Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

When Mary and Joseph bring the baby Jesus to the Temple to fulfill the commands of the Law and present the Child to God by offering the prescribed sacrifice for the redemption of the firstborn, Simeon and Anna are present. Both of them, advanced in years, worship and glorify God. They already know, rich in the experience of long life, that they have received everything from God, and everything belongs to Him, and that He fulfills the promises made to man.

This truth reached me slowly, and the gesture of Mary and Joseph bringing the Child into the temple still reminds me of the sacrament of Holy Baptism. It is then that the children are brought by their parents to the church in order to receive the grace of God's childhood in the community of believers.

My Godmother (Rest in Peace) told me, that during my Baptism, when she held me in her arms, she thought that she would never, give me to anyone. I said to her that it was then that she gave me away; she was silent. And I realized then that I had actually been given to God and no longer belonged to myself, to my family, or to the community. From that moment on, the day of my Baptism, is the greatest Holiday.

First of all, I belong to God. I am His child, and He cares for me through those who He puts in my path: parents, siblings, friends, community. And so, it is with each of us believers. Once Offered to God, we belong to Him, and He cares for us as He cared for the Lord Jesus when He lived on earth.

But do I remember that? And am I grateful like Simeon and Anna?

Thought from Saint Faustina:

“Thank You, O God, for all the graces,

Which unceasingly You lavish upon me,

Graces which enlighten me with the brilliance of the sun,

For by them You show me the sure way.

Thank You, O Lord, for creating me,

For calling me into being from nothingness,

For imprinting Your divinity on my soul,

The work of sheer merciful love.

Thank You, O god, for Holy Baptism

Which engrafted me into Your family,

A gift great beyond all thought or expression.

Which transforms my soul. (Diary 1286)

“Divine Mercy, in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, I trust in You”. (Diary 949)

Until Tomorrow

fr. george