HOMILIES

Dear Audience,
For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!

The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (Year C)

Feb 2, 2025

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First Reading

A reading from the Book of Prophet Malachi (3:1-4)

Thus says the Lord God: Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me; and suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek, and the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Yes, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who will endure the day of his coming? And who can stand when he appears? For he is like the refiner's fire, or like the fuller's lye. He will sit refining and purifying silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, refining them like gold or like silver that they may offer due sacrifice to the Lord. Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem will please the Lord, as in the days of old, as in years gone by.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (24:7, 8, 9, 10)

(R) Who is this king of glory! It is the Lord!

Lift up, O gates, your lintels; reach up, you ancient portals, that the king of glory may come in! (R)

Who is this king of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle. (R)

Lift up, O gates, your lintels; reach up, you ancient portals, that the king of glory may come in! (R)

Who is this king of glory? The Lord of hosts; He is the king of glory. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Hebrews (2:14-18)

Since the children share the same blood and flesh, Jesus likewise shared in them, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who through fear of death had been subject to slavery all their life. Surely he did not help angels but rather the descendants of Abraham; therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every way, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God to expiate the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (2:22-40)

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. Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord, and to offer the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons, in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: "Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel." The child's father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted - and you yourself a sword will pierce - so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

There's an interesting story about a little boy who had been sent to his room for misbehaving. After a while, the boy came out, and told his mom that he had thought over his behaviour and said a prayer. Very pleased, his mom said, "That's nice my son. If you ask God to help you behave well, He will help you." The boy replied, "Oh, Mom. I didn't ask God to help me behave well. I just prayed that He would give you more patience to put up with me."

Patience is something that we all struggle with. Everyone gets impatient sometimes. Many factors, such as stress, anxiety, fear, hunger, fatigue, strained relationships, financial problem, etc. can trigger impatience which then can easily turn into frustration, anger, or even violence. As believers, our impatience with people or circumstances is also often directed at God. We get impatient with God because He does not work on our time schedule. In such situations we feel like giving up on God. In today's gospel, Luke (2:22-40), there are two great individuals who patiently and eagerly waited their whole lives to see God's promised Messiah.

According to the gospel, forty days after His birth, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem to perform the purification rites and to present Him to God as required by the Law of Moses, Luke (2:22, 22), Exodus (13:2) and Leviticus (12:6-8). The origins of these rituals go back to the time of Israelites' exodus from Egypt in the Old Testament history. God had commanded Moses to ask Pharaoh to set the Israelites free so that they could return to their homeland and rebuild their lives. But Pharaoh refused to release the Israelites. To punish Pharaoh, God sent plagues upon the land of Egypt. In spite of the trouble and suffering, Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go until the tenth and last plague - the death of all the firstborn in Egypt, including Pharaoh's first-born son.

After leaving Egypt, in memory of God's great deliverance and a sign to their children, Moses instructed the Israelites to dedicate to God every firstborn among them, of both humans and animals. However, they were to redeem or "buy back" the first born of their children by offering a lamb in their place as a sign that they belonged to God, Exodus (13:11-16) and Numbers (18:15). So, as pious observant Jews, Mary and Joseph also fulfilled God's law and entrusted their child to Him. However, they offered two young pigeons or two turtle doves instead of a young lamb, the alternative offering prescribed for poor women during their ritual purification after childbirth, Leviticus (12:8). Thus, Mary and Joseph faithfully completed both customs, the purification of Mary and the presentation of the firstborn, as decreed in the Law of Moses, Luke (22-24).

