The Presentation of the Lord

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

What a joyous and significant event for Mary and Joseph, bringing their first-born male to the Temple to be dedicated to God. Their action meant that Jesus would always be in God's hands, and they, as parents, would promise to ensure His early education in the Laws of God. Can you picture in your mind's eye Mary sitting on a donkey holding her precious child as she gave thanks for all God had brought to her? We can also imagine Simeon and Anna, righteous and devout servants, exclaiming their gratitude that God had rewarded their faithfulness by revealing this tiny, powerless infant as the "Prince of Peace."

It is interesting that we celebrate this feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple during the liturgical period's Ordinary Time. In it, Jesus is 'presented' as an infant, by His humble, poor parents, who gather and meet with ordinary folks in the Temple. Upon leaving Jerusalem, they return to Nazareth, and Jesus enters a 'hidden life,' of which we know so little. Only after thirty years does Jesus open the 'public dimension' of His life, which is the familiar territory written in the Gospels. This time includes His inviting disciples to join in His ministry work in Galilee, and the long journey back to Jerusalem where He completes His Passion, Death, and Resurrection by the power of His Father.

Jesus, our Lord, teaches us above all that the extraordinary is found in the ordinary. His earthly life is indeed extraordinary from beginning to end. It was extraordinary precisely because of His precious gift to our lives' ordinary occurrences and events.

Question of the Day: Are you thankful for the lessons of your "hidden" life and your faithfulness to the ordinary?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, let me see You in the ordinary, everyday events of my life. Let me consider my daily life with its joys and sorrows as important because that is where I experience Your life-giving presence.