01
Feb
Feb
Reflection: Day of Consecrated Life Luke 2:22-40
They met in the temple, Mary and Joseph, Anna, Simeon, Jesus. How did they get there? What brought them to that place of meeting? What brings us to the temple, the place where God resides? Mary and Joseph were following the law of Moses prescribed for parents; and Simeon was guided by the Spirit to witness the coming of the Messiah to his Temple. Anna represents the widowed Israel – awaiting her Master. She had never left the temple. The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus is also a feast of the meeting – the meeting of the long awaited Messiah with his faithful people, in the temple. Jesus’ presentation in the temple is not a matter of one individual or one family, rather it is an act of the community represented by Simeon and Anna. Today the Church celebrates the 26th World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life, honouring and praying for the lives of all men and women who have heroically consecrated their lives to the Lord, for the love of God and in service to God’s people. In fact, every believer is consecrated to the Lord and today, we recall our own consecration to the Lord at the time of our baptism. Being consecrated, we are set apart to do the work of God, never alone but together with our brothers and sisters. Let us look at consecrated life as an encounter with Christ: it is he who comes to us, led by Mary and Joseph, and we go towards him guided by the Holy Spirit. He is at the centre. He draws us to the Temple, to the Church, where we can meet him, recognize him, welcome him, embrace him. The feast of the Presentation invites us to reflect on the meeting between the young and the old: Mary and Joseph with their infant son meet the old Simeon and Anna. It’s good for the elderly to communicate their wisdom to the young; and it’s good for the young people to gather this wealth of experience and wisdom, and to carry it forward, addressing the challenges that life brings. Forty days have passed since Christmas and it may be that the Star of Bethlehem that “we have seen in its rising,” is disappearing in the sky. May be, we’ve let ourselves be enchanted by other more fascinating and fashionable stars, stars that better reflect our dreams and our expectations. The Church brings us the opportunity to meet again that Child: she invites us to welcome him in our arms, as did Simeon and Anna, the poor of Israel, the people attentive to the voice of the Spirit.