For many Catholics, the fourth joyful mystery of the holy Rosary – the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple – can be a difficult scene to meditate on. What’s the episode about, anyway? And what does it mean to us in our lives as modern-day Christians? 

In today’s Feast we contemplate the meeting point of the two Testaments, Old and New.  The Creator of the Law, in fulfillment of the Law, was brought to the Temple and presented to the Lord, in conformity with the rules laid down in the Old Testament. In the book of Exodus, the Lord said to Moses, “Consecrate to me all the first born; whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast is mine.” 

Jesus enters the ancient temple; he who is the new Temple of God: he comes to visit his people, thus bringing to fulfilment obedience to the Law and ushering in the last times of salvation. 

Take a closer look at this entrance of the Child Jesus into the solemnity of the temple. We will see the great comings and goings of many people, busy with their work: priests and Levites taking turns to be on duty, the numerous devout people and pilgrims anxious to encounter the Holy God of Israel. Yet none of them noticed anything out of the ordinary. Jesus was a child like the others, a first-born son of very simple parents. Even the priests proved incapable of recognizing the signs of the new and special presence of the Messiah and Savior. 

Only Simeon and Anna, two elderly people, notice the Holy Family. They recognize a new and special presence. These two are in love with God. Though their eyes are weakened by old age, they are still burning with the desire to see the Lord. They find fulfilment of their watchfulness, and their long wait comes to a joyful end.

This was the crossroads between the Old Testament and the New. Simeon represents the Old Testament, exemplified by men of righteousness and prophets who, in spite of all their doubts and searchings, entertained the firmest faith in what had been foretold of the promised salvation. The righteous Simeon took him up in his arms, and the Old and New Testaments stood together: the Old held in its arms and blessed the New. This was unity and continuity, a direct link and a development, the Law and the promised manifestation of the Grace of God as his only begotten Son, the Redeemer. Alone two elderly people, Simeon and Anna, discover this great newness.

Led by the Holy Spirit, in this child they find the fulfilment of their long waiting and watchfulness. They both contemplate the light of God that comes to illuminate the world.  and their prophetic gaze is opened to the future in the proclamation of the Messiah. The prophetic attitude of the two elderly people contains the entire old covenant which expresses the joy of the encounter with the redeemer. 

Our mental image of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple might include this fundamental symbol of light; the light that comes from Christ and shines on Mary and Joseph, on Simeon and Anna, and through them, on us. On Christ’s Face the light of such beauty shines forth. We are drawn to face of baby Jesus Christ in order to be confirmed in faith and to avoid being dismayed at his disfigured face on the Cross. In contemplating the Child Jesus, Simeon and Anna foresee his destiny of death and resurrection for the salvation of all peoples and they proclaim this mystery of universal salvation. Anna “spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem” and when Simeon blessed Mary and Joseph, their words amazed them.

Who have been the Simeons and Annas to you? Who has seen through the ordinariness and unimpressive to reveal Christ to you? Who has quietly but unexpectedly amazed you with their mentoring in pointing out God’s love and the actions of the Holy Spirit in the everydayness of your existence?

In our everyday temples of work, home, school, and church, we listen for the prompting of God’s Spirit, perceive his presence in the mundane, and live gracefully in constant expectation of his advent in our lives. We cultivate a heightened awareness of God’s presence that allows us to experience the transformative power of Christ daily. Maybe it’s something as simple as a reinvigorated thoughtfulness in praying the rosary, or an Anna and Simeon style examination of conscience wondering what glimpses of the Messiah we might have overlooked, or a new journey into scriptural reflection.

We too can be like Simeon and Anna, recognizing the extraordinary in the ordinary. When we do,  we fulfill the promises of the Old Testament and embrace the promise of the New, proclaiming the light of Christ to all we encounter.