LA PRESENTACIÓN DEL SEÑOR 2025

Queridos hermanos y hermanas, hoy estamos invitados a acompañar a María y a José al Templo de Jerusalén para presentar a Jesús a Dios, cumpliendo así lo mandado en la Ley de Moisés y lo que estaba escrito en la primera lectura del profeta Malaquías: «De improviso entrará en el santuario el Señor, a quien ustedes buscan». En este día tan especial, María y José se encontraron con dos personas que profetizaron y hablaron muy bien de lo que Jesús significaría para el pueblo de Israel y para María. Eran Simeón y Ana, dos ancianos que habían dedicado su vida a servir a Dios y esperaban ver al Mesías antes de morir. Dios les concedió la gran oportunidad de conocer a su Hijo cuando este fue presentado en el templo.

Queridos hermanos y hermanas: imaginemos por un momento que somos las personas que acompañamos a José, María y a Jesús al templo, pero no para presentar a Jesús, sino a Dios, a uno de nuestros seres queridos, por ejemplo, a tu esposo, a tu esposa o a tus hijos. ¿Cómo lo harías? ¿Qué palabras o adjetivos utilizarías para presentarlo ante Dios? ¿Qué dirías de él? Tómate un momento para reflexionar sobre esto. Estoy seguro de que la mayoría diría cosas maravillosas de la persona que les gustaría presentar hoy al Señor, y quizá algunos rechacen esta invitación y no digan nada bueno de esa persona. Permítanme hacerles algunas preguntas más: ¿qué hacían Simeón y Ana en el templo? ¿Estaban rezando o mirando a su alrededor para criticar a alguien? ¿Cuánto tiempo esperaron a que se cumpliera la promesa del Señor?

Simeón y Ana permanecieron fieles a Dios y vieron cumplida su promesa al final de sus vidas. Simeón no solo tuvo la gran oportunidad de ver al Mesías, sino también de sostenerlo en sus brazos, lo que supuso una maravillosa recompensa para él, que exclamó con alegría: «Ahora, Señor, puedes dejar a tu siervo irse en paz, según lo que me habías prometido, porque mis ojos han visto a tu Salvador». Queridos hermanos y hermanas, hoy también nosotros tenemos la maravillosa oportunidad de estar con Jesús, que ha venido a nuestro encuentro en el templo. Somos huéspedes como Simeón y Ana para contemplar al Señor, bendecirlo y hablar bien de él ante el mundo. Es Jesús quien viene a nuestro encuentro y a cumplir todas las promesas que Dios nos hizo en el pasado; es el mensajero de Dios que viene a traer consuelo y salvación a todos los hombres. Viene a traer esperanza, especialmente en este año jubilar, y a recordarnos que no debemos tener nada ni a nadie, porque él está con nosotros. Que hoy sea un día para confiar en su palabra y para presentar ante él a todos nuestros seres queridos. Por último, en este día dedicado a la vida religiosa, recemos por todos aquellos hombres y mujeres que lo han dejado todo para servir a Dios. Pidamos a Dios que les acompañe siempre y bendiga a las comunidades religiosas con la gracia de la fidelidad y de las vocaciones.

P. Luis Segura M.S.C.

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THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD 2025

Dear brothers and sisters, today we are invited to accompany Mary and Joseph to the Temple in Jerusalem to present Jesus to God, thus fulfilling what is commanded in the Law of Moses and what is written in the first reading from the prophet Malachi: "Suddenly the Lord, whom you seek, will enter the sanctuary." On this very special day, Mary and Joseph met two people who prophesied and spoke very well of what Jesus would mean for the people of Israel and for Mary. They were Simeon and Anna, two elderly people who had dedicated their lives to serving God and hoped to see the Messiah before they died. God granted them the great opportunity to meet his Son when he was presented in the temple.

Dear brothers and sisters, let us imagine for a moment that we are the people who accompanied Joseph, Mary, and Jesus to the temple, but not to present Jesus, but to God, to one of our loved ones, for example, your husband, your wife, or your children. How would you do it? What words or adjectives would you use to present him or her to God? What would you say about him or her? Take a moment to reflect on this. I am sure that most of you would say wonderful things about the person you would like to present to the Lord today, and perhaps some would reject this invitation and say nothing good about that person. Let me ask you a few more questions: What were Simeon and Anna doing in the temple? Were they praying or looking around to criticize someone? How long did they wait for the Lord's promise to be fulfilled?

Simeon and Anna remained faithful to God and saw their promise fulfilled at the end of their lives. Simeon not only had the great opportunity to see the Messiah, but also to hold him in his arms, which was a wonderful reward for him, who exclaimed with joy: "Now, Lord, you can let your servant go in peace, as you promised me, for my eyes have seen your Savior." Dear brothers and sisters, today we too have the wonderful opportunity to be with Jesus, who has come to meet us in the temple. We are guests like Simeon and Anna to behold the Lord, bless him and speak well of him before the world. It is Jesus who comes to meet us and to fulfill all the promises that God made to us in the past; he is the messenger of God who comes to bring comfort and salvation to all men. He comes to bring hope, especially in this jubilee year, and to remind us that we must not have anything or anyone, because he is with us. May today be a day to trust in his word and to present before him all our loved ones. Finally, on this day dedicated to religious life, let us pray for all those men and women who have left everything to serve God. Let us ask God to always accompany them and bless the religious communities with the grace of fidelity and vocations.

Rev. Luis Segura M.S.C.

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The Patience of Simeon and the Consecrated Life…

Simeon, so Saint Luke tells us, “looked forward to the consolation of Israel” (Lk 2:25). Going up to the Temple as Mary and Joseph were bringing Jesus there, he took the Messiah into his arms. The one who recognized in that Child the light that came to shine on the Gentiles was an elderly man who had patiently awaited the fulfilment of the Lord’s promises.

