Homily Feast of the Presentation (2021) “What a Great Gift to Share”
Homily Feast of the Presentation (2021) “What a Great Gift to Share”
I always leave my Christmas Creche up until the Feast of the Presentation. It seems like if Lent can be a 40-day period then Christmas should be as well. How can we reflect too much on the mystery of the Incarnation?
The events that are written about in this Gospel show that Jesus was human in every way. Joseph and Mary did not treat him differently than any other child. They were two simple believers who felt that they had something that they wanted to pass on to Jesus. The treasure that they wanted to give to Jesus was Jewish faith, so they dedicated Jesus to God at the temple.
We often forget that Jesus was Jewish his whole life. He practiced his faith conscientiously. He never stopped being Jewish. If we want to understand our Christianity, the more we understand about the Jewish faith the better. There are may similarities between the two religions. The fact that the Old Testament is our holy book is a starting point.
In the last lines in today’s Gospel, we read “The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.” Where did the wisdom Jesus was filled with come from? It came from the education he received. He was taught like every Jewish boy about truths of the Jewish faith. The way it sounds, he relished what he was taught and rejoiced in it.
Perhaps this is a message that Catholic parents need to hear today. It seems that many times Catholic parents question whether they should Baptize their children. Perhaps they feel like children should choose their own faith when they get old enough. If a parent feels like the faith is a great gift to share why would they not want to baptize their children?
Reflection Questions:
- Am I glad that I was baptized as a child? Why or why not?
- If I was not baptized as a child, but came to the faith later in life, do I feel like I missed something? Or do I feel like I am a better Catholic?
Dear Parishioners,
I had a parish member ask me the other day if they needed to go to confession before they return to Mass. They, like many of our parishioners have not been to Mass the last year. They feel that it is safer to come to Mass now since many people are receiving the COVID 19 vaccine.
If you are in this situation, please remember that there has been no Sunday Mass obligation this last year. The bishops dispensed Catholics from this. There has been nothing sinful about not going to Sunday Mass. The motivation for not going was to avoid getting sick and to avoid spreading illness.
There may be other reasons to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I would remind everyone that we have confessions from 3 to 3:45 every Saturday. You can also call Fr. Matthew or myself for an appointment.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you today.
Fr. Mark