Presentation in the Temple¶
Forty days after the Nativity, the eternal Logos -- the Word of God made flesh -- is brought to the Temple in Jerusalem. In this quiet, humble act of obedience to the Law, the Creator of the universe submits Himself to the very rituals He gave to Israel. This is the first public presentation of Christ to His people.
Timeline Note
According to Jewish law (Leviticus 12), the Presentation and Purification of Mary took place forty days after birth.
This event occurs before the visit of the Magi, the Flight into Egypt, and the Massacre of the Innocents.
Circumcision and Naming¶
On the eighth day after His birth, the child was circumcised and given the name announced by the angel:
Luke 2:21
And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
In this simple act the eternal Son of God receives the name that means Yahweh saves. He who is the fulfillment of the Law submits Himself to the Law from the very first days of His earthly life, sanctifying every stage of human growth and obedience.
The Humble Offering¶
It was the custom under the Law to offer a lamb as a burnt offering for the purification of the mother. However, Joseph and Mary were poor and could not afford a lamb. Instead, in accordance with the provision of the Law, they offered two young pigeons:
Leviticus 12:8
And if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons—one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.
In this humble offering we see the profound poverty of the Holy Family. The eternal Logos, the Creator of heaven and earth, enters His Temple not with riches or splendor, but with the offering of the poor. The One to whom all sacrifices are ultimately offered now submits Himself to the very Law of sacrifice, identifying completely with the lowly and the needy.
Simeon and the Nunc Dimittis¶
At that moment a righteous and devout man named Simeon, upon whom the Holy Spirit rested, was present in the Temple. The Spirit had revealed to him that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Led by the Spirit, Simeon came into the Temple at the very hour the Holy Family arrived.
Taking the child Jesus into his arms, Simeon blessed God and spoke the words that would echo through the centuries as the Nunc Dimittis:
Luke 2:29-32
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
In Simeon we see the faithful remnant of Israel. His eyes, dimmed by age, beheld what prophets and kings had longed to see. The eternal Logos, the light of the world, is now held in the arms of an old man who recognizes in this infant the salvation prepared for all nations. The promise made to Abraham are beginning to be fulfilled, that in his seed all the families of the earth would be blessed.
Simeon then turns to Mary with a prophecy both glorious and sorrowful:
Luke 2:34-35
Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
The Word of God, even in His infancy, is already a sign of contradiction. He will divide hearts, expose thoughts, and bring both salvation and judgment.
Anna the Prophetess¶
Also present in the Temple that day was Anna, a prophetess of the tribe of Asher. She was of great age -- having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, and then a widow for eighty-four years. She never left the Temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
Luke 2:36-38
And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
Anna, like Simeon, recognized the infant Jesus as the long-awaited Redeemer. In that sacred moment, the faithful remnant of Israel -- represented by both Simeon and Anna -- rejoiced at the arrival of the Messiah. The elderly prophetess became one of the first to proclaim the good news of redemption to all who were waiting for the consolation of Israel.
Through these two elderly servants of God, the Temple itself bears witness to the coming of the Logos. The old covenant, in its final faithful representatives, joyfully receives and proclaims the One who will bring it to fulfillment.
Christ is Present¶
The Presentation in the Temple is far more than a ritual of the old Law. It is the first public offering of the eternal Logos to His Father in the house of God. The One to whom all temples are built now enters the Temple as the true Temple -- the place where God and man meet.
In the arms of Simeon and in the words of Anna, the old covenant joyfully receives and proclaims its fulfillment. The long-awaited Light of the Gentiles and the Glory of Israel has come, not in power and splendor, but in the frailty of an infant.
This same incarnate Word of God did not leave His people after the Ascension. In the Catholic Church He remains objectively and fully present,especially in the Holy Eucharist. Every time the priest offers the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Christ is once again presented to the Father in the Temple of His Church.
Here the promises made to Simeon and Anna are fulfilled in every generation. Here the Light of the Gentiles continues to shine. Here the thoughts of many hearts are still revealed. Here the eternal Logos is offered, received, and adored by both Jew and Gentile, young and old, rich and poor.
The Presentation in the Temple was only the beginning. The same Christ who was carried into the Temple as an infant is now carried to every altar in the world, that He might draw all people to Himself.