February 2, 2020
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Today we celebrate the Presentation of the Lord commemorating the day on which Mary and Joseph took their child, Jesus, to the Temple to complete the required rituals for Him. Mary and Joseph were astounded at the recognition of their Son by Simeon and Anna who both spoke so highly of Him and His mission. In every Eucharistic celebration, we present ourselves to the Lord that we might be strengthened in Word and Sacrament to carry out our work as disciples. Our lighted candles this day mark the presence of the light of Christ within us.
At some point in our lives, we have probably all asked to do some sort of presentation. Wanting to be our best, we labor over what we will say and how we will say it. We worry about how we look and we worry about how we will be received. If we present ourselves to the Lord as His disciples, He gives us the power and the wisdom we need to evangelize the world and those around us. Each one of us becomes a living presentation of the Lord himself.
We present Jesus to others through our mercy and compassion, our dedication and devotion as well as the good we do for others. The challenge for us is to make sure we present Our Lord in all we are, say and do. We are to shine within and with the light of Christ through every task and endeavor. We are called to stay strong, to grow in wisdom and to let the favor of our God rest upon us. We not only present the Lord but we represent the Lord. May we strive to be the best presentation possible that we too are a light to the nations.