Lk.2: 22-40
Today we celebrate the solemnity of the Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are also celebrating this day as the day of the consecrated. In today’s gospel, we see five consecrated people including Jesus. As per the Jewish tradition, the firstborn is supposed to be consecrated to Yahweh. To fulfill this law, Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the Jerusalem temple. There they meet two other consecrated peoples, who lived for this moment of encounter with their long-awaited Messiah. They were Simeon and Anna. Simeon was a prophet who received the assurance from the Holy Spirit that he would not die before meeting the Messiah. He meets Jesus in the temple and prophesy the mission of Jesus. He was a man filled with the Holy Spirit and it is the Spirit who inspired him to go to the temple at that time of the day, that he could encounter Christ. The act of consecration involves the initiative from God and it demands a faithful response of the individual to live his/her baptismal grace in its fullness. I remember, as we were intensely preparing for our first profession, our novice master used to remind us that on the day of our consecration by God, we will be restored with the baptismal grace that is the ever-abiding presence of the Holy Spirit within us. The consecrated person is called to live in the company of the Holy Spirit like Simeon.
The other role model for the consecrated people is prophetess Anna that we come across in the temple along with Simeon. The gospel presents her as one who never left the temple, dedicating her life in prayer and fasting. The encounter that she had is not by chance but by the choice of God because she lived a life of constant union with God. Every consecrated person is called to live in union with God even when they are in the midst of the world. The consecrated may be immersed in the world away from the temple, doing the mission entrusted to his/her care, however, his/her the place of mission has to become the temple and should have the spirit of prayer for all those who entrusted to his/her care.
Let us look into other consecrated people of this narrative, Joseph and Mary. The evangelists noted that when Simeon prophesied ‘they were amazed’ because they did not have the complete picture of the mission that God had entrusted to them. The divine mystery that they were involved in was beyond their comprehension; yet, they believed and gave their entire self for His mission. Like any of the consecrated people they came from different families, they were not busy building a family of dreams, well bonded to relations and friends, rather, were involved in building the kingdom of God by dedicating their lives for the upbringing of Jesus. Their concern was not pleasing each other like any other couple. They were husband and wife in front of the world nevertheless they were clear about their identity, they remained chaste and fully focused on nurturing the life of Jesus that through his instrumentality all may experience the redemption that God promised to humanity. I believe, when we live under a roof, we should not get lost in pleasing each other or fighting over the little inconveniences that we have, rather like Joseph and Mary, we should live for the mission, that is helping Jesus to grow in the life of others that they may experience the redemption that Jesus brought forth and live up to their Christian way of life.
Finally Jesus Himself, the apostle of the Father. The gospel concludes by saying that the child grew in wisdom and the favour of God was upon him. The consecrated life is a glimpse of eternal life. Jesus said, “for in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels” (Mt.22:30). All those who are consecrated are called to live this ideal but we know that we are not pure spirits, but embodiment of both spirit and body. However, if we grew like Jesus in favour of God and dedicating our lives in service, we will be signs of hope for the entire humanity that tells that our life does not end here and there is a banquet that awaits us…