December 31, 2023
Mary and Joseph bring the Baby Jesus to be offered in the Temple. This event gives us two simple but profound examples for our lives.
Key Points
- What is the example that Mary and Joseph give?
- This is first for parents, but extends to all.
- How can we be His light in a dark world when we also are sinners?
- The example that Jesus gives shows us how.
- What is Marian Consecration?
This is a computer-generated transcription that has been included to make the homily searchable. It has not been verified by the author.
“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, just as it is written in the law of the Lord, every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord.” What does the Lord want to teach us today through this passage on this feast of the Holy Family? I want to focus on two simple lessons, two simple but profound lessons. The first is a lesson from Mary and Joseph. And so this is a lesson first of all, for parents on this feast of the Holy Family, but it’s a lesson that can serve for anybody, especially if we’re dealing with persons who are suffering, or for dealing with persons who don’t know the love of the Lord. And so what do we see in this gospel? In the Gospel is that they’re, Mary and Joseph, are accomplishing the law, and what they’re doing is bringing Jesus to the temple. And so that’s already a very significant lesson. They’re bringing their child to Jesus. And just that simple, that simple. gesture, is a great teaching in that, and the call of parents to bring their children to the Lord and they can do that. They can lead them to the Lord, by their words, by their example, by their love. And, also, they can do that by their prayer, by their prayer, they can, at any time, and in any way, bring a person to the Lord, bring the person spiritually to the Lord. And it’s often parents suffer because they look back and they feel that they could have done more. And, also, they suffer because, especially today, so many of the children and grandchildren wander away from the Lord. So there’s that pain, there’s that pain, of wanting to bring the child to the Lord, but already just the will to bring a child to Lord is very valuable. And so that for parents, with their children, but actually for any relationship that the Lord has given us. You know, there’s a lot of sophisticated, complicated teaching about relationships. But here we’re getting a very simple but deep guide, to bring the other person to Jesus, to the Lord, rather to the Lord. And so that’s the first, that’s part of the first lesson that Mary and Joseph give us. But then they don’t just bring the child to the Lord, but according to the law, they offer the child to their Lord. It says, The law says, every male that opens the womb, shall be consecrated to the Lord. And so what this gesture is helping the parents not to be possessive and thinking that the child belongs first of all to them, but recognizing, on the contrary, that the child belongs, first of all, to the Lord. It’s the child of the Lord, that the Lord has confided to them to confide it to their care, but the child belongs, first of all, to God. And so that’s also a very profound lesson that parents are being taught. And as I say, it’s first of all for parents, but it’s good for any relationship, any relationship that Lord gives us to realize that the person that we love belongs first of all, to God, and to free us from selfishness, and possessiveness in relationships. And in this effort to bring a person to the Lord, and to offer them to the Lord. So that’s an opportunity to offer the Lord, the sacrifices, and the suffering, that for instance, the sacrifices and suffering, that the parents experience, whereas they tried to raise their children, and so offering their sacrifices to the Lord. So that’s one sense is offering to the Lord our sacrifices for the child, or for whatever whoever the person is. And also, it has the sense of entrusting the child to the Lord. Because there’s not only the danger of possessiveness but there’s also all the concerns that parents have for their children, and in a world which is full of dangers. And so it’s also an opportunity for the parents to entrust their children to the Lord and recognize that that the children belong to the Lord in that act of interest that draws graces upon the child. And as I said, this can be for the child, and it can be for any relationship. And so there’s all this, all this meaning, and all this lesson, in this act of bringing to the Lord and offering the child to the Lord. That’s something that we can do in this Mass right now, during this Mass, and especially at that very key moment of Mass, which is the offertory. When the priest is raising up the bread, and the wine, that’s an opportunity for us to offer are our children or anybody that we have a special responsibility for, offer them for the Lord, offer our sacrifices for them, and entrust them to God’s care. So those are lessons that we can learn from this action of Joseph and Mary, fulfilling the love the Lord. And then the second part, I mean, the child Jesus being carried by Mary to the temple. So how can we do this, that Simeon talks about Jesus called to be the light for the nations and the glory of Israel. And Jesus wants us to continue His role of being light for the world that’s bringing the glory of the Lord to our world. But how can we do that? When the world is so difficult? And all of us are sinners? How can we fulfill our mission for this world when we’re so weak ourselves? And so that’s why I think this example of the Child Jesus is so important. Remember, when God gave the laws to Israel, that it is especially it, especially in Jesus and the Holy Family, that we see the