For old school Roman Catholics, including those in the Vatican, today marks the end of Christmas. Falling forty days after the Lord’s Nativity, the Church’s observance of the Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph presenting the infant Jesus in the Temple in accordance with the Law is a fitting end to the season of Christmas.
On the reformed calendar, the Church only observes two octaves: Easter and Christmas. The Christmas octave ends on New Year’s Day with the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. For many, Christmas ends at Epiphany, which remains in most places on the fixed date of 6 January.
The Twelve Days of Christmas run from 25 December to 5 January. Epiphany, of course, marks the arrival of magi, who represent God’s revelation to extension of the Covenant to the Gentiles through His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. For Roman Catholics in the United States, who observe Epiphany on the second Sunday after Christmas day rather than on the traditionally fixed date, Christmas extends to the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. As noted, for some, their observance extends to 2 February.
Biblically, Christ’s Presentation in the Temple, along with the note that closes this pericope noting that the Holy Family returned to Nazareth where “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him,”1 brings the Gospel of Luke’s extensive Infancy Narrative to a close.
Of course, Jesus’ Presentation in the Temple is the fourth Joyful Mystery of Our Lady’s Rosary. Lest we forget, the fruit of the mystery is obedience. Both Simeon and Anna recognize in the Holy Infant not only their hope, not only the hope of Israel, but as Simeon’s canticle, known by its Latin name the Nunc Dimittis, points out, the hope of the whole world.
Simeon's canticle includes the words, referring to the child: “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.”2 As Jesus plainly tells the Samaritan woman in Saint John’s Gospel: “salvation is from the Jews.”3
In an era of rampant anti-Semitism, this merits foot stomping. Let’s face, in its early decades and probably into the second century, for many, Christianity appeared to be nothing other than a Jewish sect. Without Judaism, Christianity is rendered incoherent.
Simeon and Anna and the Infant Jesus
Being presented in the Temple in accordance with Torah, to include the prescribed sacrificial offering, indicates this quiet clearly that Jesus is a Jew.4 Throughout His life and ministry, Jesus nowhere denigrates or dismisses the Law.
Jesus Christ embodies perfect Torah adherence, letter and spirit, accomplishing in His own person what Israel could not do and you and I could never do without divine assistance: “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”5 It was just yesterday that, listening to the Beatitudes, we heard Christ’s roadmap to holiness.
While not easy of itself, obedience, as Simeon warns our Blessed Mother, often (as in usually) brings suffering. This, too, the Lord mentions in the Sermon on the Mount. He calls “Blessed” those who suffer persecution for the sake of righteousness and urges those who experience calumny for His sake to “Rejoice and be glad.”6
Eerily predicting the Christ child’s gruesome death, Simeon tells the Blessed Virgin- “and you yourself a sword will pierce.”7 Obedience requires patience and perseverance. To persevere, you must have hope. Hope is realized through suffering. Joy is the fruit of hope because joy happens when suffering is overcome.
As our reading from Hebrews reveals to us, in Christ, we have “merciful and faithful high priest,” who expiates our sins and who is seated at the Father’ s right hand to interceded for us.8 Moreover, in Jesus Christ, we have brother to help us in our trial because He “was tested through what he suffered.”9
Today is also known as Candlemas. Hence, it is a festival of light. Christ is the Light of the world. At baptism, each of us was entrusted with and called carry forth Christ’s Light into the world of darkness. In the same Sermon on the Mount, the Lord tells His disciples: “You are the light of the world.”10
These candles are blessed to be lit in times of darkness, be it physical or spiritual darkness. They remind you not only that Christ is the Light, but He is also your Light and that “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”11 Given this, let us heed the Lord’s exhortation to let your light “shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.”12
As the next-to-last verse of a hymn written for today’s feast puts it:
Our bodies and our souls/
Are temples now for him,/
For we are born of grace,/
God lights our souls within13
1 Luke 2:39-40.↩
2 Luke 2:32.↩
3 John 4:22.↩
4 Exodus 13:2.12.↩
5 Matthew 5:48.↩
6 Matthew 5:10-12.↩
7 Luke 2:35.↩
8 Hebrews 2:17.↩
9 Hebrews 2:18.↩
10 Matthew 5:14.↩
11 John 1:5.↩
12 Matthew 5:16.↩
13 Liturgy of the Hours. Volume III. February 2, pg 1207. Paulines Publication, Africa.↩
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