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

Malachi 3:1-4

Psalm 24:7, 8, 9, 10

Hebrews 2:14-18

Luke 2:22-40 or 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, I praise you and thank you for your great mercy. Help me to grow and become strong. Fill me with your wisdom and be gracious toward me.

Encountering the Word of God

1. A Priestly Presentation, Not Redemption: When Luke narrates the story of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, he refers to Exodus 13:2, which says: “Consecrate to me all the first-born; whatever is the first to open the womb among the sons of Israel, both man and of beast, is mine.” This means that the first-born sons and the first-born of the animals in Israel all belonged to God. The first-born sons of the people were to be dedicated to sacred ministry, while the firstlings of the cattle, sheep, and goats were offered to the Lord as sacrificial victims. Now, because the sons of Israel sinned at Sinai by worshipping the golden calf and the Levites rallied to the side of Moses, the descendants of Levi earned the privileges of consecration originally possessed by the first-born sons. While the Levite sons were consecrated for service, the non-Levite first-born sons of Israel had to be redeemed from their service or bought back (Exodus 34:20) with a payment of five shekels (Numbers 18:15-16). Instead of saying that Mary and Joseph brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to redeem him, Luke says that they brought him up to present him to the Lord, and implies that Jesus was consecrated as a priest even though he was not a Levite.

2. Jubilee Redemption: Redemption was an important and fundamental dimension of the Jubilee Year, which Moses commanded to be celebrated every fifty years. If anyone had been sold into servitude to pay a debt or had to sell their ancestral land to pay a debt, they would be freed from servitude and their land would be returned to them during the Jubilee Year. The Jubilee Year started with the Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the year. This meant that the Jubilee Year began first with spiritual liberation. “On the Day of Atonement, the Israelites were symbolically redeemed from the debt of all their sin through the blood of the lamb, which foreshadowed Jesus, the true Lamb of God. Once they were redeemed and reconciled with God, redemption and reconciliation with their fellow man followed. The trumpet was blown throughout the land, and all bondage was ended and debts forgiven” (Bergsma, Jesus and the Jubilee, 44). Jesus came not to be redeemed, but to redeem us. 

3. A Merciful and Faithful High Priest: Jesus, as a newborn firstborn son only forty days old, did not need to be redeemed or bought back from priestly service. Luke tells us that there was a man in Jerusalem, named Simeon, who was looking for the “consolation of Israel.” This phrase refers to the time when the Lord God would rescue his people and restore the Kingdom of David (see Isaiah 40:1; 52:9; 61:2-3). As our eternal high priest, Jesus did not come to liberate his people from Gentile rule and reestablish a political kingdom. He came to free us from the slavery of sin and the fear of death and establish the Kingdom of God. He resurrects the fallen Kingdom of David in a spiritual way. Jesus rules, not from a temporal and earthly throne in an earthly city, but from his throne at the Father’s right hand. The Letter to the Hebrews proclaims the great mystery of how Jesus assumed our human nature and destroyed death by dying. Having lived our life, having suffered what we suffer, and having been tested as we are tested, he has solidarity with us, understands our condition, and is merciful toward us.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, merciful and faithful high priest, console me and speak tender words of mercy towards me. As I contemplate you as a baby presented in the Temple, grant me a child-like simplicity and the joy of being in the Father’s house.

Living the Word of God: How am I living this Jubilee Year 2025? Did I start it by seeking spiritual liberation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Am I familiar with the indulgences available throughout this year?