Homily for 2 Feb 2016

2 Feb 2016

Feast of the Presentation in the Temple

God is always moving from “promise” to “fulfillment;” God promises and God fulfills those promises.  And the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple is a fulfillment of that promise, that prophecy we heard from Malachi: “And suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek.”  The Lord’s coming is even foreseen, somewhat, in the psalms.  Psalm 24 refers to him as “the king of glory:” strong and mighty, mighty in battle. 

But, perhaps, the people of God didn’t think “the king of glory” would come in so little and ordinary a package as an infant.  There he was, the Lord, the awaited Messiah, coming to his Temple . . . and next to no one noticed.  There was Simeon and the prophetess, Anna; they recognized him.  But that seems to have been it.  God fulfilled his promise . . . but not quite as everyone expected.

And then we think of the promises Jesus has made to us.  Among them, he said: “I am with you always, until the end of the age.”  God made a promise to his faithful people.  The question is: How is fulfilling that promise?  We know he is.  But how is he doing it?

Well, if learn anything from our ancestors in the faith, it’s that we shouldn’t put too much stock in our own expectations.  If we’re looking for God to do something for us, he may do it in a completely different way than we expect.  And so, what seems best, but to be open to . . . anything.

Jesus says: “This is my Body.  This is my Blood.”  Okay, we’ll go with it.  Our human senses fail to understand that, but we’ll believe him.  It looks like ordinary bread; looks like ordinary wine.  But if that’s how Jesus wants to fulfill his promise, we’re open to it.  And then Jesus says: “When you helped the least of my brothers and sisters, you helped me.”  Ok, so Jesus is presented to us through the poor and the poor in spirit.

His glory is presented to us . . . in creation, in the innocence of a child, in the love between friends, in the correction made by a parent or teacher.  Jesus promised to be with us always; he promised—in effect—to make his Presentation at the Temple last until the end of time.  And we are that Temple—temples of the Holy Spirit.  Our Lord comes to us; he fulfills his promises.  But will we recognize him?  Will we accept him with open arms in whatever way he comes to us?  Will we be satisfied with that little, understated package of delight which is our Lord?  Or are we waiting for something . . . more like what we expect?