Today the Universal Church is celebrating of The Presentation of The Lord, which occurs 40 days after the birth of Jesus. This feast is no longer called the “Purification of Mary,” but rather the “Presentation of the Lord” in the new liturgical calendar.
According to the Jewish Law, 40 days after their baby boys were born, parents were obliged to present them to the Lord. Jesus is presented in the temple today 40 days after His birth. Why is it 40 days? Perhaps this number is associated with many events in Israelites’ history, such as the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years before entering into the promised land; Noah’s flood lasting 40 days; Moses being in God’s presence on Mt. Sinai for 40 days; Nineveh had 40 days to repent. But above all, the number of “Forty” indicates a period of great change, hopefully ending in fulfillment. Today, the Lord is offering us the grace of “40;” that is, the grace of transformation and fulfillment.
My dear brothers and sisters, the Church asked our parents to present their children to be baptized after they were born. They were dedicated to God through the Sacrament of Baptism. You and I were sanctified and transformed by this sacrament but not yet fulfilled, because we are still living our lives on the earth. The Presentation of the Lord Jesus indeed reminds us about ourselves who were dedicated and possessed by God. The question for us is: “Do we really possess God and do we really live up to our heavenly call?” God sets us apart from this world, and God calls us to live higher than normal people – Christians or children of God!
Why don’t we rededicate ourselves to God today? Promise to God that we will put on Christ; learn from the way Christ lived His life, what He said, what He did and how He acted according to His Father’s will. To be a good daughters and sons of God is to become another Christ for the world. May the Presentation of the Lord help us to recognize our privilege: “We belong to God.”
With love,
Fr. Thuong Hoai Nguyen