This Sunday is February 2nd, exactly forty days after Christmas Day. For the Jewish people, God made the fortieth day of life important. So, on February 2nd, the church takes a break from Jesus' adult life and returns to look at the fortieth day of his life as a baby.
The Law found in scripture directs Jewish mothers to go to the Temple to offer a sacrifice to God forty days after the birth of a baby boy. It is written:
If she cannot afford a sheep, she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement on her behalf, and she shall be clean. (Leviticus 12:8)
When Mary and Joseph go to the Temple,
they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
Mary brings the two birds to the Temple; she follows the Law that God gives to Moses for her people. This is how she expresses her devotion to God. We can say that Mary lives the Law.
Also, when Jewish parents give birth to their first boy baby, the Law gives them a way to remember the covenant with God—God who saved them from slavery in Egypt, God who spared the first born son of each Jewish family while taking each first born son of the Egyptians. Jewish parents have a choice: bring the baby boy to the Temple to present him as a servant of God, or pay some money to "redeem" the child. (This is language we might not understand so well. We might think of this like "redeeming a coupon"—a coupon for remembering the covenant.) St. Luke does not tell us anything about Mary and Joseph bringing any money. However, he tells us that they do bring Jesus to the Temple,
to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”)
Mary and Joseph live the Law of the Lord.
In fact, we hear about the Law of the Lord, one way or another, five times in this reading. When something repeats in the Bible, we sit up and take notice. Something important is being said.
Mary and Joseph are Jewish people who faithfully live the Law. Into this faithful Jewish family, Jesus is born. Jesus, the saviour of the world, born into a poor Jewish family. But how will anyone ever know about this great thing that takes place? No internet exists to broadcast this event all around the world. There are no TV crews, no 24 hour news stations. All those Gentiles, living in darkness, not knowing the One True God—how will they ever know about Jesus, our light and our salvation? Mary and Joseph have no way of telling the world.
Do they worry about this? Is it not their job to tell the world? They say nothing. They just carry out what they hear written in the Law of the Lord.
And what happens?
Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
“Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”
While Mary and Joseph live the Law, not knowing what the greater Plan is, the Holy Spirit acts. The Holy Spirit inspires Simeon—guides him to Jesus, shows him who Jesus is, and gives him these words to pray. These words signal who Jesus is—light and salvation for all the world. Catholics all over the world pray these words, simple and beautiful, as part of Night Prayer.
When people live their lives faithful to God, the Holy Spirit has room to act.
We, too, can give the Holy Spirit room to act. We do not have to worry about the larger Plan or about those people we love who do not yet love and serve the One True God. That is not our job. We can live our lives faithfully, loving God and loving our neighbour as ourselves. We can pray. We can work for good. Together with God, we write the history of each tomorrow—
and the Holy Spirit has room to move and act and play and sing.
The Plan of God unfolds.
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