When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Look at the Humility of God, Saint Francis commanded his friars. This must be our first thought in the morning, and the opening of every reflection. We know the Lord's authority, power, beauty, and goodness. We adore the truth that God speaks to us. But we're utterly charmed by his humility.
If we have forgotten the astonishing sight of the Lord-of-All bound in swaddling clothes and laying in a manger, the feast of his presentation in the temple calls us back to amazement. We give up questioning "How can this be?" for the simple fact of it stares us in the face. This is your God, he comes to the temple in the arms of a virgin mother, accompanied by her husband, who know nothing more to do for such an extraordinary baby than to follow the customs and demands of the Law of Moses.
Like every new born baby, he doesn't come with an instruction book. As a first son of a young mother, he must be presented to the Lord; and, as custom demands, he must be ransomed from the Lord for the price of two pigeons or turtledoves. And then we'll take him home and raise him the way every other boy is raised. If there is something else we should do, the Holy One will instruct us.
But there was no further sign and so he grew up with the usual expectations of work, study, prayer, and preparation to assume his share of human responsibility. He should obey his father and mother, show deference to his elders, and learn whatever they might teach them, His mother will remember the peculiar circumstances of his birth; the angel's announcement, the choirs of angels reported by shepherds, and the astonishing behavior of two old seers in the temple; but what it all means and how the story might end, she will neither know nor imagine.
Our society tells our children to expect great things of themselves; they must succeed or die trying; and failure is not an option. However, actual preparation for these great expectations -- which must entail enormous expense and considerable dedication -- is provided to very few. Those who grow up in Christlike poverty might aspire to a stellar career in sports or entertainment, as if that kind of cheesy success is worth the bother.
Mary and Joseph cannot teach their son to expect anything like that. Rather, they bring him to the Holy City and the Temple to receive the inheritance of their ancestors, the covenant of Abraham, and the Law of Moses.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.