From the Gospel according to Luke
2:22-35

When the days were completed for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord,
just as it is written in the law of the Lord,
Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,
and to offer the sacrifice of
a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,
in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:

“Lord, now let your servant go in peace;
your word has been fulfilled:
my own eyes have seen the salvation
which you prepared in the sight of every people,
a light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of your people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
(and you yourself a sword will pierce)
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Towards the Temple

Marriage is not simply a human project of living together, but a “Primordial Sacrament” in which the love of husband and wife makes the invisible love of God visible.

To present our “project of love” in the Temple (as Mary and Joseph did) means recognising that our union does not belong to us, but is a mission that God carries out through our bodies and our souls.

We often treat our marriage like a career plan or a list of objectives. Instead, when we see it as a gift received, presenting that project is saying to God: “You are the author of our story,” and we are merely the stewards of this love.

Simeon announces a sword. In marriage, that sword must cut through our selfishness and our purely human expectations, so that love may mature and become total self-giving. God’s plan within us is often greater — and more demanding — than our own comfort.

Spouses are able to tell a divine story. Our physical self-giving and our daily life are the “language” through which God speaks to the world — a sign of contradiction in a society where love is proposed as an exchange of selfishness, causing so much suffering.

Brought into Married Life:

James: Margaret, I realise that these past few days I’ve been very tense, trying to make “our” project turn out perfectly. I’ve been treating our marriage as if it were a business that I alone have to keep afloat.

Margaret: I understand. I feel that we too have forgotten that we are not two people “using” one another to be happy, but two people who “give themselves” as a sign of God’s love. Are we presenting our future in the Temple — or are we conditioning it according to our own will?

James: That’s true. Mary and Joseph offered Jesus knowing that He was not “theirs”. It strikes me deeply that Simeon tells them He will be a “sign of contradiction.” I think our project of love is not to have the perfect life that Instagram expects, but to be that sign of faithful love which the world no longer believes exists.

Margaret: That is the “sword” for us now, isn’t it? It hurts to let go of control and accept that God’s plan for us may include sacrifices we didn’t plan. But if we offer our lives — our bodies, our time — as an offering in the Temple, then we no longer have to carry the burden of “being successful.” We only have to be faithful.

James: Then let us do what they did. Lord, we present our marriage to You. It is not ours; it is Yours. Grant us Simeon’s light to recognise Your presence in our daily life, and Mary’s strength to accept that Your plan is always better than our sense of security.

Mother,

May our love also be “a light to enlighten the nations.” Praise be to God!