From: Luke 2:22-40
The Purification of Mary and the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
[22] And when the time came for their purification according to the law
of Moses, they (Joseph and Mary) brought Him (Jesus) up to Jerusalem to
present Him to the Lord [23] (as it is written in the law of the Lord,
"every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") [24]
and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the
Lord, "a pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons."
Simeon's Prophecy
[25] Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this
man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him. [26] And it had been revealed to him
by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the
Lord's Christ. [27] And inspired by the Spirit he came into the
temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for Him
according to the custom of the law, [28] he took Him up in his arms and
blessed God and said, [29] "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart
in peace, according to Thy word; [30] for mine eyes have seen Thy
salvation [31] which Thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples,
[32] a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for the glory to Thy
people Israel."
[33] And His father and His mother marvelled at what was said about
Him; [34] and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, His mother, "Behold
this child is set for the fall the rising of many in Israel, and for a
sign that is spoken against [35] (and a sword will pierce through your
own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed."
Anna's Prophecy
[36] And there was a prophetess Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the
tribe of Ahser; she was of a great age, having lived with her husband
seven years from her virginity, [37] and as a widow till she was
eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshipping with
fasting and prayer night and day. [38] And coming up at that very hour
she gave thanks to God, and spoke of Him to all who were looking for
the redemption of Jerusalem.
The Childhood of Jesus
[39] And when they had performed everything according to the law of the
Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. [40] And
the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of
God was upon Him.
Commentary:
22-24. The Holy Family goes up to Jerusalem to fulfill the
prescriptions of the Law of Moses--the purification of the mother and
the presentation and then redemption or buying back of the first-born.
According to Leviticus 12:2-8, a woman who bore a child was unclean.
The period of legal impurity ended, in the case of a mother of a male
child, after forty days, with a rite of purification. Mary most holy,
ever-virgin, was exempt from these precepts of the Law, because she
conceived without intercourse, nor did Christ's birth undo the virginal
integrity of His Mother. However, she chose to submit herself to the
Law, although she was under no obligation to do so.
"Through this example, foolish child, won't you learn to fulfill the
holy Law of God, regardless of personal sacrifice?
"Purification! You and I certainly do need purification. Atonement
and, more than atonement, Love. Love as a searing iron to cauterize
our soul's uncleanness, and as a fire to kindle with divine flames the
wretchedness of our hearts" ([St] J. Escriva, "Holy Rosary", Fourth Joyful
Mystery).
Also, in Exodus 13:2, 12-13 it is indicated that every first-born male
belongs to God and must be set apart for the Lord, that is, dedicated
to the service of God. However, once divine worship was reserved to
the tribe of Levi, first-born who did not belong to that tribe were not
dedicated to God's service, and to show that they continued to be God's
special property, a rite of redemption was performed.
The Law also laid down that the Israelites should offer in sacrifice
some lesser victim--for example, a lamb or, if they were poor, a pair
of doves or two pigeons. Our Lord, who "though He was rich, yet for
your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich"
(2 Corinthians 8:9), chose to have a poor man's offering made on His
behalf.
25-32. Simeon, who is described as a righteous and devout man, obedient
to God's will, addresses himself to our Lord as a vassal or loyal
servant who, having kept watch all his life in expectation of the
coming of his Lord, sees that this moment has "now" come, the moment
that explains his whole life. When he takes the Child in his arms, he
learns, not through any reasoning process but through a special grace
from God, that this Child is the promised Messiah, the Consolation of
Israel, the Light of the nations.
Simeon's canticle (verses 29-32) is also a prophecy. It consists of
two stanzas: the first (verses 29-30) is an act of thanksgiving to God,
filled with profound joy for having seen the Messiah. The second
(verses 31-32) is more obviously prophetic and extols the divine
blessings which the Messiah is bringing to Israel and to all men. The
canticle highlights the fact that Christ brings redemption to all men
without exception--something foretold in many Old Testament prophecies
(cf. Genesis 22:18; Isaiah 2:6; 42:6; 60:3; Psalm 28:2).
It is easy to realize how extremely happy Simeon was--given that many
patriarchs, prophets and kings of Israel had yearned to see the
Messiah, yet did not see Him, whereas he now held Him in his arms (cf.
Luke 10:24; 1 Peter 1:10).
33. The Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph marvelled not because they did
not know who Christ was; they were in awe at the way God was revealing
Him. Once again they teach us to contemplate the mysteries involved in
the birth of Christ.
34-35. After Simeon blesses them, the Holy Spirit moves him to further
prophecy about the Child's future and His Mother's. His words become
clearer in the light of our Lord's life and death.
Jesus came to bring salvation to all men, yet He will be a sign of
contradiction because some people will obstinately reject Him--and for
this reason He will be their ruin. But for those who accept Him with
faith Jesus will be their salvation, freeing them from sin in this life
and raising them up to eternal life.
The words Simeon addresses to Mary announce that she will be intimately
linked with her Son's redemptive work. The sword indicates that Mary
will have a share in her Son's sufferings; hers will be an unspeakable
pain which pierces her soul. Our Lord suffered on the cross for our
sins, and it is those sins which forge the sword of Mary's pain.
Therefore, we have a duty to atone not only to God but also to His
Mother, who is our Mother too.
The last words of the prophecy, "that out of many hearts thoughts may
be revealed", link up with verse 34: uprightness or perversity will be
demonstrated by whether one accepts or rejects Christ.
36-38. Anna's testimony is very similar to Simeon's; like him, she too
has been awaiting the coming of the Messiah her whole life long, in
faithful service of God, and she too is rewarded with the joy of seeing
Him. "She spoke of Him," that is, of the Child--praising God in her
prayer and exhorting others to believe that this Child is the Messiah.
Thus, the birth of Christ was revealed by three kinds of witnesses in
three different ways--first, by the shepherds, after the angel's
announcement; second, by the Magi, who were guided by a star; third, by
Simeon and Anna, who were inspired by the Holy Spirit.
All who, like Simeon and Anna, persevere in piety and in the service of
God, no matter how insignificant their lives seem in men's eyes, become
instruments the Holy Spirit uses to make Christ known to other. In His
plan of redemption God avails of these simple souls to do much good to
all mankind.
39. Before their return to Nazareth, St. Matthew tells us (2:13-23),
the Holy Family fled to Egypt where they stayed for some time.
40. "Our Lord Jesus Christ as a child, that is, as one clothed in the
fragility of human nature, had to grow and become stronger but as the
eternal Word of God He had no need to become stronger or to grow.
Hence He is rightly described as full of wisdom and grace" (St. Bede,
"In Lucae Evangelium Expositio, in loc.").
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.