Homily for
The Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ
in the Temple
in the Temple
Thursday 2 February 2017
The Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
A Parish of the Diocese of Bethlehem and The Episcopal Church
Readings:
Today
we keep the Fortieth Day of the Incarnation. This Feast of this day shows
how the Blessed Mother fulfilled the Law of God by coming to the Temple with
her firstborn son, offering sacrifice to God for herself and for her son.
There
are a variety of names used within the Church Catholic for this feast. We
refer to this as The Presentation of Our Lord; the focal point being the Son of
Mary. Our Roman Catholic friends refer to this as The Purification of
Mary; the focal point being the Mother of Jesus. Our Orthodox Christian
friends refer to this as The Meeting of Our Lord; the focal point being Simeon
and Anna who in the Gospel proclaimed in all of these communions meet the Holy
Family in the Temple.
The
names of the Feast might differ, but there is one more common element of the
feast other than the Gospel reading from Luke. Today is a traditional day
for the blessing of candles. As such this day is often referred to as
Candlemas Day.
Why
candles? The answer is quite simple. Candles give forth
light. They shine in the darkness, revealing all that was once hidden and
showing a path by which we walk in safety. The Gospel provides us with
the light for the candle. That light is none other than Jesus.
This
my friends is truly an Epiphany. In the Temple Simeon and Anna discover
the light that is Christ in the same way one would greet the sunrise that
confirms a new day has arrived. As one who stands in the midst of the
hours of darkness in the night awaiting the first rays of sunlight, expecting
and longing for that moment, so too Simeon and Anna were found in the Temple
waiting upon God. Each had been given the assurance that their eyes would
see the Lord's Messiah, the fulfillment of the promises made by God to them and
their ancestors. Now in this Gospel which has been proclaimed they have
seen this new dawning. They have received the heavenly light that is
Christ incarnate in humanity as a candle is brought to a flame. And in
this moment, and for the remainder of their days, they are lit candles that
reflect the light of Christ that shines in the darkness.
Tonight
we are not blessing candles. Or are we? If we are thinking of
literal candles made of beeswax, we are not. But remember that moments
ago I spoke of Simeon and Anna in the Temple as unlit candles who in being
encountered by Christ in that Holy House were lit with the knowledge that this
is Christ in their midst. They reflected that light. They
proclaimed the truth of Jesus not only for Mary and Joseph, who pondered in
their hearts these words spoken in faith inspired by God. There were
undoubtedly others present who heard these words. And tonight, in the
mystery of the proclamation of the Gospel as living story, we receive this
wisdom and are called to ponder on these words of life. In this then we
do well to see ourselves as candles who are blessed and lit by God to reflect
the light that never fades away. Christ is in our midst, and so he shall
ever be, showing us the path of life in the Kingdom of God.
With
that in mind, remember Simeon and Anna once more. They received the light
of Christ not that they might keep the light to themselves. They received
this grace that they might share the light. I think here of candlelight
ceremonies where from a single candle in a dark space one person has received
the light and then passed it on until the whole placed is illumined by that
light. Simeon and Anna have shared the light with us. We have been
blessed in order that we might receive and pass on Christ to a world that needs
to be encountered by the divine light which the darkness cannot comprehend nor
accept, from which indeed darkness flees in defeat.
Here,
my friends, is our mission. We do not wait for others to come to
us. We go forth from this Holy House into the deepest darkness with the
light that guides our steps and reveals those in every place where we as
Christians venture who are in need of receiving the Gospel and being
encountered by Jesus who calls us to be light. As we leave this place on
this night, may we indeed shine as blessed candles lit by Jesus that the world
might be drawn to him who is the source of life and salvation.
Father
Timothy
Alleman
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