Feast of Presentation

Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. The story is well known and can be found in Luke 2:22-38. Joseph and Mary performed this Jewish rite according to the Torah (Leviticus 12:2-6). For poor people who could not afford a lamb, the offering of a pair of pigeons was stipulated in Leviticus 5:7, 12:8. The first-born son must be consecrated to the Lord (Exodus 13:2) because their lives were spared by the blood of the Paschal Lamb when God worked wonders in Egypt to liberate the Israelites (Exodus 13:15).
Then Simeon and Anna appeared on stage. Simeon made prophecies about Jesus and Mary (Luke 2:25-35). Anna came and praised God and spoke of Jesus to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem (Luke 2:38b). However, Anna's voice was muted in the gospel. Did she talk about similar things spoken by Simeon and that she had added nothing new so that her words were not recorded in Luke? Many modern feminist scholars feel "offended" by this alleged suppression of the voices of women in Luke. The fact is, compared with other authors in the New Testament, Luke had already given far more extensive treatment of and weightier position for the materials concerning women in his gospel and Acts. So, I will leave the judgment of their scholarship to the community of biblical scholars. As for me, I continue to enjoy the reading of Luke.
The first gospel I read was Luke. I was about 8 years old when my family was lucky enough to move to Choi Hung Estate from a tiny cubicle in Yaumati. At that time, there was a mobile clinic run by a Christian organization. I think the fee was cheap enough for poor families to afford. Each time we paid a visit, they handed out a copy of Luke. That probably explains my fondness for this gospel. What is more, when I took the HKCEE Biblical Knowledge examination in 1971, it was Luke and Acts that I studied!
The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple is the 4^th Joyful Mystery of the Holy Rosaries. I did not understand why and asked Fr. Nicholas Hau Yik in the Holy Family Parish (Choi Hung). Now, I cannot remember the answer he gave but I can still remember the smile of this humble priest. He came from Shanxi when the communists drove out priests in 1952. Many parishers found his heavy Shanxi accent difficult to follow but with patience, I was able to make out his Sunday homilies. Once I asked him his ambition, he told me that he wished to build a church dedicated to his patron saint, St. Nicholas, way back where he came from. Of course, his dream is never realized. He spent his last days in the St. Joseph Home for the Aged run by the Little Sister of the Poor. Fr. Hau, the humble servant of Christ, pray for us. Amen.
The Nativity story of Jesus is joyous. There were Magi paying homage and offering precious gifts to him. There were angels singing in heaven to announce his birth. Yet, I can see traces of his future rejection and passion as well. There was no room in the inns to accomodate the Holy Family and when Jesus was born, he was placed in a manger. When he was presented in the Temple, Simeon prophesized that Jesus would be spoken against of (Luke 2:34) and a sword would pierce Mary's soul (Luke 2:35). Soon afterwards, the Holy Family had to flee to Egypt in order to run away from Herod's murdrous attempt to eliminate the Messiah. When Jesus was 12, he was lost for three days in the Temple. "... Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" (Luke 2:49) All these are glimpses of his being rejected for doing his Father's will.

My God, we are but poor humble creatures of Yours. We have nothing, but a pair of pigeons to offer. May we be consecrated to You to do Your will. May we joyfully embrace rejections and ill treatments in doing Your will. May we willingly, like Your humble handmaid, bear the brunt of the sword that pierces our souls in doing Your will. May Your will be done on us as it is in heaven. Amen.