Word to the Wise
Thursday, February 2, 2017 - Feb. 2 - The Presentation of the Lord
[Mal 3:1-4; Heb 2:14-18; Luke 2:22-40 or 2:22-32]"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 sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel."
The feast of the Presentation of the Lord is also known as "Candlemas" because traditionally the candles to be used in the church for the next year were blessed. Later on, some of these candles became part of the devotion of blessing throats on the feast of St. Blaise, February 3rd. The bigger crowds show up for Blaise! But neither the candles nor sore throats has anything to do with the meaning of the scene that is celebrated. And the scene itself, a routine ceremony in the temple, turns into something bigger. That should not surprise us since the "infancy narratives" (Luke and Matthew) were written last and serve as "overtures" to the rest of the gospel and contain the major themes of what comes after.
Yes, there is the touching story of a young couple bringing a firstborn child to the enormous temple building with a humble offering. There are the old man and woman, Simeon and Anna, who each make a contribution to the meaning of the scene. The contribution of Simeon is more detailed in that he makes a chilling prediction about the baby and the Mom. Then he speaks what we call "the Canticle of Simeon" (quoted above) which has the words: "a light for revelation to the gentiles and glory for your people Israel." This is a very compact description of the rest of the Gospel of Luke. But Anna also helps by doing what all disciples of Jesus are expected to do: "She gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem."
The meaning of the feast transcends candles and throats, but we can enjoy the latter as long as we don't forget what the gospel is telling us about Jesus and that we can join Simeon and Anna in speak about the child. AMEN