Elohim returns to the Temple

Homily for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

It seems as if we have been galloping through the first years of Jesus’ life in the past few weeks. We have celebrated his baptism at the Jordan River, his first miracle at the wedding feast of Cana, and listened as he announced that God’s prophecies about the Messiah were fulfilled in him. Today, we shift into reverse, as it were, and go back to another story from the infancy narrative; namely, his presentation in the Temple according to the Law of Moses.

One of the primary emphases of the Gospels for each of the evangelists is to show that Jesus was in his very person the fulfillment of the oracles of the prophets regarding God’s promise that the dynasty of David would persevere forever.

Following the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary bring Jesus to the Temple. The Jews regarded the Temple as the beit ha Elohim – the House of God – God’s dwelling place. When the Ark of the Covenant was first placed in the Holy of Holies, the glory of God in the form of a cloud settled upon the chamber where the Ark resided. However, when the Assyrians plundered Jerusalem, the cloud lifted and left the Temple, a scene which is recorded in the writings of the prophet Ezekiel. It was a heart wrenching experience for those who witnessed the cloud leaving the Temple.  Today’s feast takes up an oracle from the prophet Malachi who announced that God would one day return to the Temple and fill it once again with glory. As there were witnesses when God left the Temple, there are witnesses as God returns in the person of Jesus. Those witnesses, Simeon and Anna, realize that God’s promise has been fulfilled in the small baby being presented to the Lord by his parents.

Mary and Joseph, Simeon and Anna all had something in common; they lived their days in the presence of the Lord. Two did so in God’s house in Jerusalem, two in the humble house of God in Nazareth. They were all people of immense faith. They were all obedient to the Law of Moses.

Once Simeon and Anna had encountered this small baby – who was at one and the same time the Great High Priest and the Sacrificial Victim – they did not remain silent but gave thanks to God and shared the Good News of his divine presence with others. It is now our turn to do the same. As we gather at this table, we do so as God’s grateful people. When we leave this place, we too are to share the Good News with others.