fulfillment of that law. And so we see that as Jesus has been carried by His mother to the temple, that it’s not just something that they were doing to fulfill the law. But that’s a manifestation of God’s divine will and God’s teaching. What I mean by that, that Jesus, who is God Himself, but He willed to be carried by His mother, to the Lord. And so that reminds us of what is this grace that many, many saints have experienced that, that we speak of the consecration to our Lord, by our Blessed Mother, and through our Blessed Mother, that is entrusting ourselves to our Blessed Mother. And the more little and humble we are, the more she can act. So even if we become aware of our sins, instead of letting that discourage us, it can help us be more little, more humble, so she can act more at our lives. And so this is an opportunity to learn to trust her, we know that Jesus at the cross entrusted St. John and through St. John entrusted each one of us to our Blessed Mother, so that she can be the mother of all of us. But the more we accept her as our mother, the more she can be our mother, that is, the more we willingly choose her and entrust ourselves to her, the more she can play that role. And so I wanted to read you a little passage from the book of the Marian movement of priests, and this passage was given on this feast of the Holy Family, in 1989. Actually, I don’t remember if it is the Feast of the Holy Family or the Feast of the presentation. It says, “This is why today, when many are falling into the darkness of sin and death.” So this is a meditation of our Blessed Mother. “I am helping you to my strong presence in your midst, to live in the grace of God, so that you also can share at the very life of the Lord Jesus in these dark times of the Great Tribulation. If you do not allow yourselves to be carried in my arms, if you do not allow yourselves to be carried in my arms.” So that’s what Jesus Himself, of course, is giving us the example in this gospel, but she’s saying that this is something that all of us can live, to be carried in her arms. So she says, “with filial abandonment, so with a childlike abandonment, and with great docility, it is difficult for you to succeed at escaping the subtle snares, which my adversary sets for you. His seductions, the seductions of the evil one have become so dangerous and subtle, that hardly anyone any longer succeeds in escaping them.” So calling our attention to how subtle are the temptations, which is ensnared almost everybody today, “you are running in the great danger of falling into the seduction, which my adversary is setting for you, in order to draw you away from Jesus and from me.” So remember, that’s what Mary and Joseph are giving an example of bringing to the Lord. And satan does the opposite. He tries to draw us away from the Lord. “All can fall into this trap. Priests and even bishops can fall into it, the faithful and even those consecrated can fall into it. The simple and even the learned can fall into it, the disciples and even the masters can fall into it.” So how can we escape a trap which is so subtle and powerful. So she gives a very simple answer. “Those who will never fall into it, who, as little children, consecrate themselves to my Immaculate Heart, and allow themselves to be carried in my motherly arms.” So that’s precisely the example that Jesus has given, that he chose to become a little child who would be carried by His mother. And that’s part of the gospel, He’s given us that lesson, to teach us to become also as little children who accept to be carried. So I want to read that to you again. So because our Blessed Mother sees the situation so much more clearly than we do. And satan’s snares are so subtle, that we can easily fall into them. But she’s, she knows what will protect us. And so she says, “They will never fall into it, who as little children, so with a humble spirit, as little children, consecrate themselves to my Immaculate Heart, and allow themselves to be carried in my immaculate arms. As of now, it will become ever clearer and clearer to the Church and to the world, that the little flock, which in these years of the Great Apostasy,” so she’s speaking of the Great Tribulation, and the Great Apostasy, the great falling away from the faith, “that in these years of the Great Apostasy, the little flock, which will remain faithful to Jesus, and to His gospel, will be entirely protected, in the motherly enclosure of my Immaculate Heart.” So in these difficult, complicated times, she has not given us a complicated, a complicated thing to do, she has given us a very simple thing to do, to lead and trust ourselves to her, so that she can carry us. And again, I emphasize that satan is so complicated, and it complicates everything so that we’re so confused and don’t know what to do. And so just kind of stand and wandering days. And so she’s telling us something very simple, but very effective, to consecrate ourselves to her as our mother, so that she can carry us in our path to Jesus, to let her help us and bring us to the Lord. And so now this Mass is off also an opportunity for us to offer ourselves to the Lord, through entrusting ourselves through our Blessed Mother. And so during this Mass, we can ask Mary to be our mother, with the intercession of St. Joseph. And she can help us also carry all those that we that we have in our hearts, all those who we have a responsibility for. And so we can confide these persons, confide all our responsibilities with her to the Lord. So in this Mass, it’s an opportunity to offer ourselves, our desires, our life, our crosses, and our pain, with Jesus to the Father, in union with our Blessed Mother, for the salvation of souls. Amen.
KEYWORDS / PHRASES
Luke 2:22-40