Friends, today’s Gospel concludes Luke’s account of the presentation of the infant Jesus in the temple.
The sins of the nation had, according to the prophet Ezekiel, caused the glory of the Lord to depart from the temple. And when Joseph and Mary bring the infant Jesus into the temple, we are meant to understand that the prophecy of Ezekiel is being fulfilled.
At the climax of his life, this baby, now come of age, would enter the temple again. This time, he would pass judgment on it and declare his own body as the new temple. A few days later, on the cross, he would perform the final temple sacrifice, offering himself to the Father, even as he bore the sins of the human race. In this great act of temple worship, he would bring all of his human brothers and sisters, down through the ages, back online with him.
The presentation of Jesus in the temple, perfected on the cross, is re-presented every time the Mass is celebrated. The Mass involves the offering of Jesus’ Body and Blood to the Father. The presentation of the Lord goes on now in our churches, in our temples.