The priest Manuel González López de Lemus offers this article on the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple and the Purification of the Virgin.
According to the Gospel of Saint Luke in the second chapter, from verse 21 the evangelist tells us about the Circumcision and Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. The circumcision was celebrated eight days after birth. The Presentation of Jesus and the Purification of the Virgin were celebrated forty days after the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Since Christmas is celebrated on December 25, the Presentation falls every year on February 2.
The Gospel of Saint Luke adds that the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple was a prescription of the Law of Moses. In the book of Exodus it says: “Consecrate to me every firstborn; English: every firstborn among the children of Israel, whether man or cattle” (13:2) and later: “then you shall consecrate to the Lord all the firstborn. Also, the firstborn of your livestock, if they are males, they belong to the Lord” (13:12). And to explain what all this means, in the same chapter it is added: “And it came to pass when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, that the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of man to the firstborn of animals. For this reason, I sacrifice to the Lord every male, every firstborn from the womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem.” (13:15). Thus, it is better understood why the Jews, and in this case Mary and Joseph, go up to the Temple to present the Child. The law of Moses also prescribed that a woman became unclean after childbirth and had to remain secluded in her house for forty days if she had given birth to a male. The book of Leviticus in the twelfth chapter tells us the following: “The Lord commanded Moses to tell the Israelites: ‘If a woman gives birth to a male, she will be unclean for seven days, as when she has her menstruation. On the eighth day the child will be circumcised, and then the woman must remain 33 days purifying herself from her flow of blood. She must not touch anything consecrated or enter the sanctuary until her period of purification is complete’” (1-4). After the time of Purification, she had to present herself at the Temple to be legally purified, taking with her a one-year-old lamb for the burnt offering and a young pigeon, or a dove as an atoning sacrifice for sin. If the family was poor, it was enough to present two pigeons or two turtledoves (cf. Lev. 12:6-8).
Why was this so? The Law of Moses commanded that the firstborn be reserved for the service of divine worship, as a perpetual reminder of the great miracle performed by the Lord in Egypt, when the exterminating angel eliminated in one night all the firstborn of the Egyptians, leaving only those of the Hebrews safe. Later, it was established that the members of the tribe of Levi were to serve in the Temple and dedicate themselves to priestly actions for the service of the Temple. The firstborn offered to God were to be symbolically redeemed by the prior payment of a sum of silver. This is what the Book of Numbers tells us in chapter eighteen: “All the firstborn males of the Israelites or the firstborn of the animals that they offer to the Lord will be yours, but you will accept payment for the ransom of an older son or the firstborn of an unclean animal. The ransom will be paid one month after birth at the price of five silver coins, according to the official weight that establishes that each silver coin must weigh 11 grams” (15-17).
All this is what Mary and Joseph do forty days after the birth of Jesus. The example of Mary and Jesus is impressive, how they obey the Law, how they submit as if they were stained, when they were the new Adam and the new Eve of the Kingdom of Heaven that began here on earth. This is a great example for us of how we should behave, despite all the personal sacrifices that the holy Law of God demands.
Mary and Joseph arrive in Jerusalem from Bethlehem with Jesus in their arms. The Law did not require the child to be physically brought to the Temple, but mothers usually did so, in order to invoke heavenly blessings upon them. Once past the court of the Gentiles, one reached the court of the women, where the mothers who were going to be purified awaited their turn. The Virgin Mary, like any other woman, joined the queue that slowly advanced to the Special Gate or Nicanor Gate, located between the court of the women and that of the Israelites. There would be the Levite priest in charge of this ceremony each week: he would receive the offering for the sacrifice, bless the mother and purify her by means of the rite of sprinkling.
Then, when the rite is over, they hand over the five shekels of silver, the price of the ransom for the firstborn. The sum of money was not small, since it was equivalent to the wages of a day laborer for twenty days of work. But the couples, Mary and Joseph as well, hand it over with the joy of those who have saved for nine months, full of hope to redeem and return home with their son.
Next, two characters as interesting as they are curious come on the scene: Simeon and Anna, daughter of Phanuel. It is as if God did not want the first entrance of the Word of God, made man, to be obscured and ignored. The divine plan of salvation was beginning on earth, the great mystery of our Redemption was being carried out. The prophet Malachi had already announced it: “The Ruler whom you seek will come to his Temple, and the Angel of the testament whom you desire” (3:1).
St. Luke tells us that Simeon was a just and God-fearing man, who was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was in him. He knew that the Messiah would bring forgiveness and peace to all men on earth. He had been praying to the Lord for a long time for that moment to come and had received a revelation from the Spirit of God so that he would know that he would not die without first having seen the Savior, the Christ of the Lord. Moved by His grace, he approached Mary and Joseph, took the Child in his arms and blessed God.
Full of fervor, Simeon pronounced solemn words in which he blessed God and thanked Him for the unspeakable comfort He was providing him in those exciting moments. And prophetic words came out of his mouth that would become the hymn of the Nunc Dimittis, which are the first words of the hymn in Latin: “Now, Lord, you can lead your servant out in peace…”.
The Hymn is a jewel that priests recite every day before going to sleep, and it goes like this: “Now, Lord, you may let your servant die in peace, as you promised. I have seen with my own eyes how you will save us. All nations will now be able to see what your plan is. He will be a light that will reveal your way to all nations, and will bring honor to your people, Israel” (Luke 2:29-32).
The first teaching of this prophecy of the Holy Spirit is that Christ is the Savior of all men: a gift for Jews and Gentiles, finally united in the fulfillment of the divine plan of salvation. God himself had already announced it many centuries before through the prophet Isaiah: “I will make you a covenant for my people, a light for the Gentiles” (42:6). And later: “I will make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may be my salvation to the ends of the earth” (49:6).
God has sent his Son into the world to save everyone, thus restoring God’s original saving plan, through which we are all called to participate in God’s love through his Holy Spirit. That is why this feast is the feast of the Light of God, popularly called the feast of candles. The faithful receive their candles, which are blessed, and march toward the altar to renew the mysteries of our faith.
Simeon adds something very mysterious and prophetic: —”Behold, this child is destined to cause the ruin and resurrection of many in Israel, and to be a sign that is spoken against – and a sword will pierce your own soul – so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35). Thus, he reminds Mary that all those close to Jesus Christ will have to participate in his Paschal mystery (Passion, Death and Resurrection) in order to enter into his glory and participate in the salvation of the human race.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the light of the world, our candles are a sign of this marvelous reality. It is not strange that, as St. Luke reminds us: “Mary and Joseph were amazed at the things that were said about Him” (Luke 2:33).
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