As he did on the walls of our Livingroom, my father wrote catchphrases and dates on the wall of his own bedroom. February 2, 1946 was a remarkable date on the wall by his bedside. It reminded him of his greatest regret or failure in life. That was the date he took the London General Certificate Exam (GCE), which he needed to pass in order to go to Cambridge England to train as a physician. The missionaries who evangelized our town had got the scholarship for just two boys from our entire province. Over 700 boys took the exams. He didn’t pass. Two other brilliant boys—he told us—did better than him. He went on to train as a teacher, retiring as a school principal. Fast forward to 1995: that was the year my brother graduated as Doctor of Pharmacy from a New York University. My father, that day, sang his “Nunc Dimittis,” like the holy man, Simeon. After my brother’s graduation, he wiped off the date on the wall by his bedside.
Today’s feast known in the liturgy as the Presentation of the Lord marks the revelation of the Lord as He enters His Temple. The Eastern Orthodox Church calls it the feast of “Encounter.” Coming forty days after the birth of the Lord, today’s feast naturally concludes the feast of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) with the traditional Candlemas, and marks the Purification of Mary, as common, according to the law, for all Jewish women after childbirth. The candle procession proclaims Christ as the Light of the World, that bursts into the world to illumine its darkness. The purification shows Mary as a true child of Israel, obedient to the law—for though she knew that she had nothing to purify, having remained a virgin, before, during, and after the birth of her Son—she nevertheless, submitted to the dictates of the law. The purification thus marked a renewal of Mary’s total self-offering to the Lord. This accounts for why today is celebrated as World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life, established by John Paul II in 1997 to pray for all religious men and women.
The first reading from the prophet Malachi paints a profound picture of the Lord’s encounter with His people: "I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me; and suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord who you seek" (Mal 3:1). John the Baptist was the Precursor and the messenger who prepared the way before Him. Malachy uses the adverb “suddenly” to introduce the coming of the Lord into His temple. The interval between Malachi and the Christ wasn’t that sudden—516 years. But the prophecy was more about the Precursor of Christ, John the Baptist. Hence, barely six months after the birth of John, the God-man suddenly enters His temple in full view of those who were awaiting Him. It marked the fulfilment of the prophesies and brought exceeding gladness to an old holy man, Simeon, and a righteous prophetess, Anna, who rejoiced to see the inauguration of man’s salvation. (This was like my father waiting another 49 years for his son to become a doctor).
The visit ended on a bitter-sweet note with Simeon prophesy: “This child is destined for the rise and fall of many in Israel, and to be a sign of contradiction; and a sword will pierce your heart, so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare” (Lk 2: 34-35). St. Cyril of Alexandria saw this ‘sign of contradiction’ as a noble cross, just as Paul wrote to the Corinthians ‘a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles’ (1 Cor 1:23). It is a sign of contradiction in the sense that those who reject it will reveal their foolishness, while salvation and life will become the inheritance of those who recognize its power [the cross]. St. John Paul II also taught that, ‘Simeon's words seem like a second Annunciation to Mary, for they tell her of the actual historical situation in which the Son is to accomplish His mission, namely, in misunderstanding and sorrow’ (Redemptoris Mater, 16). May we welcome Him today and let His light illumine our darkness.
Fr. Chukwudi Jo Okonkwo