Would you believe that I found something connecting the Super Bowl, Groundhog Day and today’s Feast of the Presentation of the Lord? I’ll admit it is a bit of a stretch but there is one thing these three celebrations all share… they all involve traditional rituals.
For the Super Bowl, which is almost a national holiday, with the hype that starts weeks in advance, there is the television extravaganza, Super Bowl parties, award-winning commercials, the half-time show and the superstitious wearing of jerseys. Your household may have its own rituals.
In western Pennsylvania, the residents of the town of Punxsutawney observe Groundhog Day as a local holiday. They wear top hats and tuxedos, eat traditional Dutch food, speak only Pennsylvania Dutch for the day, and of course, they wait for Phil, the world’s most famous fuzzy forecaster, to pop out of his burrow to tell the nation what our weather will be like for the next six weeks.
If it is cloudy, the groundhog will leave his burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. If it is sunny, Phil will see his shadow, be frightened, and retreat back into his burrow, forecasting six more weeks of winter. But Phil can be fickle, so it is hard to know what he will do.
And, in the feast we celebrate today, the Feast of the Purification of Mary and the Presentation of the Lord, two strict rituals of Mosaic laws are observed in the case of the firstborn. Forty days after the birth of a child, it was a Jewish tradition for the mother to receive the Rite of Purification. This did not imply sin but rather physical and emotional reintegration into the community. The birth of a child gave great joy but also great pain and physical suffering. Forty days was considered an appropriate time of rest.
At the same time that the mother came to the temple to be purified, the parents presented their first-born male child. Joseph and Mary faithfully observed both of these rituals. The parents with sufficient possessions offered a lamb, but if the couple had fewer resources, a pair of pigeons or turtle doves could be substituted.
As Joseph and Mary proudly carried Jesus up the steps of the temple, they encountered an old man named Simeon. His name translates to “God hears.” Luke tells us that Simeon was a devout and righteous man. I would have liked to have known this senior citizen of the Bible. His whole life, he longed not to see his favorite team in the Superbowl or the groundhog Phil, but rather, he waited a lifetime to see the Messiah. His whole life!
See if you can relive Luke’s Gospel scene:
Simeon asks Mary and Joseph, “Could I hold your baby?”
“Yes,” said Mary and Joseph together. With trembling hands, Simeon gently takes the little baby. The baby immediately begins to reach for the old man’s beard. Simeon is filled with an overwhelming sense of awe and gratitude. He prays the beautiful words we heard in today’s gospel:
“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 for your people Israel.”
What a special moment for Simeon. He was holding the Messiah in his arms. After blessing Mary and Joseph, he utters a heart-breaking prophecy that each of us should strive to always remember:
“Behold this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted – and you yourself a sword will pierce – so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.”
What happened next?
There was another senior citizen of the Bible named Anna at the temple. She was childless after being married for seven years when her husband died and spent all of her time at the temple fasting and praying in hopes of seeing the chosen Messiah. She approached Mary and Joseph and she too gave thanks to God, telling others around her about this special child who she proclaimed was the Messiah. She was the first to proclaim such a truth.
There is no record of the rest of that day, other than they returned to the Nazareth in Galilee.
Obviously, Mary and Joseph did not have the typical baby photos or videos of the first steps taken, or the first words spoken or this first time in the temple, but this encounter with Simeon and Anna must have left an indelible print in their mind as they returned home.
They had to have wondered what does all this mean? They had a son to raise, religious obligations to keep, and an uncertain future to prepare for.
Simeon and Anna were able to see the Messiah as the Christ child because they were people gifted with prayerfulness and filled with the Holy Spirit. Now, you are able to see Christ in the Eucharist because you are also gifted with prayer and the Holy Spirit.
A gift is something that is freely given.
The gift to see Christ as the Savior is freely given to all, but not every person responds or accepts the gift. The secularist, the atheist and the agnostic choose to refuse the gift as they lack sensitivity to God becoming one like us. They do not see through the eyes of faith. They choose not to know God.
Present yourself to God today. Dedicate and commit yourself to accepting Jesus as our loving Savior.
Today is 40 days from Christmas Day. We have all the hype of the Superbowl and Groundhog Day but also the Feast of the Purification of Mary and the Presentation of the Lord.
Which one of these celebrations is your priority and most important for your eternal salvation? I don’t think God cares who wins the game any more than if we have six more weeks of winter. But I know God cares about you and me and that is why he sent his Son.
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