Called to Give Witness

Homily for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

In our Gospel reading for today, we have the full account of the Presentation of the Lord from the Gospel of Luke. It includes the Canticle of Simeon, Simeon’s prayer of thanksgiving to God for allowing him to see the Messiah. Remember, it had been revealed to Simeon by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he saw the Christ, the one who would redeem Israel. Simeon knows that Jesus is the one of whom it was prophesied and so he gives testimony to that truth, he gives witness.

The Gospel also includes the details about Anna’s encounter with the Christ child. It is through that encounter that she is then compelled to go out and become one of the first evangelizers as well; she, too, goes out to give witness. She goes to share the Good…