the people of Israel that the Lord they are seeking will suddenly come in his Temple. His presence will bring them comfort and consolation. His coming, however, will be more of a purification. The Lord comes in his Temple to wash away the sin and evilness of his people. He will purify them to present them to himself as a holy and stainless people.

God’s dwelling is a place of purification. The Temple is a washroom of sin and all kinds of evil and dirt. The scene of the presentation of Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem takes primarily that meaning of Purification. Mary and Joseph brought their child in the presence of the Lord for his purification and the purification of his mother. The child is brought to be consecrated to God.

Above and beyond the fact of purification and consecration, this feast mark also a fulfillment. God’s Son comes into the Temple to fulfill all the expectations of all who await salvation. The old man Simeon stands as the representative of all the expectant humanity. God presents himself to us to fulfill our desires and deepest inner dreams. Thus, the words of the old man Simeon who sees in the presence of Jesus, Joseph, and Mary in the Temple the fulfillment of all his expectations: “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples…” For Simeon, all is accomplished. He has seen his dreams fulfilled. But then, what about us? Could we sing our ‘Nunc dimittis’ upon encountering the Lord? Say in our own words and through our life that, now, all is accomplished?

On another side, the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple of Jerusalem offers us another opportunity to reflect on consecration and purification. This does not apply only to consecrated people, religious and priests, but also to all of us. By our baptism, we have been consecrated to the Lord and made pure. How do we live that consecration in our day-to-day? What does it mean to be pure or purified for us today? Besides the corporal or bodily purity, the greatest purification we should all run after is the purity of mind and heart. Maybe our bodies are already defiled because of our sins. Most of us have lost the reality of corporal virginity and bodily or sensual chastity is a great battle. But could we try to pursue spiritual Chastity and purity of heart? This is a call for continual consecration through the Sacramental Reconciliation.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation opens us to a new purity of life. Though we are sinners, God wants to make himself present to us all purify us from our inner being. Once our hearts are made pure, our bodies will also find a way to reflect that purity. Like the old man Simeon, let us find a reason to come in the presence of the Lord, make our dwelling in his Temple, and expect his coming into our lives. God has a promise for us, let us enter into that prophecy by striving to keep close to him. In his presence is the answer to our thirsts and longings. You may no longer be virgin in body, but be virgin in heart and soul. Make of the sacramental purification a challenge in your everyday life. God loves us despite our sins and always wants us in his presence.

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