Now, as Mary and Joseph brought the child Jesus for the ceremony, two senior citizens of Jerusalem - Simeon and Anna, led by the Spirit, came into the Temple. Simeon was a righteous and devout man. He was looking for the "consolation of Israel" which refers to the coming of the promised Messiah and Redeemer. He had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah, Luke (26). He walked up to Mary and Joseph and took Jesus into his arms. As he held Jesus, his heart was filled with joy for he recognized that this child was the Messiah and the fulfilment of God's promise of salvation, Luke (25-28). He then praised God and said, "Now, master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles; and glory for your people Israel", Luke (29-32). In other words, having seen the greatest promise of God, he was ready to die in peace. As for Anna, she was a widow and prophetess. Since her husband's death, she had been worshipping and serving God continually with fasting and prayer. She also recognized Jesus as the Saviour of the world and gave thanks to God and then went on to speak about Him to others, Luke (36-38).

What is the message for us?

As believers, we must have hope in God's goodness. We don't know how long Simeon and Anna had been waiting for the Messiah to come. We don't know how many children they had received into the temple and what they had said of them. But one thing is very clear, both were waiting patiently and eagerly for the coming of the Saviour. They knew and believed in the Scriptural promise. They looked forward to it and prepared themselves for this moment by worshipping and serving God, fasting and praying. Therefore, they were given the ability and the opportunity to recognize the Messiah's visitation at a time when so many missed it.
We all have been promised the privilege of seeing God's face. God's ultimate goal for us is to see Him in all His fullness, and all His majesty, and all His glory. Yes, as God's redeemed and glorified servants, we will "see Him face to face in heaven", Revelation (22:4). But we can't see Him in the same manner in the earthly realm partly owing to our sinfulness and partly owing to our human infirmities and weaknesses. God is too great, too bright, and too glorious. As we know from the Old Testament, God said to Moses, "no man can see Him and live", Exodus (33:20). Jesus himself said, "No one has ever seen God, except the Son", John (1:18; 5:37; 6:46).
While we cannot physically see God's face, we can still seek His face. Here, seeking God's face means desiring to know His character, wanting to understand His Word, longing to experience His presence, His protection, His power, His provision, and His peace. The Apostle Paul says that God wants us to look for Him, and perhaps in searching all around for Him, we would find Him, Acts (17:27).

However, the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews points out that we, as believers, must pursue holiness in our own lives in order for us to see God, Hebrews (12:14). So, when we seek God's face, like Simeon and Anna, we must continue to walk the long road of faith, keep looking for Him, keep going to worship and saying our prayers, keep reading and meditating on the scriptures, keep thanking and praising Him in all circumstances, observe fasting, and do what is right before God. We'll see God if we hold no evil in our hearts, just as Jesus has said, Matthew (5:8), but not as clearly as we would like, "but the time will come when we will see Him fully and clearly", 1 Corinthians (13:12). However, we must wait on God's timing.
Waiting on God's timing may be the hardest thing for us believers. It requires two things: patience and trust in God. But unfortunately, our human nature isn't inclined towards both patience and trust in God. The Bible says that patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, Galatians (5:22). This means patience isn't only something that is learned, but also something that the Spirit of God produces within us so as to make us more Christlike. It is the Spirit that teaches patience to us and guides us to wait on the Lord with hope. Since patience is one aspect of the fruit of the Spirit, we can confidently ask the Lord for it, knowing He answers our prayers.

At the same time, we must trust in God's timing. It means acknowledging that God's timing is not our own, and that His thoughts and ways are higher than our thoughts and ways, Isaiah (55:8). Trusting God's timing allows us to rest in the assurance that He is working all things together for His glory and our ultimate good. There is an appointed time for everyone and a proper and right time for the manifestation of God's goodness, Ecclesiastes (3:1-8). So, God's timing is the perfect and the best timing. He has a timetable for everything that happens in our lives. The challenges, struggles, obstacles, frustrations, discomfort, disappointment, delays, and pain are all part of God's grand plan to work out as He sees fit, Romans (8:28) and to accomplish His purposes in ways beyond our imagination, Ephesians (3:20).

Let us, therefore, whether we're waiting for small everyday things or something bigger or greater, trust that our great God and Saviour has perfect time and He will reward our patience.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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