The patience of Simeon. Let us take a closer look at that old man’s patience. For his entire life, he had been waiting, exercising the patience of the heart. In his prayer, Simeon had learned that God does not come in extraordinary events, but works amid the apparent monotony of our daily life, in the frequently dull rhythm of our activities, in the little things that, working with tenacity and humility, we achieve in our efforts to do his will. By patiently persevering, Simeon did not grow weary with the passage of time. He was now an old man, yet the flame still burned brightly in his heart. In his long life, there had surely been times when he had been hurt, disappointed, yet he did not lose hope. He trusted in the promise, and did not let himself be consumed by regret for times past or by the sense of despondency that can come as we approach the twilight of our lives.

The patience of Simeon is thus a mirror of God’s own patience. From prayer and the history of his people, Simeon had learned that God is indeed patient. By that patience, Saint Paul tells us, he “leads us to repentance” (Rom 2:4). More than anyone else, the Messiah, Jesus, whom Simeon held in his arms, shows us the patience of God, the merciful Father who keeps calling us, even to our final hour. God, who does not demand perfection but heartfelt enthusiasm, who opens up new possibilities when all seems lost, who wants to open a breach in our hardened hearts, who lets the good seed grow without uprooting the weeds. This is the reason for our hope: that God never tires of waiting for us. When we turn away, he comes looking for us; when we fall, he lifts us to our feet; when we return to him after losing our way, he waits for us with open arms. His love is not weighed in the balance of our human calculations, but unstintingly gives us the courage to start anew. This teaches us resilience, the courage always to start again, each day. Always to start over after our falls. God is patient.

Let us look to our patience. Let us look to the patience of God and the patience of Simeon as we consider our own lives of consecration. We can ask ourselves what patience really involves. Certainly, it is not simply about tolerating difficulties or showing grim determination in the face of hardship. Patience is not a sign of weakness, but the strength of spirit that enables us to “carry the burden”, to endure, to bear the weight of personal and community problems, to accept others as different from ourselves, to persevere in goodness when all seems lost, and to keep advancing even when overcome by fatigue and listlessness. Patience helps us to be merciful in the way we view ourselves, our communities and our world. We need patience and courage in order to keep advancing, exploring new paths, and responding to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. And to do so with humility and simplicity, without great propaganda or publicity.

Let us contemplate God’s patience and implore the trusting patience of Simeon and of Anna. In this way, may our eyes, too, see the light of salvation and bring that light to the whole world, just as these two elderly individuals did in their words of praise. [Synthesized from Pope Francis, Homilies, 02 II 2021]

Rev. Rajesh Peter M.S.C.

                                                     Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

My friends, this Feast and Gospel Reading have many interesting aspects:

• The date on the Liturgical Calendar for the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus.

• The Gospel reading itself.

• The Theology of the Feast.

The Date we celebrate the Feast

Many years ago, the Feast of the Presentation was celebrated 40 days after Christmas to mark the close of the Christmas Season.  Then, when they changed the Order of the Lectionary Readings for Mass, the Church, for some reason, decided to keep the Presentation where is was - on February 2nd. 

Also, last week was the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time and next Sunday is the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time.  This year, we skip the 4th Sunday.  Additionally, a new revised Lectionary is coming this year (2025).  It should be interesting to see what changes will take place…

OK.  Back to the Date we celebrate this Feast of the Presentation.  We have just celebrated the Christmas Season:

• Christmas, the birth of Jesus, just a little over a month ago.

• Holy Family (Sunday after Christmas)

• The following Sunday was the Epiphany of the Lord – when Jesus was manifested (or revealed) to the world.

• THEN - we moved to Jesus as an adult (3 weeks ago) with the Baptism of the Lord.

• Two weeks ago was the Marriage Feast at Cana.

• Last week Jesus began his preaching in the Synagogue.

• Now – today – Jesus is an infant again (40 days old) being presented in the Temple.

Where did that come from ?  We were moving in an orderly progression from the birth of Jesus to his adulthood with the beginning his ministry –  and now this !

Isn’t that a lot like life itself ?

• I just got my car paid off and the transmission falls out.

•  With the last heavy rain we found out we needed a new roof.

• Just got used to my computer and email settings and now they changed them !

• Even my Church – my religion –  "I just get used to one thing - and they change it." Now I have to read the new Nicene Creed because the new and old are just different enough.

Where is my stability ?  Where is my anchor ?  Where do I turn to ?  WHERE IS MY HOPE ?

The Gospel and Theology

We can find hope by looking to Simeon in today's gospel.  An old man - waiting for years and years for the consolation of Israel – waiting for God to restore Israel.  Years came and years went - and still nothing.  But, there he was:  Still trusting in God.  Still coming to the temple.  Knowing that God would never abandon - no matter how long - no matter how difficult.

THERE'S our hope.  To look at Simeon.  We've all met a Simeon in our life.  Someone who has a peace and calm about them.  Someone who, like Simeon, can ride the waves in life and never give up on life - never give up on God.

This gives us hope.  Because many times we don't understand why things are happening in our life.

Mary and Joseph didn't understand.  Mary didn't understand what Simeon meant when he said that a sword would pierce her heart because of Jesus.  But, we know - by following the life of Jesus - that Mary didn't give up hope.  She followed Jesus and was there at the foot of the cross and watched him die.  This was a horrible time in her life...  But then - finally - came the Resurrection.

In our lives - when something hits us - out of the blue - maybe there's nothing we can do but try and hang on and look to Simeon - that Simeon in our life - and trust that God will not abandon us.

And this is perhaps is a gift that we can give to those in our life - to be a Simeon to them.

To give them hope that God is always with them - even when they do not understand.  There is Resurrection.  There is hope.