OMELIE / Omelie EN

02 feb 2020

02/02/2020 - Presentation of the Lord

02/02/2020 - Presentation of the Lord

In Italy: Day for life

Reading 1, Ml 3,1-4 * Psalm 23 * Reading 2, HEB 2,14-18 * Gospel LK 2,22-40 

“Lift up, O gates, your lintels; reach up, you ancient portals, that the king of glory may come in”. In this way, among the readings, the Psalm is giving us the key to read and understand today’s mystery. The gates of the city, and inside it the portals of the temple, are invited to straighten up, to stand aside, because the One whom they were made for is arriving. Doors and thresholds are a symbol for those who are guarding them and those who are usually crossing them: all of them need to set aside thoughts and worries, because now is with us the one who is the true meaning of all the dimensions of life. People free and careful, like Simeon and Anna, full of love for God and desire of Him, see, now they are lifting their head and prepare themselves to let the child pass. There He is, the very Child carried in Mary's and Joseph's arms, a baby poor, so much so that Joseph brings the offer of the poor, He is taken “into his arms” by the old Simeon, who opens his arms to bless God and reveal that this child is salvation and light for all the people’s. Who did make him aware, who did reveal this secret to him? It was not Mary, nor Joseph, not even the shepherds that lingered close to their sheep. Jesus is the light that cannot remain hidden, but it has to to be put on the chandelier to shed light on the whole world. God’s spirit reveals to the little and the poor the secrets of the Father’s love. You know it as well: when you are little and you make yourself poor, then you can understand God's things, then are revealed to you the secrets hidden from the wise men of the world.

Simeon's and Anna's eyes can see now what “prophets and kings desired to see, but did not see it”: they can see and are blessed, so much so that they joy is overflowing. No joy is greater than this: in fact Simeon even says: “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace”. After meeting the Saviour, we do not need anything else, our life is full and perfect.

After Simeon great number of the martyrs have given testimony to the same thing, ready to die rather than giving up continuing, in the faith, the encounter with Jesus. Being Him a child or a grown man does not matter, He is the Saviour, He is the light of the life! Are witness of this also they who let go of the great things of the world in order to live and share this encounter: these are monks, hermits, those who are so even if they do not take on these titles, men and women happy to live with Jesus in their arms and in the heart. Despite being outside the world, these people are not useless for the world, on the contrary: they spread hope among all those who are or feel burdened by the weight of the sin that always weights on the earth. They tell in their silence and with their silence how important is in God’s eyes human life, even that of a child or of a person supposedly useless or absent.

Mary and Joseph are amazed, as they were amazed listening to the shepherds' story and the three wise men's homage. They are surprised that so many are part of their secret. We cannot be surprised: a God that can reveal the truth of the Son to the mother and the father, can He not find a way to reveal it to me too? Simeon speaks with his joy, and he speaks to the Mother too: he already knows the destiny of that Child’s life, that cannot be different from the one of all God's friends. Even more, the patriarchs' and the prophets' life is a prophecy for Him: He will be everyone’s blessing, but going through the troubled paths of rejection, of pain, of passion. This is what happened to Moses, the same to Elijah. And Anna says, to whom want to understand, that God shows His mysteries to whoever dedicate their life to Him, to whoever pray tirelessly, to whoever day and night live for Him. Certainly, he who is happy just with crossing himself or with saying three Hail Mary in an entire day, who limits his effort to taking part in the celebrations so-called “of obligation”, who uses the word “enough” after his short prayer, this person, even finding himself, so to speak, in front of the temple while the Lord is passing by, will not be aware of this, will not recognise Him.

The episode with Simeon and Anna as protagonists is also telling us about how precious is the life of a baby. Every baby deserves every attention, is light and glory of God, they can bring a piece of heaven on earth. Today we remember also this reality: every baby is the development of that small seed planted at conception. Who stops the development of that small beginning in the mother’s womb, they close the door of heaven, close the doors of life and light, and throw, in the world darkness and death. Today, life day, strongly we pray our God and Father, so He may give His light to those women who discover they are mothers: may they raise their forehead and welcome their child even if they see them as bringing worries and suffering, even if their life had started in sin. They will allow in this way God to give one of His children to the world. And God will reward them with His abundance of life.