"Open the Gates to Your Heart"
(a reflection on Luke 2:22-40 – Presentation of the Lord)
by:
Deacon Paul Rooney
[Note: I am indebted
to the thoughts of Pope John Paul II and Fr. Tom Shanahan.]
Those of you
who have put a few years behind you will remember that this Feast used to be
called "Candlemas Day," in the old church calendar. This was the day
that the priest would bless all of the beeswax candles that people 
brought, for
their use during the rest of the year.
(I can still remember the days when my Mother would light one of these
blessed beeswax candles, every time there was a storm.) In Church, after the blessing of candles,
there would also be a procession of candles.
The light of candles both
large and small is a symbol of Christ,
the true Light who came to enlighten
his people, and all peoples. So
today's feast is connected to Christmas and Epiphany. But it also serves as a bridge to Easter by recalling the prophecy of the elderly Simeon,
who on that occasion foretold the
dramatic destiny of the Messiah and his Mother.
brought, for
their use during the rest of the year.
(I can still remember the days when my Mother would light one of these
blessed beeswax candles, every time there was a storm.) In Church, after the blessing of candles,
there would also be a procession of candles.
The light of candles both
large and small is a symbol of Christ,
the true Light who came to enlighten
his people, and all peoples. So
today's feast is connected to Christmas and Epiphany. But it also serves as a bridge to Easter by recalling the prophecy of the elderly Simeon,
who on that occasion foretold the
dramatic destiny of the Messiah and his Mother.
For me
personally, I think our Responsorial Psalm sums up today's entire Liturgy of
the Word very nicely. It is taken from
Psalm 24, and has this verse that is
repeated: "Lift up, O gates, your lintels; reach up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may come in!" In case that word "lintels" is not
in your daily vocabulary, it refers to the piece of wood or other material that
lies at the top of the doorway or gateway entrance. The message is this: "Get
out of the way, all you obstacles that prevent this gate from being raised up."
Well, what
about the gateway to our hearts? Have we
placed obstacles in the way, so that Jesus is prevented from helping us? Is there any unforgiveness or grudges
lingering in our heart? Those obstacles
must be removed. We are called daily to
repentance and conversion, throughout our entire life!
I am
reminded of the words of Pope John Paul II.
He asks us to do what Simeon and Anna did: take Jesus from the arms of his most holy Mother, and bring him to everyone. Proclaim
him by your life. This is what the
deacon asks you to do when he dismisses you at the end of the Mass, when he
says, "Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life."
Pope John
Paul II also said, "Be light and
comfort to everyone you meet. Like
lighted candles, burn with the love of Christ. Spend yourselves for him, spreading the Gospel of his love everywhere. Through your witness the eyes of many men and women
of our time will also be able to see
the salvation prepared by God."
I also
remember Fr. Tom Shanahan saying that this feast of the Presentation of Jesus
in the Temple is a wonderful celebration for the liturgical period we call Ordinary Time. We discover Jesus being presented in the Temple in all
his ordinariness. Just a
helpless baby, and his parents are poor.
Then, after their encounter with Simeon and Anna, they leave Jerusalem
and return to Nazareth. We don't know
much about the next 30 years, because Jesus lives a life that is “hidden” and ordinary. Only after this long
30-year period does Jesus open the public dimension of his life. But
until then, his life is quite ordinary
and hidden. The hidden, ordinary life of Jesus is more than just
preparation for his public life. In the hidden life we discover how Jesus
fully enters into our ordinary human
life. Most of our lives are ordinary; and so the hidden life of Jesus is
instructive for us.
Jesus teaches us above all that the extraordinary is found right in the ordinary. His was indeed an extraordinary life from beginning to end. It was extraordinary precisely because of his faithfulness to the ordinary occurrences and events of life.
Jesus teaches us above all that the extraordinary is found right in the ordinary. His was indeed an extraordinary life from beginning to end. It was extraordinary precisely because of his faithfulness to the ordinary occurrences and events of life.
This could be a prayer for each one of us:
"Good and gracious Lord, let me see that you are found in the ordinary, everyday events of my life. Let me consider my everyday life, with all of its joys and sorrows, as crucially important because that is where I experience your life-giving presence. Help me to be thankful for the lessons that you teach through your “hidden” life and your faithfulness to the ordinary."
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Photo credits:
Candlemas = http://archivalmoments.ca/
Simeon and Holy Family = www.stbarsaumochurch.com
That is a powerful prayer. I love Psalm 24 "Lift up, O gates, your lintels; reach up, you ancient portals, that the king of glory may come in!" but you deepened it for me with your very practical "Get out of the way, all you obstacles that prevent this gate from being raised up." Now whenever I read it will pray for those obstacles to be removed!
ReplyDeleteGod bless!