Sunday, February 04, 2007
Presentation of Our Lord to the Temple
Forty days after Jesus was born, Jesus was presented to the Temple* by his mother Mary and Joseph as part of the customary purification rite of the mother and offering of the first born to the Temple. In their poverty they were only able to sacrifice two turtle-doves for Him. Mysterious because God was offered to God's House.
Rather than say more about this wonderous event myself, here is an interesting sermon on the event. Quote:
*Temple with a capital T because there was only one, different from the local synagogue. God was present there in a special way, in the Holy of Holies.
Rather than say more about this wonderous event myself, here is an interesting sermon on the event. Quote:
Remember the words of St. Paul:
“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich (II Cor. 8:9).”
The implications of this are very deep, and very profound. It is a picture of the mystery of the Incarnation itself, that the One Who did not grasp onto His own equality with God, but became a man, Who humbled Himself in obedience as a servant unto the death of the cross, is the One to Whom every knee shall rightly bow, and Who shall be called Lord on every tongue, at the mention of His human name, the name of Jesus. Here He was, noble and the heir to the throne of David, yet poor. Here He was, true man yet very God. Here He was, the Lord Who had suddenly come to His temple, yet a new born babe, without power, and without wealth.
...
The wisdom of God contradicts everything that a fallen and sinful world holds dear. It contradicts the wisdom of the wise, the might of the powerful, the haughtiness of kings, the wealth of riches. “He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble and meek; He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich He hath sent empty away.”...
Gods has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are powerful, and the foolish things of the world to confound the things which are wise; so wrote St. Paul. The true victory that banishes oppression from the world, and overturns all of the power of evil, was accomplished by a naked and wounded, beaten and humiliated man, breathing His last breath nailed to cross, as a spectacle of all that appears to be weak and powerless. In His humility and obedience to the Father, His submission to the will of God in giving His life, he is the One true hero Who breaks all of the power of Satan, and liberates the whole world from sin and death.Via Mere Comments.
*Temple with a capital T because there was only one, different from the local synagogue. God was present there in a special way, in the Holy of Holies.
# posted by Mahsheed : 11:51 PM
