On the “Meeting” of the five: Mary, Joseph, Christ, Simeon & Anna. Fr. Mark Greenaway-Robbins, The Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ, February 2, 2014.
Forty days ago the infant-Christ was carried in his mother’s arms – for the first time. Leaving the temple of the womb, Jesus became enfolded within the love of Mary and Joseph. Miracles passed: songs of the heavenly beings; a visitation by shepherds; adoration by the mysterious Magi. With a newborn child, forty days is a long time. Routines become humdrum. Patterns of breastfeeding, sleep, and toileting, come and go. So does play, parental adoration and the haze of sleeplessness. But there was another cause for deprived sleep – anticipation. The fortieth day approached. It was as if, all their waiting had been configured by nine months. And yet there was more – the fulfillment of the laws of purification. How that holy family longed to be holy again. The Mother – the God-bearer – was forbidden to enter the sanctuary. Even she who bore the Holy One of Israel – waited. Their budget was tight. And the day approached. Their means were stretched. The cheapest option when choosing redemption – two turtledoves – seemed beyond their reach. Joseph, had he the luxury to pause and ruminate – carpentry is an arduous trade – might have mused on Noah’s turtledove which sacrificed its life for a twig. And that second dove, which would rest upon his adult son. (True, the sacrifice would be unclear at the watery beginning of the child’s ministry.) It was time. Joseph, the guardian, escorted his wife and child towards the sanctuary. The doves struggled for freedom – tiringly. The destination would be their calvary. Unseen and unknown, to this nuclear family, were two elderly characters filled with life and longing. Their lives had been a search for the promises of God. A priest and a prophet were looking for their king. Simeon and Anna would not leave this life until they had witnessed the promise of life in the Messiah.
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A light under a bushel, so well was the Christ-child carried by his mother. The parents stepped back as Simeon rushed towards them. Could an old man, no matter how venerable, be so agile? And who was that ancient women behind him? So frail, yet filled with joy and grace? A prophet. Perhaps. Simeon – the God-receiver – caressed the fulfillment of his days. He took the child from the Godbearer and praised God. Who could understand this transaction? How would a pair of turtledoves redeem the Redeemer? What mystery was this? And yet more. Did the parents know: although Simeon cradled and presented the Christ-child to God, in truth it was Christ who presented Simeon to God! The Light of the World had come into the World. And Light shone in the darkness.
“Behold then, the candle alight in Simeon's hands. You must light your own candles by enkindling them at his, those lamps which the Lord commanded you to bear in your hands. So come to him and be enlightened that you do not so much bear lamps as become them, shining within yourself and radiating light to your neighbors. May there be a lamp in your heart, in your hand and in your mouth: let the lamp in your heart shine for yourself, the lamp in your hand and mouth shine for your neighbors. The lamp in your heart is a reverence for God inspired by faith; the lamp in your hand is the example of a good life; and the lamp in your mouth are the words of consolation you speak… My friends, in order to light all these lamps for yourselves, I beg you to approach the source of light and become enlightened – I mean Jesus himself who shines in Simeon’s hands to enlighten your faith, who shines on your works, who inspires your speech, who makes your prayer fervent and purifies the intentions of your heart.” Guerric of Igny, Sermon 1 ‘On the Presentation of Christ in the Temple’, 2, 3, 5.
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