20250202 THE MEANING OF CONSECRATION TO THE LORD
02 February 2025, Sunday, The Presentation of the Lord
First reading | Malachi 3:1-4 |
The Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple
The Lord God says this: Look, I am going to send my messenger to prepare a way before me. And the Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple; and the angel of the covenant whom you are longing for, yes, he is coming, says the Lord of Hosts. Who will be able to resist the day of his coming? Who will remain standing when he appears? For he is like the refiner’s fire and the fullers’ alkali. He will take his seat as refiner and purifier; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and then they will make the offering to the Lord as it should be made. The offering of Judah and Jerusalem will then be welcomed by the Lord as in former days, as in the years of old.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 23(24):7-10 |
Who is the king of glory? He, the Lord, he is the king of glory.
O gates, lift high your heads;
grow higher, ancient doors.
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Who is the king of glory? He, the Lord, he is the king of glory.
Who is the king of glory?
The Lord, the mighty, the valiant,
the Lord, the valiant in war.
Who is the king of glory? He, the Lord, he is the king of glory.
O gates, lift high your heads;
grow higher, ancient doors.
Let him enter, the king of glory!
Who is the king of glory? He, the Lord, he is the king of glory.
Who is he, the king of glory?
He, the Lord of armies,
he is the king of glory.
Who is the king of glory? He, the Lord, he is the king of glory.
Second reading | Hebrews 2:14-18 |
He took to himself descent from Abraham
Since all the children share the same blood and flesh, Christ too shared equally in it, so that by his death he could take away all the power of the devil, who had power over death, and set free all those who had been held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. For it was not the angels that he took to himself; he took to himself descent from Abraham. It was essential that he should in this way become completely like his brothers so that he could be a compassionate and trustworthy high priest of God’s religion, able to atone for human sins. That is, because he has himself been through temptation he is able to help others who are tempted.
Gospel Acclamation | Lk2:32 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The light to enlighten the Gentiles
and give glory to Israel, your people.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 2:22-40 |
My eyes have seen your salvation
When the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the Law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, – observing what stands written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord – and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is said in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.
Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to Israel’s comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said:
‘Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace,
just as you promised;
because my eyes have seen the salvation
which you have prepared for all the nations to see,
a light to enlighten the pagans
and the glory of your people Israel.’
As the child’s father and mother stood there wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected – and a sword will pierce your own soul too – so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.’
There was a prophetess also, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well on in years. Her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven years before becoming a widow. She was now eighty-four years old and never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer. She came by just at that moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.
When they had done everything the Law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. Meanwhile the child grew to maturity, and he was filled with wisdom; and God’s favour was with him.
THE MEANING OF CONSECRATION TO THE LORD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [MALACHI 3:1-4; HEBREWS 2:14-18; LUKE 2:22-40]
Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. It is also the day in which those in Consecrated Life renew their commitment to the Lord. What does it mean to renew our commitment to the Lord? In the first place, every priestly and religious vocation is a call. This call invites a response on our part, a free response given in faith. It is an offering of one’s life to the Lord. This is what it means when we say we are in Consecrated Life. Our life is given to God as our Lord’s was when He shared our humanity to the extent of offering His body unto death. “Since all the children share the same blood and flesh, Christ too shared equally in it, so that by his death he could take away all the power of the devil, who had power over death, and set free all those who had been held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death.” We must therefore ask ourselves whether we have been generous in offering our life, our time, energy and resources to our Lord and for the spread of the gospel by announcing the Good News and by works of charity.
This generosity is firstly expressed in our relationship with the Lord. Particularly for religious vocation, it is a call to an intimate relationship with the Lord and to walk in close discipleship. Relationship and discipleship spell out the primary demands of our commitment to the Lord. There can be no real ministry without first walking closely with Jesus. The scripture readings today underscore the need for encountering the Lord. In the first place, if we joined a religious order or responded to the call to priesthood, it must have taken place in the context of an encounter with the Lord. If the call is based on a rational calculation of the benefits and disadvantages of consecrating ourselves to religious life, not much different from anyone looking for a career, such a response is hardly considered a call. A call originates from a deep experience of Him calling us to service and to consecrated life, often inspired by the founder of the Religious Order.
