Presentation: What will become of this child? (2 February 2025; Luke 2:22-40)

A reflection on the gospel for the feast of the Presentation, written and spoken by Kieran J. O'Mahony OSA.

www.tarsus.ie

Gentle piano music to close the meditation

Transcript

John’s Lane
D08 F8NW

2 February 2025
Luke 2:22-40
Presentation of the Lord

Welcome
In the last 18 months, two babies were born in my wider family. The arrival of Michael and Darragh has utterly changed the lives of the parents and families. The bringing into the world of a new life has brought real joy to all involved and a whole sense of wonder at new life — as you know from your own experience. Already, there’s a sense of anticipation: what kind of person will Michael or Darragh turn out to be?

Topic
Today’s feast is also a celebration of a birth — a little while after the immediate full-on story of the birth of Jesus. Central to this feast too are the happy twins of wonder and joy. 

Steps
First of all, a little bit of history may help. It was the ancient Jewish practice to recognise the first-born by an offering to God. For example, in the case of farmers, the first cutting of the harvest was offered to God, the first fruits, as a sign that the whole harvest came from God. Likewise, the first spring lamb was offered to God by shepherds. When it came to human babies, naturally they did not offer the baby but a substitute gift, as in today’s Gospel. It was a way of saying that all life is from God and it was a measure of their sense of wonder at the very gift of life itself. 

There is a wider consideration for us all. We are observing a Jewish family practicing the usual Jewish rituals following a birth. We are reminded that the roots of the Christian project are Jewish. A few years back, I came across a note in a periodical by a priest who said, Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to Mass every Sunday. Well, of course they’d didn’t.  What was the priest thinking? Of course, we can well imagine that they brought him to the very small synagogue at Nazareth on the Sabbath. 

January 27, just passed, marked Holocaust Day, an immense tragedy for European Jewry for which Christian anti-Semitism must take some of the responsibility. When Luke was writing his Gospel, it is likely that some Christians were already beginning to reject the Jewish roots of Christian faith — a temptation for us today, in light of the tragedies unfolding in Gaza and Lebanon. To counter that, Luke writes glowingly of traditional Jewish faith, in the especially attractive characters of Simeon and Anna. These two are exemplary figures redolent of the best of Old Testament piety: faithful all their lives to prayer, even in old age they carry hope in their hearts and are open to the inspiration of the Spirit. Full of expectation, they are able to recognise the significance of this child. 

So, who is this child? It helps to notice the things that are said about the baby Jesus: he is the Christ (the Messiah) of the Lord;  a light to the nations; the glory of Israel; a sign of restoration and redemption. Luke portrays all these hopes while Jesus was still a baby, in anticipation of what we wold become. In the light of the resurrection, we know just how deeply these hopes were fulfilled Jesus’ ministry and teaching, in his death and resurrection and in the gift of the Spirit. We too can catch the thrilling expectation and joy of Simeon and Anna. 

Conclusion
Just six year ago, Pope Francis wrote a letter to young people, called Christus vivit, Christ is alive. In the course of it, he said

1. Christ is alive! He is our hope, and in a wonderful way he brings youth to our world, and everything he touches becomes young, new, full of life. The very first words, then, that I would like to say to every young Christian are these: Christ is alive and he wants you to be alive!

2. He is in you, he is with you and he never abandons you. However far you may wander, he is always there, the Risen One. He calls you and he waits for you to return to him and start over again. When you feel you are growing old out of sorrow, resentment or fear, doubt or failure, he will always be there to restore your strength and your hope.

These are words of great encouragement, capturing the heart of today’s feast.

Let us pray. 
Inspired by your Spirit, Lord, we gather in your temple to welcome your Son. Enlighten our minds and lay bare our inmost thoughts. Purify your people, and make us obedient to the demands of your law, so that we may mature in wisdom and grow to full stature in your grace. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.