THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD.
MALACHI 3:1-4
HEBREWS 2:14-18
PSALM 24:7-10
LUKE 2:22-40
Today some people find matters of faith to be so overwhelming.To them, church attendance and worship are an intrusion in their scheduled events.
The idea of waiting on and witnessing to the intrusion of a faithful God, seems to interfere with their plans.
It is true that nobody likes intrusion into their already planned and normal life, we prefer that it remains the way it is probably because we gain a lot from the planned normal life.
Sometimes this planned and normal and scheduled life may obscure or prevent us from seeing some realities and thus miss out on some newness.
For example, you may have planned to stay indoors such that you do not want to talk to anyone yet the one who wants to talk to you may be having some important information that may help you.
In relation to the above notion, the Second Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews says, "​Since the children share in the flesh and blood, Jesus himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil.​ "
These are words that show what we call divine intrusion in our lives that has been overshadowed by death and evil.
How do you feel when someone shares food with you or even shares his/her time and life stories with you? And how do you feel when you are the one doing the sharing?
What does the word share mean? It means to let someone have or use something that belongs to you. It also means to tell others about an idea, a secret or a problem. It means to be equally responsible for doing something.
The word share here means that the human condition of flesh and blood is a constant one that Jesus now shares with us in all its forms apart from sin so that God can save us from the power of evil.
This is what Simeon attests to in today's Gospel passage as he encapsulates Jesus' destiny, reversing the expected pattern of human life which we are accustomed to.
This feast of the Presentation of the Lord calls us to live in anticipation of divine intrusion knowing very well that anything that is anticipated calls for action until the anticipation is achieved.
That is why the First Reading from the prophet Malachi makes us anticipate the coming of the Lord by asking, " But who can endure the day if his coming, and who can stand when he appears? "
These words were directed to the people who had lived contrary to God's expectations in order to show them God's intention of intruding into their lives with the purpose of refining them.
This could not or cannot be achieved without God through Jesus, sharing in our humanity and encouraging us to put together things we think cannot be put together, that is, God's divinity and our humanity and anything else that is good so that we can get a new impetus of anticipating what is good and participating in that good, the goodness of God sharing in our humanity.
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