Today, we celebrate the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. In Traditional Latin mass, today is the end of the celebration of Christmas. For the Eastern Church, it is the Feast of the Encounter between the old Simeon and the most awaited Messiah, the Infant Jesus, who was presented according to the custom of the Law by Joseph and Mary at the temple. Aside from these I have mentioned, during the pontificate of St. Pope John Paul II, he instituted this “World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life” attached to this feast of the Presentation of the Lord in 1997. This special event in the life of those consecrated defines their life according to Jesus being consecrated by the Father to fulfill His mission to the world. All Christians are consecrated in baptism but for the few, called to the priesthood and religious life, we professed our evangelical vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in order to perfectly free ourselves to serve God and His Church.
The Most Rev. Prior General, Alejandro Moral-Anton, OSA reminds all the Augustinians all over the world that we must sincerely “give thanks to God for His bestowed gift of vocation to Religious Life and continuously affirm our charism as an important enrichment to the whole Church.” He calls on everyone that aside from asking God for our personal needs, we too must “ask forgiveness for our shortcomings, mistakes, personal and community faults.” Living out our own calling to Religious Life, is indeed an expression of our willingness to continue God’s love in the world by our way of life, reaching out to others, inviting others, and attracting others unto a relationship or encounter with God.
The first reading from the Prophet Malachi speaks of the coming of the messenger who will be like a refiner’s fire. This fiery messenger’s coming is to cleanse the entire community; this implies that the messenger of Malachi 3:1-4 is God’s answer to the community’s decisive resolves to these endless arguments, bickering and fractured relationships which, our Prior General of the Order, requests to heed his call for asking forgiveness and reconciliation. It is our primary task to accomplish effectively our duty being called also as messengers of the Lord.
The gospel taken from the evangelist Luke narrates the story about the Presentation of the Lord, which is not found in the other three evangelists, Mark, Matthew, and John. It is unique story written by Luke to remind us that before the Apostles having knowledge about the Holy Spirit, Simeon and Anna already filled with the Holy Spirit in fulfillment of the promised of God that they too would be encountering Jesus in their lifetime. They were among the very first to receive such inspiration because they were chosen instruments in the fulfillment of the plan of salvation. These faithful, holy servants of God in the temple patiently waiting to see Jesus in person. Simeon by his words and Anna by her actions testify to the world that the savior has come. And now ready to depart peacefully from this earthly life, they have truly encountered the Lord.
This particular celebration of the Lord’s Presentation speaks to us the following spiritual treasures:
First, the moment we receive the Holy Spirit, we are actually favored with the knowledge that we would certainly encounter the Lord. Many moments of retrospection, our own disposition and decision we have made in life become a source of joy, peace and gratitude. Personally, my own vocation to Religious Life testifies to the fact that the Holy Spirit led me to enjoy the calling God gifted me which I embrace with much gratitude.
Second, the given inside knowledge of the Holy Spirit brings peace in me. For St. Augustine, we cannot choose peace unless it is given. It is important to think that our own restless lead us to a higher order which is virtuous when we submit ourselves to be fully aware of our choice for God. That is the very reason why St. Augustine wrote this famous sentence at the beginning of his Confessions: : “Our hearts are restless and will not rest until they find rest in You,” (cor nostrum inquietum est donc requiescat in Te). Therefore, the acquisition of peace transforms our own being restlessness when we actually direct our lives to God and in which we choose to live the “the order of love” (virtus est ordo amoris) according to the experience and testimony of St. Augustine.
Third, like Simeon and Anna recognizing Jesus as the promised one. Our own human experience in the world, we become catalysts for others to recognize Jesus as revealed or made present by others the way we live through our own spiritual life. Likewise, I must live in accordance to my life as an Augustinian religious. I need to make Jesus be present in the world and to the people around me, to the community by the quality of life I have chosen.
Today, let us bear in mind that God has a plan of salvation for all peoples who know and love and follow Christ Our Lord. The last verse of the Gospel reading hints in a single sentence how we must be aware to unite ourselves to Jesus, when the scriptures say, “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.”
God bless us, especially those who are called to different categories of Consecrated Life.
Fr. Arlon, osa
