The Presentation in the Temple

Catholic presentation

The fourth joyful mystery

Appearances can be deceptive.  At first sight this might look like a modern baptism.  But that's not it at all: rather its a Jewish 'presentation' ceremony.  Mary and Joseph have brought the baby Jesus to be presented to God.  So we have the unique event of the Son of God being presented to God the Father!

Joseph, true to expectations, is holding the family's offering of two doves.  But then something unscheduled happens.  A complete stranger, comes up and takes the baby in his arms!  Being an old and devout man, the stranger manages this without arousing Joseph's protective reactions.  His name is Simeon.

The woman behind Mary makes another interruption.  She's one of those hanger-ons at the temple.  One of those old ladies you sometimes see in church, who you assume has nothing more left to her life than hanging around praying.  Younger people usually react to her like, in one of two ways.  One is not to notice them at all, the other is to despise their 'piety'.  Oh how wrong our conclusions can be!  God always listens to prayers, and if a person makes time to pray lots, then God will hear lots.  And if the person is devout, then the chances are they're more in tune with God's ways and likely to hear His replies.  That means they've got spiritual broadband-always-on connections while the rest of us merely have spiritual dial-up.

Simeon and Anna are two such plugged-in people.  They're in-touch with what God is doing here and now.  Instantly Anna gets the news from God on who this baby is, and proceeds to tell everyone.  Simeon on the other hand, has long since known, not only that Jesus would be coming into the world, but that he - Simeon, would actually see Jesus in his lifetime!  He utters the classic "nunc dimittis" or 'now you can let me die' in Luke 2:29.  It's the Holy Spirit that prompts and guides these two to share their revelations with Mary and Joseph.  Simeon in particular has news to heed: that Jesus will be opposed and that Mary will suffer too.  Mary knows the action of the Spirit when she sees it, and Joseph recognises devotion and honesty.  So they take the comments on advice, and treasure them in wonderment and perhaps not a little apprehension?  You can read about it in Luke 2:22-38

Meanwhile everyone else in the temple just thinks: 'silly old people butting in on the ceremony'!