The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord is traditionally celebrated on February 2, an established time after the birth of Christ as in the scripture text, “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”. This is a ritual of thanksgiving that in Leviticus points to the purification of the mother and in the Exodus calls for the consecration of the firstborn. In these ritual acts, there is a sense that God’s activity among humanity is becoming more and more visible. No longer hidden in ancient text or memory, it now becomes a light for all nations. This is where the devotion to Candlemas comes from. Bringing candles to Mass became a custom since about the 5th century. Hence, Simeon is able to sing:
“Now, Lord, 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 movement of God, intertwined with the human response (the fiat of Mary and Joseph) comes to fulfillment with the birth of Christ and the irrevocable dawn of salvation. The words of Paul come to mind, “already but not yet”. Salvation has been given irrevocably (already) but the totality (not yet) is still on the horizon. Of this truth, we are all called to become participants and oftentimes, living witnesses.
This points to how the salvific mission of Christ continues and will continue until the final moment. It takes place through women, men, and families – our church, who dare to believe and make manifest Jesus’ way of living and acting. It is again the movement of God, intertwined with the human response – fiat let it be your will and not mine.
In this context of salvation history, God also calls forth and gives shape to the vocation of consecrated persons. This is no ordinary vocation, and those who are called are usually few in number. These are men and women religious who consecrate their lives through the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. A Papal document would say, “the whole of consecrated life translates the Gospel into a particular form of life, that knows how to read the signs of the times with the eyes of faith and that seeks to respond with dynamic fidelity to the needs of the Church and the world”.
The feast of the Presentation of the Lord, recalls the consecration of the child Jesus and is also the feast for women and men who have been called to this vocation as Religious Brothers, Sisters, and Priests. With all due humility, please send a special prayer in the direction of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity. May our Lord continue to grant us the graces necessary to continue to do our best in translating the Gospel into the concrete reality of Coachella and Mecca and the mission of Our Lady of Soledad, the Valley Missionary Program, and the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Thank you
P. Francisco Gómez, S.T