Consequently, like marriage, we need to renew our relationship with the Lord not just once a year on the Presentation of the Lord or on the day of our religious vow. We must renew our relationship with Him daily and more intensely at certain times of the year. We must be careful not to fall into routine in our prayer life, whether in individual or community prayer. Day after day, we gather in community for our daily prayers, our lips are moving but our hearts are far away from what the psalms and the scripture are trying to inspire us. Such perfunctory recitation of our office will get us nowhere. We need to truly contemplate on what we say, what we read, or what we hear. Without contemplation, there will be no interior change in our lives and no intimate experience of the love and wisdom of God.
This is why the Lord said, “Look, I am going to send my messenger to prepare a way before me. And the Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple; and the angel of the covenant whom you are longing for, yes, he is coming, says the Lord of Hosts.” We must be ready to receive and welcome the Lord in His Temple. We need to come before the Lord with humble heart and be ready to leave aside our worries and anxieties so that we can rest in His love. The Lord urges us to “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Mt 11:28-30)
In the gospel, we have the examples of Simeon and Anna the prophetess. Both were filled with the Holy Spirit. Simeon “was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to Israel’s comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord.”
He was a contemplative, one who was in touch with God in the Spirit. He was not distracted by the temptations of the world and the Evil One. His eyes were focused on God and because he was alert to the movements of the Spirit, he was prompted by the Spirit and he came “to the Temple and he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said: ‘Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace, just as you promised; because my eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared for all the nations to see, a light to enlighten the pagans and the glory of your people Israel.'” Simeon found his peace and salvation in Christ.
So, too, was Anna, the prophetess. “She was well on in years. Her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven years before becoming a widow. She was now eighty-four years old and never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer.” She was not resentful of her widowhood when she was left a widow in the early years of her marriage. Instead, she spent her time serving God. She gave herself to the service of God, whether in marriage or in widowhood. For her commitment to the Lord, she too was given the grace to come “by just at that moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.”
The examples of Simeon and Anna are a good reminder not just for young religious in active apostolate, but also for those of our religious who because of age can no longer be in active apostolate. They are also important members of the community. Their usefulness is not measured in terms of active contribution to the community or to those whom the community serves. Rather, their quiet prayer and contemplation are valuable to the community as well. Instead of feeling useless or a burden to the community, they must know that God is calling them to a more contemplative life. We must be grateful to our elderly priests and religious and seek their advice and wisdom on matters pertaining to religious life and our apostolate. Their presence and contribution to the gospel is no less than others.
For those in active ministry, we must be ready like Mary and Joseph in offering our best and ourselves to the Lord. Simeon told “Mary his mother, ‘You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected – and a sword will pierce your own soul too – so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.” Mary did not simply just offer Jesus as her first-born son to the Lord in accordance with the Laws of the Lord, but she was forewarned what this would entail. We too must also be ready to suffer rejection, being misunderstood and opposed when we are in ministry. We must not think that ministry would be easy and smooth sailing. If we are not prepared, then some of us will become disillusioned and resentful of God, our leaders, our community and ourselves. Indeed, many religious who have a shallow relationship with the Lord lose the joy in their service or in community life. Instead of being empowered by their ministry and the community, they are burdened.
This is why it is not enough just to be guided by the Spirit; we need to be guided by the Law as well, just as Mary and Joseph were. “When the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the Law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, – observing what stands written in the Law of the Lord.” This is a reminder for us too, that it is important that we remain humble and docile to the will of God by being obedient to our superior. Surrendering our will in faith and in obedience is perhaps one of the greatest acts of self-offering to the Lord. When we want to insist on our ways, we are making ourselves the ultimate voice of the Lord. Rather, in humility and discernment with our superiors, we should seek God’s will for us in prayer and in faith when the decision is made.
As we celebrate the day for Consecrated Life today, let us truly make ourselves an act of offering to Him by giving ourselves firstly in prayer and relationship, and then be ready to take up the trials and sufferings of the apostolate. Most of all, let us pray for the gift of obedience, the final giving of ourselves to God as Jesus did in being obedient to the Father unto death. Doing His will ultimately is what consecration of our life is all about.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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