Homily I on the Presentation

1The feast is called the feast of purification rites, and no one would go wrong in calling it the feast of feasts, the Sabbath of Sabbaths, the holy of holies. For it recapitulates the whole mystery of Christ's incarnation; it sketches out the entire presentation of the only-begotten Son. In it Christ was carried as an infant and confessed as God, and in arms he was brought forward as though seated on a throne, the maker of our nature. And he offered a pair of rational turtledoves to Simeon and Anna.

Let us, if you will, set ourselves within the very words of the Gospel, for there we shall see God's encampment. This is how Luke set out the story of the feast for us: "And when the days of their purification rites were completed according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord, that every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord, and to offer a sacrifice, according to what is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons" (Luke 2:22-24).

It was fitting that the one who became a servant for our sake should offer purification rites on our behalf, that the one who did not spare his own blood should not spare a pair of turtledoves. See, then, how he works according to the law yet above the law, as its lawgiver. Though he himself grants the freedom of the Spirit, he still does not refuse the slavery of the letter. He does not set Moses aside, so that in due time he may become a trustworthy witness.

"And when the days of their purification rites were completed, according to the law of Moses" (Luke 2:22). "Their," whose? Joseph was not the father, nor was he subject to purification rites. But neither did Mary nor the infant need purification rites. For it says: "A woman who has conceived and bears a male shall be unclean for seven days" (Leviticus 12:2). But Mary did not conceive; therefore she did not need purification rites.

"A woman who has conceived and bears a male shall be unclean for seven days" (Leviticus 12:2). Why? Because she has brought another Adam into life. "But if she bears a female, she shall be unclean for twice seven days" (Leviticus 12:5). Why did he assign double the days here? Because Eve is again born from Eve, a woman is born, the fragile vessel, the weak jar, the shattered pot, the rod of deceit, the guide of disobedience, the counselor of the serpent.

But just as you have heard the charges against woman, come now and learn the achievement that came from her. A woman brought virginity into the world. She contained in her womb the God whom creation cannot contain. She bore in the flesh the one who fashioned our race. She was the first to receive Jesus from the dead, the first to begin the proclamation of the rising, the first to announce the joy to the disciples.

"A woman who," it says, "has conceived" (Leviticus 12:2). But the Mother of God was a woman, yet she did not undergo what women undergo. For her womb did not receive a man's seed. The field of Mary saw no plow; the virginal vineyard endured no mattock. So the offering was not for her sake, but for the sake of the whole race.

For our sake Christ is circumcised; for us he is also baptized; for us the purification rites of the law are performed. If he weeps, he washes our nature clean. If he is struck, he sets our captivity free. If he carries the cross, he lightens the yoke of sin for us. If he is spat upon, he delivers Adam from the spitting of the curse.

"When the days of their purification rites were completed," it says, "they brought him up to Jerusalem, as it is written in the law of the Lord, that every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord" (Luke 2:22-23). This is what the law contains.

2But Christ, as we have said, fulfilled his own law as lawgiver above the law. For he did not open the gate of the virgin, but left it closed. He did not break the seal of nature, nor did he harm the one who bore him; he left intact for her the form of virginity. If you do not believe this, learn from Ezekiel: "And he turned me back along the way of the gate of the sanctuary of the outer court, the one facing east, and it was closed. And the Lord said to me: This gate shall remain closed; it shall not be opened, and no one shall pass through it, for the Lord, the God of Israel, shall enter and go out through it, and it shall remain closed" (Ezekiel 44:1-2). "Every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord" (Luke 2:23). But this one is not only holy. As much as he surpasses in sanctification, so much does he also excel in birth and rise above the commandment of the law. Nevertheless, it says, "to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons" (Luke 2:24). Luke left the law incomplete, not seized by ignorance but guided by wisdom. The law said "a lamb and a young pigeon," but if the one offering could not afford it, it commanded "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons and fine flour." Luke, however, omitted the offering of the wealthy, for he remembered the poor one who willingly became poor for our sake. He had no lodging, it says; how could he have acquired a lamb? Wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger, how could he offer a sheep? Rather, he had no need of a lamb, for he himself was "the lamb of God" (John 1:29), the true sheep. He offered himself for the world. For this reason Luke declared what the law commanded, and signified what Christ was accomplishing.

Then next it says: "And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ" (Luke 2:25-26). Great is Simeon's wealth, varied are the commander's weapons, the plant is laden with fruits, the vine is laden with grapes. He was not only "a man," but he was also named Simeon. In addition, he was not only "righteous," but also "devout"; and he sought consolation for Israel; and "the Holy Spirit was upon him"; and he had received a revelation that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. "Behold, a man"—where? "In Jerusalem." The word carries astonishment; the phrase is full of wonder. A man in Jerusalem, about which the prophet Zephaniah introduced God himself saying: "I will search Jerusalem with a lamp and will not find a man" (Zephaniah 1:12). Does the light need a lamp? No, he says, but he calls the law a lamp. "And behold, a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon." And what is the interpretation of the name that is given? "Hearing of God." So he acquired a name befitting his way of life through the Spirit's dispensation. For where there is "hearing of God," there is certainly obedience to the law, keeping of commandments, the course of a good life, the goal of salvation drawing near to its end. In these things the true man is characterized, about whom these words were fittingly added.

