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Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

LA CANDELARIA ES LA FIESTA DE LA LUZ

En la fiesta de la Presentación del Señor celebramos un misterio de Cristo en el que los personajes María, Simeón y Ana participan cada uno a su modo. María y estos dos personajes iluminan el misterio de Cristo y se convierten en modelos de la espiritualidad basada en la esperanza de los pobres.

Hermanas y hermanos:

1. Junto a Jesús está la figura de María. Ya desde este momento comienza a soportar los dolores que le profetiza Simeón y que padecerá durante la vida de su hijo hasta su muerte en la cruz. La estrechez de la pobreza, la incertidumbre del destino del hijo, la oscuridad de la fe. María será la corredentora. Madre del Siervo doliente. Aprendamos de Ella las lecciones de fortaleza y de fe  para vivir identificados con el Siervo de Dios.

2. También están Simeón y Ana. Simeón era justo y piadoso, dócil al Espíritu Santo, lleno de esperanza, ilusionado por el porvenir salvador, sensible a las mociones divinas, clarividente por la fe. Es el hombre que capta el misterio del Siervo, es el que encuentra la paz, el que sabe que Dios es la plenitud humana, el que canta la gratuidad de la revelación. Aparece dotado de simpática madurez cristiana.

Ana muestra el sentido misionero del encuentro con Jesús. Era profetisa y anciana. Ambos andaban por el templo paseando su esperanza. Esperaban. Hasta que llegó Jesús y reconocieron en Él al objeto de su esperanza. Simeón improvisó un poema de iluminación y Ana también alabó al Señor. Simeón y Ana tuvieron dos virtudes fortísimas: esperanza y lucidez. No se cansaron de esperar y, en el momento justo, supieron descubrir al Salvador. No era fácil descubrirlo entre tanta gente más brillante que Él y no había sido fácil resistir años y años de esperanza.

3. Pero el personaje principal era ese recién nacido que sus padres estaban consagrando a Dios. Retornan a Nazaret, el pueblo de María, donde el Niño crece y se robustece. El crecimiento abarca a toda su persona; goza en plenitud de la gracia de Dios y de su sabiduría. Estos dones sobrenaturales le iban llevando a profundizar en los acontecimientos, a descubrir el porqué de tantas situaciones y la salvación ofrecida por Dios a todas las naciones.

Si "se llenaba de sabiduría y la gracia de Dios lo acompañaba", ¿qué tendría que hacer cuando fuera mayor, viendo tantas injusticias y opresiones a su alrededor? José, su padre, era el "arregla todo" del pueblo. Su posición económica debía ser muy modesta. El Niño Jesús crecía, se hacía fuerte, aprendía como hacen todos los niños con un mínimo de condiciones normales para vivir. Jesús tuvo la suerte de poder sobrevivir, crecer y robustecerse; porque entonces allí, igual que ahora en tantos lugares del mundo, muchos niños de familias modestas morían por desnutrición, miseria, falta de posibilidades higiénicas. En esta fiesta de los cirios que se encienden llevemos nuestra luz a los más pobres, a los pequeños, a los necesitados para que a todos los acompañe la sabiduría y la gracia de Dios. Que así sea.

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

CANDLEMAS IS THE FEAST OF LIGHT

In the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord we celebrate a mystery wherein the figures of Mary, Simeon, and Ana each participated in their own particular way. Mary and these two simple souls shed light upon the mystery of Christ and become models of a spirituality that is founded upon the hopes of the poor.

Sisters and Brothers:

1. Mary is always at Christ’s side: In this very moment, Mary already begins to bear the sufferings prophesized by Simeon, sufferings she will bear throughout her Son’s life until his death on the cross: austere poverty, uncertainty in the face of her Son’s destiny, and the darkness of faith. Mary was to be the co-redemptrix, the mother of the Suffering Servant. From her, we learn the lessons of fortitude and faith that allow our lives to be identified with the Son of God.

2. There also are Simeon and Anna: Simeon was just and pious, docile to the Holy Spirit, filled with hope and longing for the coming of the savior, sensitive to divine inspirations, and a prophet by his faith. He is the man that understands the mystery of the Servant of God and finds peace, knowing that God alone is man’s fulfillment. He appears to us as one full of delightful Christian maturity, proclaiming to us the overabundant goodness of revelation.

Anna shows us the missionary aspect of every encounter with Christ. She was an elderly prophetess who, like Simeon, passed her days in the temple, waiting in hope. They waited and hoped, until the day Jesus came, and they saw in Him the object of all their hopes. Simeon improvised a psalm of enlightenment, and Anna joined in praising the Lord. They both possessed two very powerful virtues: hope and clarity of mind. They never tired of hoping, and when the right moment came, they were able to discover the Savior. It was not easy to recognize him when many others seemed to outshine him, just as it had not been easy to wait for years, hoping against hope, for His coming.

3. But the main character is the newborn babe, whose parents came to consecrate him to God. They returned to Nazareth, to the city of Mary, where the Child grows in strength and stature. He grows in every aspect of his person, having within Him the fullness of God’s grace and wisdom. These supernatural gifts allowed him to penetrate into the depths of every event and to discover the hidden meaning in every situation. He saw all things in the light of God’s plan of salvation for the whole world.

If “He was filled with wisdom and the grace of God was with Him,” what would he do when he was older and would witness so much injustice and oppression all around him? Joseph, His father, was the “handyman” of the town, and he probably made a very modest living. The boy Jesus grew taller and stronger and learned just like every other boy who has even a minimal standard of living. Jesus at least had the privilege of surviving and growing up, for then, as now in so many parts of the world, many children born into poor families die of malnutrition, misery, and a lack of proper hygiene. In this feast of lighted candles, may we bear our light to the poorest among us, to the small, the weak, and the needy, so that the wisdom and grace of God may be with each of them. Amen.

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