Today we joyfully celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. The Gospel narrates to us Mary and Joseph bringing Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem to present and to consecrate him to God as required by the law of Moses. This is an act of humility and surrender on their part because though they are entrusted with the Author of life and the Savior of the world, they did not consider themselves above the law.

In the Gospel, we also see two persons who recognize the Lord as the Messiah. The holy man Simeon, holding the Holy Infant, praises God and says he is now ready for death since he has seen “a revealing light for the Gentiles and the glory of God’s people, Israel.” This message is not just for the Jews, but for all of us, regardless of our background or situations in life. The second person is the widow and prophetess Anna, who recognizes Jesus and speaks about him fulfilling the promise of redemption.

Just as Simeon and Ana were filled with the Spirit of God through their life of prayer and fasting, we too, are called to recognize Jesus as Lord. Do we realize that the Lord is in our midst? He is present and waiting for us to welcome him. The presentation of Jesus at the temple means that Jesus is wholly consecrated to the Father’s will for our salvation (cf. Jn. 17:18). For all consecrated persons, this is also a special day to thank the Lord for the grace to consecrate ourselves to God and to collaborate in the work of salvation.

Today is a great day for me to thank God for coming to our world, for bringing us light in our darkness. We live in a world with too much darkness, that at times we can no longer see the light that comes from the Lord. The present world is full of violence, hatred, war, and hunger. We all long for the light of Jesus to shine on us.

On this Feast of the Presentation of our Lord, we are called to let the Lord enter into the temple of our hearts. Jesus is not only presented in the Temple of Jerusalem but also to you and me, to all of us, and to the entire world. He is given to each one of us and to the world as a light shining in the darkness of our lives, uniting us in his love and grace.

Claire Marie R. Sy, CMT
Manila community