02/02/2022 – Presentation of the Lord

Today’s feast is a jewel with many facets. First and foremost we venerate the Presentation, the fourth mystery of the Joyful mysteries. When the Infant Jesus was forty days old, Joseph and Mary brought Him, in accordance with the law, to the Temple in Jerusalem to offer him to God His Father. Think of the centuries of sacrifice in the Temple, finally for the first time, a worthy offering is being made to the Father, the offering of the God the Son. The offering of Jesus at the Presentation, will be completed on nearby Calvary 33 years later. Immediately upon offering her Infant Son, Our Lady is told by Simeon of the Sword of Sorrow that must pierce her heart. A suffering she will bear through the intervening years. A suffering we share and therefore lighten by praying her rosary daily.We also think of Joseph, this First Wednesday of the month, which is dedicated to him, and the joy of the privilege of being able to offer Jesus, the perfect gift to God, and the sorrow he would have experienced knowing that his beloved spouse Mary was to bear the sword of sorrow.