The Ritual of Purity. My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate a feast that is both ancient and deeply moving: The Presen...
The Ritual of Purity. My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate a feast that is both ancient and deeply moving: The Presentation of the Lord. In our tradition, we often call this "Candlemas" because of the beautiful procession of lights. But to understand the light, we must first look at the shadows of the Law that Mary and Joseph were following.
They come to the Temple to fulfill two requirements: the consecration of the firstborn son and the ritual purification of the mother. Think about the humility in this act. The King of the Universe is being "presented" in His own house. The Mother of God, who is already the most pure of all creatures, submits herself to a ritual of Purity.
Why? Because God’s grace does not abolish our human history; it perfects it. For us Filipinos, we understand this sense of tradition. We bring our children to the Church for baptism not just because it is a rule, but because we want to present them to the Lord. Today, Jesus is presented to us. He enters the Temple not as a conquering soldier, but as a helpless infant. He teaches us that true purity is not about the absence of dirt, but the presence of total surrender to God’s will.
The Fulfillment of the Promise. In the Temple, we meet two remarkable figures: Simeon and Anna. They represent the "matatanda" (elders) of our faith—the ones who have prayed, waited, and suffered through years of silence. Simeon was told he would not taste death until he saw the Christ. Can you imagine that kind of Promise?
Year after year, Simeon went to the Temple. He saw thousands of babies. He saw the rich and the poor. He waited with a "patience that does not grow weary." Then, a poor couple enters with two turtle doves—the sacrifice of the marginalized. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon looks at this baby and knows: this is the one.
He takes the child in his arms and prays the Nunc Dimittis: "Lord, now let your servant depart in peace... for my eyes have seen your salvation." This is a faith-provoking moment for all of us. Do we have the patience of Simeon? In our world of "instant gratification," where we want our prayers answered before we even finish saying them, Simeon teaches us that God’s promise is always kept, but it is kept in His time, not ours.
The Gift of Presence. Finally, this feast is about Presence. The prophet Malachi, in our first reading, promised: "The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple." Today, that prophecy is realized.
But there is a "mapait na katotohanan" (bitter truth) in Simeon’s prophecy. He tells Mary that this child is a sign that will be contradicted and that "a sword shall pierce your own soul." The light that Jesus brings is a light that exposes the heart.
When we hold our blessed candles today, we are saying that we want the Presence of Christ in our homes. But to have His light, we must be willing to let that light shine on our dark corners—our hidden sins, our pride, and our lack of charity.
I remember a story of a grandmother in a small province who kept a blessed candle from this feast in her room for fifty years. When a great storm hit her village and the electricity went out, she lit that candle. Her grandchildren were terrified by the wind, but she sat them down and told them about the Presentation. She told them that as long as Jesus is present in the heart, no storm can put out our light.
Brothers and sisters, as we move toward the Eucharist, let us be like Simeon. Let us "take the Lord into our arms." Let us ask for the Purity of heart to see Him, the faith to trust in His Promise, and the joy of living always in His Presence.
May the light of the candles we bless today not just stay on our altars at home, but burn in our actions, our words, and our love for one another. Jesus is the Light of the World; let us be the mirrors of that light.
Amen.
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