82 PRESENTATION OF THE LORD We place ourselves in the presence of the Lord: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. An old man meets the Savior. Today we celebrate the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple in Jerusalem. In Jesus’ day, the parents of a Jewish first-born baby boy were required to present their child in the Temple, consecrating him to God, forty days after his birth. On that day, an important meeting awaited Joseph and Mary. A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke: S imeon] came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus...[Simeon] took him into his arms and blessed God, saying, / “Now, Master, you may let your servant go/ in peace, according to your word,/for my eyes have seen your salvation,/ which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, / a light for revelation to the Gentiles,/ and glory to your people Israel.” (Lk 2:27-32) Simeon is an old man to whom the Holy Spirit revealed that he would not die before seeing the Savior. His words confirm that the newborn child is the Messiah. The meeting between Simeon and the Holy Family confirms that Jesus is the Light of the whole world, the promised and long-awaited Savior. This day is also the feast of consecrated life, the feast of all who have given their lives entirely to God: monks, nuns, and religious men and women. Presentation of the Lord February Jesus, Light of the Nations [
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