“To Present Him to the Lord”

The Feast of the Presentation and the World Day of Consecrated Life, Feb. 2

By Br. Stephen J., MIC

On Feb. 2 we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, which, in the old liturgical calendar, marked the end of the Christmas season. We rejoice with the aged Simeon and the prophetess Anna, and relive the amazement of Mary and Joseph at the incredible testimony to their Son’s destiny. The joy is mixed with pain, however (as joy in this world usually is): The circumcision of the Infant Jesus is the first time His Precious Blood is shed, and Simeon prophesies that it will not be the last time.

Indeed, three deaths are predicted in today’s Gospel: Simeon accepts his own forthcoming death and predicts that of Jesus, but as Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, indicates in his book, Consecration to St. Joseph, Simeon also hints at the death of Joseph when he addresses his prophecy, “you yourself a sword will pierce,” to Mary only.

Mingled pain and joy
In 1997, Pope St. John Paul II declared Feb. 2 the World Day of Consecrated Life. This followed the publication of his apostolic exhortation on the consecrated life, Vita Consecrata (The Consecrated Life; VC). The life of consecrated religious, like this feast, is marked by mingled pain and joy: the pain of penance and self-denial in imitation of Christ’s Passion, and the joy of His presence to comfort and guide each religious in a new life. This intermingling is clear even from a superficial reading of St. Faustina’s Diary, of St. Thérèse’s Story of a Soul, or of the stories of holy religious of all times and places. They themselves a sword did pierce (see Lk 2:35), but their sufferings opened many hearts (including their own) to the profound joy of the Gospel.


The life of consecrated religious, like this feast, is marked by mingled pain and joy: the pain of penance and self-denial in imitation of Christ’s Passion, and the joy of His presence to comfort and guide each religious in a new life. This intermingling is clear even from a superficial reading of St. Faustina’s Diary, of St. Thérèse’s Story of a Soul, or of the stories of holy religious of all times and places. They themselves a sword did pierce (see Lk 2:35), but their sufferings opened many hearts (including their own) to the profound joy of the Gospel.


Luke’s account of the Presentation contains three clear references to a human life consecrated to God. The first and most obvious is the reference to the Mosaic Law: “Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord” (Lk 2:23, emphasis added). Jesus, then, is the first consecrated person mentioned in this reading. The other two are Simeon and Anna, who represent particular forms of consecrated life. Although the Gospel does not call Simeon a priest, he is traditionally depicted as one, and so he fittingly represents the holy priesthood under both the Mosaic Law and the Christian dispensation. Anna, the 84-year-old widow who worships in the Temple constantly, represents both the traditional order of widows and all contemplative orders.

Anna and Simeon stand as signs of perseverance in the religious life, a whole life spent worshipping and serving the Lord. They are contrasted with the Infant Jesus, whose consecration from birth symbolizes the provident foreknowledge of God (see Jer 1:5). God foreknows the vocation to which He will call every soul. Man can only discern and answer the call, however, if he has been baptized and thus consecrated to God through a new, spiritual birth. VC says that “in [religious] life baptismal consecration develops into a radical response in the following of Christ through acceptance of the [three] evangelical counsels,” that is, chastity, poverty, and obedience (14).

Most misunderstood vow
The most characteristic vow of religious, and one of the most misunderstood and attacked, is the vow of chastity. As the Vatican II decree Perfectae Caritatis (Perfect Charity; PC) says, chastity is “an outstanding gift of grace [that] frees the heart of man in a unique fashion … [to] be more inflamed with love for God and for all men.” (12) Nevertheless, in the world, the word “virgin” is often an insult, as if something was wrong or defective in a person who has never had sexual relations. Indeed, living perpetual chastity in the world is “a sign that will be contradicted” (Lk 2:34). The consecrated virgin resembles Christ in His rejection by the world as much as in the depth of His love for mankind.

Through the three vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, religious men and women overcome by grace the three great temptations of pleasure, possessions, and power. They also, in doing so, assist all the baptized in following Christ. Jesus requires of all disciples the “chastity appropriate to their state of life, obedience to God and to the Church, and a reasonable detachment from material possessions” (VC, 30). Consecrated religious are called to live these counsels to a heroic degree, however, and thus to inspire their fellow faithful to seek the heights of holiness in their own states in life.

Not just for religious
This brings me to the final point: Consecration is not only for religious. Although the World Day of Consecrated Life focuses on the formal institutes of consecrated life, it’s possible to consecrate yourself without joining one of them. Some great ways to deepen your baptismal consecration by a personal act are Marian consecration, consecration to St. Joseph, and home enthronement of the Sacred Heart or the Divine Mercy. These are not mutually exclusive: You can consecrate yourself to Mary and Joseph and enthrone a Sacred Heart or Divine Mercy Image in your home. (Indeed, the Holy Family will be happy to work together for your spiritual growth!)

There are many books on consecration to Mary, from St. Louis de Montfort’s True Devotion to 33 Days to Morning Glory by Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC. There are a couple ways to consecrate yourself to St. Joseph, but the most thorough version (in my opinion) is Consecration to St. Joseph by Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC. Finally, home enthronement kits for the Divine Mercy image are available through the Association of Marian Helpers. Whichever way you choose, I recommend enlisting one (or all) of these valuable friends to help you to grow in the spiritual life and so fulfill God’s will — your sanctification (see 1 Thess 4:3).

Image: detail, “The Presentation in the Temple,” from the Infancy of Christ window, Ebreichsdorf, Austria, c. 1390; Metropolitan Museum of Art/Open Access.
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