The Presentation of the Lord
Gospel: Luke 2:22-40
Following the Example of Jesus ‘Parents, Conforming to God’s Holy Will

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. The Gospel according to Saint Luke tells us: “When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord” (Luke 2:22).

If we carefully consult Scripture, we find in the Law of Moses these words: “When a woman gives birth to a male child, she shall be unclean for seven days, with the same uncleanness as during her menstrual period. On the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised” (Leviticus 12:2-3). And again, the same book records: “When the days of her purification are completed—whether for a son or a daughter—she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a year-old lamb for a holocaust offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. If she cannot afford a lamb, she may take two turtledoves or two pigeons: one for a holocaust offering and the other for a sin offering” (cf. Leviticus 12:6-8). Today, the Holy Family of Nazareth, in obedience to the Law of Moses, offered simple gifts to God (cf. Luke 2:21-24), setting for us an example of humility and conformity to His will. For this reason, in our lives, we must always remain humble, ever ready to fulfil God’s holy will, just as Abraham was prepared to do.

In fact, in Jesus’ time, many people lived like Simeon—under Roman rule, in a world of suffering and turmoil. They longed for a political leader to deliver them from such conditions. Thus, when Simeon, moved by the Holy Spirit, recognized the salvation that God had promised Israel, he could not help but praise God. To this day, the universal Church sings this beautiful canticle of Simeon in the Liturgy of the Hours, Similarly, in our world today, many suffer under the weight of sin or the pressures of life, longing for relief from earthly pain. By nature, they, like us, desire liberation from present sorrows. Simeon embraced the incarnate Christ in his arms and praised the God of Israel in a way he deemed fitting, setting for us an example of praising God in all circumstances. We too must, like Simeon, open our arms to receive “the true light that enlightens everyone” (John 1:9) into our hearts. Through penance and prayer, let us guard this new light, so that we may always live in its radiance, no longer dwelling in the shadow of death brought on by sin.

Today, the Church celebrates the Presentation of the Lord, calling us to imitate the Blessed Virgin Mary and her chaste spouse Saint Joseph, Simeon and Anna, and above all, Jesus Christ, who always cantered His life on the Father’s will. Let us, like them, fully commit ourselves to God, offering all that we are and have.

Almighty ever-living God, we humbly implore your majesty that, just as your Only Begotten Son was presented on this day in the Temple in the substance of our flesh, so, by your grace, we may be presented to you with minds made pure. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.Amen.

©Totus Tuus 2026
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica