Let’s Go With Them
The Presentation of the Lord in the temple in Jerusalem by Mary and Joseph, forty days after Jesus' birth, is so rich in context to salvation history that it simply boggles the mind! It contains in this singular and religious act all the millennia of prophecy and hope for a Messiah; the family's journey and the Presentation event itself in time; and the future sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross, our high priest, and the spotless lamb, offering and offered as expiation for our sins and freedom from slavery and death. The promise is so great!
Luke offers the story of fulfillment through two holy temple elders, Simeon and Anna. Both recognize the Lord as the promised Messiah and rejoice: He is here! Now I can die in peace! Simeon cradles the child and prophesies of Jesus' tremendous mission to save all peoples, Jews, and Gentiles, and to Mary of her sharp suffering, as a sword which will pierce her. The couple is astonished.
Yet, Mary and Joseph, in their humble faith, are simply doing what is prescribed. They are living their lives of poverty, chastity, and obedience to the Lord in the kind of darkness described by St. John of the Cross, not expecting rewards or special favors or visions but simply living their faith daily in union with God.
And what amazing faith they had! Mary and Joseph offer us a model of trust and faithfulness, listening step by step to God's divine will and doing the next right thing He asks of them. Let's go with them on this daily journey, listening for the Word. Let's go with the family, hidden in Nazareth. Let's go all the way to the foot of the Cross and offer Jesus -- and our lives -- along with Mary and all the Saints, for the world's salvation.
–Laura Tattoo
Send Us Forth are reflections written by St. Matthew parishioners and friends.