Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord
Mal. 3:1-4 | Ps. 24:7-10 | Heb. 2:14-18 | Lk. 2:22-40
Today, we celebrate the feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. The prophet Malachi is teaching the Israelites that the Lord, the Savior, will come into the Temple; and, He will be like a refiner’s fire and will purify all His people. Malachi predicts that through the death of this Lord God will destroy death and the power of the devil. The author of the Second Reading picks up this theme in his letter to the Hebrews by telling them that this Lord is Jesus and that Jesus had to be like His brothers and sisters in every way in order to save. That means that the Savior has to be human to experience all the joys, sorrows, feelings, etc., that we do. Mary and Joseph take Jesus to the Temple for the purpose of purification. The woman had to be purified after the prescribed length of time, and the first born son was to be presented to the Lord. This is what this feast celebrates. Both Simeon and Anna, filled with the Holy Spirit, are sent by this Holy Spirit to the Temple at this precise time. They both testify that this child is the Lord about whom Malachi prophesied and to whom Paul further witnessed.
God spoke through all these people to lead us to realize that Jesus, His only Son, was sent into the world, came into the world, and was crucified and died for our sins. This Lord rose from the dead and brought us salvation.