Feb. 2, 2020: Presentation of the Lord A

Feb. 2, 2020: Presentation of the Lord A

Do you believe that God has a unique plan for you? God told Prophet Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.” (Jer 1:5). The purpose of our lives is far greater than what we can conceive in our minds. 

There is an old Korean custom of celebrating the 100th day after the birth of a child.

This custom originated from the low survival rate for newborn babies. On the 100th day, a family would call the relatives and friends to share the joy of a child’s good health. During the celebration, several items are set before the child to choose. The item that the child grabs is meant to signal what this child’s vocation or pursuit in life might be. When my niece and nephews each celebrated their 100th day anniversary, their parents placed in front of them a stethoscope, a golf ball, a pen and pencil set, a bowl of rice, cash, and a rosary. When we celebrated my youngest nephew’s 100th day, we all watched with great anticipation. My nephew picked up the Rosary. Everyone exclaimed, WOW! They reshuffled the items in front of him and waited for him to choose again. He picked up the Rosary again! WOW! So the items were reshuffled for a third time and we watched as he chose the Rosary again! A person next to me elbowed me and said, “Father, looks like you will have your help very soon.”

Forty days after the birth of Christ, the Church celebrates the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. The Jewish people went to the temple because that was the place where they encountered God. Joseph and Mary, faithful to the Jewish law at the time, brought their first born, Jesus, to the Temple to entrust him to God.   Also in the temple that day were Simeon and Anna, two venerable elderly people dedicated to prayer and fasting. As Joseph and Mary entered the temple, Simeon greeted them and revealed that Jesus is to be the light to the foreign world of the Gentiles and the glory of the people of Israel. Simeon’s strong religious spirit rendered him able to recognize the Messiah. The Christ Child, Jesus, entering the Temple filled the temple with His divine presence and thus the world has a new temple. For in this child God enters into and transforms history, so that all our lives, through this child, are united and seen in the light of eternity. The child fulfill God’s design for him—to offer his very own life on the Cross and to become the Bread of Life in the Eucharist. 

Our purpose is far greater than our careers, material possessions, and personal ambitions. Pope Francis said, “Today’s  frantic pace leads us to close many doors to encounter, often for fear of others. Only shopping malls and internet connections are always open.” We need to fan the flame of our spiritual lives by allowing ourselves to encounter Christ and to be encountered by him. This encounter with Jesus can happen in scripture, prayer, Eucharist, and other brothers and sisters. The Pope said, “May we never look at the screen of our cell phone more than the eyes of our brothers and sisters or focus more on our software than on the Lord.”  Let us remember, as did Simeon and Anna, that prayer and contemplation are not just a waste of time but will lead us to truth and faithfulness to God's design for us. A good way to encounter the Lord every day is to, as my nephew did, grab the rosary. May the light of Christ we received from our baptism always be kept burning brightly in what we say and do.