Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, reflection at daily mass at Mary Gate of Heaven Church
My family had a tradition that on your first birthday three objects would be placed in front of you: coins, a book/bible, and a rolling pin. They would put them in front of the child and see which item the child picked first. Each item meant something different and represented what that child would grow up to become. The coins meant good fortune, someone is going to become a businessman or make great things; the bible represented hidden wisdom and knowledge, someone might be a teacher. The rolling pin meant someone would be an artisan or craftsman, working with their hands. Ironically I think I chose the coins which I guess did not work out in my favor
Today we celebrate the presentation of the Lord. Our gospel tells us that Mary and Joseph took Jesus to be presented publicly at the temple to make an offering. And as they go about completing this tradition and ritual obligation, we meet two characters. Simeon and Anna, two elders of the community who are filled with the Holy Spirit and have been awaiting the consolation of Jerusalem. They recognize this fulfillment in the baby Jesus.
When babies are born, there's always this lingering question of who this child is going to turn out to be. What will become of this child? Simeon and Anna prophesy that Jesus will be the light of Jerusalem and of the whole world. And our gospel says that Jesus grew in strength and wisdom.
This gospel speaks of one, the importance of community in our lives. Babies can't live by themselves, they need others, parents, and a community, to help them grow. And so do we. The necessity of community never changes. We still need community and fraternity to guide us along the path every day. That's why we are here celebrating together. But the gospels also tell us that we are called, each in our individual ways to be the light of the world. And like Simeon and Anna who waited their whole life for Jesus, it is never too late to begin again. So let us ask the Father what kind of person we are going to be today, what kind of person our communities need us to be, and let us ask for the grace to be the light of Christ to one another and to the whole world.
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