Feast of the Presentation of the Lord - February 2, 2025 (Year C)

"Man plans, God laughs."  Obviously, I need to pay more attention to the Liturgical Calendar instead of reading sequentially the Sundays of the year.   I found myself sitting there Sunday feeling a little silly as I opened the missal in church and saw the Feast for the Presentation.  So with my streak of two straight weekends without issue now at an end, I'll give a quick reflection on the Gospel reading for the Presentation.

This Gospel is one of the few insights into a "normal"* moment for Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, as they are fulfilling their religious obligation as parents.  It's one of those little moments that reminds me that even Jesus and the Holy Family were subject to God's plan for worship that had been laid out and developed throughout the centuries of practice in Israel.  I cannot imagine the internal conflicts in Joseph and Mary, as they are knowing of Jesus's ultimate destiny and who He is, at least partially, and yet, like any parent, I'm sure they also what Him to have the normal and happy life of a first century Jewish boy.  We all know how the story turns out ultimately, but the perspective offered by this little window into Jesus' early life is truly helpful in relating everyday life back to Jesus and holding those religious duties and events as important in our communities.



*Side note: I put normal in quotations because it felt weird to label anything about Jesus as normal without some sort of disclaimer.

Disclaimer: This will be at the bottom of all reflections, but I’m not intending to put out any sort of professional critique, attempt at a homily, or investigation into the historicity of the readings, but will “let the Spirit move me” as some say, to share what has spoken to me in my reading and reflection on the set of Readings for each week. 

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