Luke 2:22-40 or Luke 2:22-32

Malachi 3:1-4

Psalm 24:7, 8, 9, 10

Hebrews 2:14-18

Luke 2:22-40 or Luke 2:22-32

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 the 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.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you sent your Son to purify our hearts and overcome the power of sin and death. Purify me today from my sin and grant me your grace so that I may offer to you a pleasing and acceptable sacrifice.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Coming of the Lord to the Temple: The prophet Malachi announces the sending of a messenger in today’s First Reading. Malachi’s prophecy about the messenger was fulfilled by John the Baptist, who brought the people into the wilderness and prepared the way before the Lord (Mark 1:1-3). Malachi also foretells the coming of the Lord to the Temple. While the messenger had the mission of calling the people to covenant fidelity to prepare for the coming of the Lord, the Lord who comes will do something new – he will establish a new covenant! Unlike the Old Covenant, whose animal sacrifices in the Tabernacle and the Temple were ineffective in purifying the hearts and forgiving sins of the people, the New Covenant brought by the Lord would effectively cleanse us from sin. Malachi compares the Lord to a refining fire that will purify the sons of Levi – the tribe that ministered in the sanctuary of God. Once they are purified, they can righteously offer a pleasing sacrifice to the Lord. 

2. The Presentation of Jesus as a Priest in the Temple: The First Reading is appropriate for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord because Malachi foretells the arrival of the Lord to the Temple. When Luke narrates the story of Joseph and Mary bringing Jesus to the Temple forty days after his birth, it is curious that Luke avoids saying that Jesus is redeemed. Normally, a firstborn son would either be given to the sanctuary to be raised as a priest or was redeemed – bought back – from priestly service by the parents for five shekels (Numbers 18:15-16). Luke does not say that Jesus was redeemed or bought back from his priestly role. Rather, the great mystery is that Jesus was brought to the Temple and was presented and consecrated for service as a royal priest! Jesus himself is not redeemed; he is the Redeemer!

3. Jesus the New Priest: Malachi’s promise that the Lord would purify the Levites ties into the Second Reading, which is about the new priesthood of Jesus. The Letter to the Hebrews points out that the animal sacrifices offered by the Old Covenant priests were unable to expiate the sins of the people. However, the unique sacrifice offered by Jesus, our faithful and merciful high priest, has truly atoned for and expiated our sin. The Eucharist makes present the one sacrifice of Jesus. It completes and surpasses all the sacrifices of the Old Covenant (CCC, 1329).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, when I gaze upon the crucifix, I see the pleasing sacrifice offered to the Father out of love and on behalf of all humanity. I see your priestly gifts of water and blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins. Help me to offer my life, in union with yours, as a pleasing sacrifice to the Father.

Resolution: As Christians, we were anointed as priests at our Baptism, participate now in Christ’s priesthood, and need to offer the spiritual sacrifice of our very selves to God (Romans 12:1). We normally exercise our common priesthood (1 Peter 2:4-10) in four ways – through prayer and intercession, through the sacrifice of our lives, through working for a more just and charitable society, and through spreading the Gospel. How am I living my baptismal priesthood? What can I, empowered by God’s grace, do better?