The Feast of the Presentation

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator

St. Luke's Gospel begins in the Temple of Jerusalem with the annunciation of the birth of John, son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. St. Luke continues the story with the annunciation of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. This announcement does not take place in the Temple. The Gospel does not tell us specifically where the angel met with Mary. Tradition places the event in one of two places: either in her home or at the well of Nazareth. Today we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation, the day on which Mary and Joseph brought the child according to custom, forty days after his birth. The story which began in the Temple finds us back there again.

On this occasion, St. Luke writes about Simeon and Anna, two people who have been waiting for the coming of the Messiah. Their faith allows them to see the fulfillment of God's promise in a baby who is just over a month old, a baby which had been born in the humility of a cattle shed and whose birth had been announced in anonymous circumstances. Like the shepherds who had been greeted with the news of his birth, Simeon and Anna represent the "anawim" of Israel, the remnant of the faithful people of the covenant.

The shadow of the cross hangs over this event in the words of Simeon who tells Mary that a sword will pierce her heart. St. Luke does not allow us to forget that Jesus is a Messiah completely other than what was expected. The cross is central to the Gospel, and its shadow hangs over every event recorded therein.

The centrality of the cross is an essential part of our faith. We are called upon to sanctify our lives through it, to cling to it, to boldly profess our belief that the road to holiness is a road of pain and frustration. Jesus leads the way; we follow.