THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD (FEAST)

Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.

Imagine the generosity of spirit it took for Mary and Joseph to do what they did that day in the Temple. They loved their son, Jesus, and cherished him deeply. They experienced every parental attachment and instinct that all other parents feel. And yet they chose not to follow the Jewish custom of “redeeming” him and claiming him as their own (Numbers 18:15-16). Instead, they offered him back to the Lord.

Joseph and Mary knew that Jesus had been conceived by the Holy Spirit. They knew that he belonged to the Lord more than he belonged to them. They even knew that he belonged to the world more than to them. And so, selflessly, they promised to share him with everyone.

Look at today’s Gospel reading as an example. When Simeon, a complete stranger, came up to them, Mary and Joseph let him take their child in his arms. They heard him say that, if they made good on their promise, Jesus’ life would be filled with conflict and that a “sword” would pierce Mary’s heart (Luke 2:34-35). But they didn’t shrink back. Raising him according to the “wisdom” and “favor of God” (2:40), they continued to prepare him for his mission.

• Even after Joseph died, Mary kept offering her son to the Lord and his people.
• She freely gave him to Peter, John, and the other disciples as he began his ministry. She shared him with the crowds who constantly gathered around him, even when he said that they were now his family (Mark 3:35).
• At the cross, as a “sword” of grief did pierce her heart, Mary made her most painful offering yet. Joining in Jesus’ prayer, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34), she offered him not only to God but to the very people who had crucified him.

Today on this feast of the Presentation, imagine Mary and Joseph freely placing the child Jesus in your arms. Then marvel at their generosity—and the generosity of God!

“Thank you, Mary and Joseph, for sharing your son with me!”

Malachi 3:1-4
Psalm 24:7-10
Hebrews 2:14-18
Luke 2:22-40