"And this man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel" (Luke 2:25). This is the goal of a righteous man: not to seek his own good, but that of another and of the many, to become a partaker of the common salvation, not of his own enjoyment. "And the Holy Spirit," it says, "was upon him." Simeon was a vehicle of the Lord, a throne of God, and for this reason he received in his hands the King of the ages.

3“And it had been revealed to him that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ” (Luke 2:26). So the revelation meant passing from life to life, journeying from light to light, leaping from day to day—not growing old, but being renewed, and receiving renewal at the time of the consummation. “He came in the Spirit into the temple” (Luke 2:27); the spring led the thirsty man to the spring. “And when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to what was customary, he himself received him into his arms” (Luke 2:27). In his hands he carried the One who holds the inhabited world and the uninhabited in his hand, “who measured the water in his hand and the heaven with a span and all the earth with his fist” (Isaiah 40:12). And how did Simeon offer a sacrifice that did not belong to him? For he was not a priest—that is not said—nor a Levite, nor a temple-keeper, since the liturgical office has been allotted to the tribe of Levi alone. He was not a priest, but he was “righteous,” and righteousness possesses the priesthood under its feet. He was not a Levite, but he was “devout,” and the devout man has the anointing from himself.

And carrying the infant he said: “Now you release your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace” (Luke 2:29). “Now you release”—for the time of forgiveness had come, the ransom of the captives had arrived, the pardon of debts had come. A king was born who frees those in prisons, releases those in bonds, calls those in death back to life, and lightens the burden of the earth. “Now you release your servant, Master.” How do you know? I see the Master, he says, wearing the form of a servant. The Master would not have worn the form of a servant unless he had resolved to clothe the servant in the Master’s form. He would not have exchanged the order, nor would he who is high have been humbled, unless he had willed to lead the humble up to the height. But how do you “release him according to your word, in peace”? Simeon says: For if by a word you brought creation into being, by a word you certainly set free the ruler of creation. “In peace”—what peace? That of the cross. For that sword cut off the tyrant’s head and gave peace to those who fight alongside Christ. “Because my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared” (Luke 2:30-31). I have seen what many longed to see and did not see: God in flesh, a sun shining in a cloud. “My eyes have seen your salvation,” that is, I have seen your incarnation, through which you arranged the salvation of humanity. For I did not see the bare Godhead, since no human being will see God as he is in essence. “Because my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory for your people Israel” (Luke 2:31-32). The good things are common to Jews and Gentiles and undivided. So let the Jew not envy, let the Pharisee not be distressed, let the scribe not test, let Herod not fear for his kingdom, let Annas and Caiaphas not be afraid for their priesthood. The One who has come gives to all and takes from no one; he bestows generously, he grants without measure.

But Joseph and his mother, hearing what Simeon had said, marveled that Christ should consent to become a son of man. Mary marveled that a woman’s womb had contained God, that the servant had given birth to the One who sets creation free.

4And he says: “This child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign of contradiction” (Luke 2:34)—for the fall of those who persist in unbelief, and for the rising of those who turn from unbelief to faith. Christ was a stone set for building, but the blind stumbled as their eyes wandered. So we must not attribute the fall of those who have fallen to him, but rather the rising. For if they only fell and did not also rise, you would rightly suspect him of causing the fall. But if those who fall through carelessness rise when they choose to, then the fall belongs to the careless one, and the rising belongs to Christ. Did Judas and Peter not fall together—the one as having said, “What will you give me, and I will hand him over to you?” (Matthew 26:15), the other as having said, “I will lay down my soul for you” (John 13:37)? For he should have known that a mortal does not give his soul for immortality. And again: “Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you” (Matthew 26:35). He could have said: “If you strengthen me, I will never deny you. If you make me secure, I who am weak do not fear shipwreck. If you share in the battle, I do not shrink from death.” But the one was a matter of the tongue, and the other a sin of the heart. Therefore Peter fell and rose again, and became a guide for others who had fallen; but the other, led from the depths to the pit, threw away the silver, took the rope, and hanged himself.

The sign of contradiction is the cross. For when the Jews crucified him, the sun withdrew; the synagogue slandered him, and the earth shook. The crowd cried out, “Crucify him” (Luke 23:21), but the rocks, unable to bear the weight of the blasphemy, split apart. The elders and the scribes said, “We remember that this deceiver said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise’” (Matthew 27:63). But the centurion cried out, “Truly this was the Son of God” (Matthew 27:54). And even to this day the word of the cross is “a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to us who are called, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:23-24). “And a sword will pierce your own soul also, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:35). The sword is called division of mind, because just as a sword cuts and divides bodies, so division of mind leads souls to doubt. For even if she was a virgin, she was also a woman; even if she was the Mother of God, she was from our own clay. So the sword passed through her soul, “so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:35). What thoughts? The various thoughts about Christ at the time of the passion—sometimes calling him a prophet, sometimes not acknowledging him as the redeemer of Israel—and enduring great doubt about these things because of the turmoil of the passion. So the disciples with Cleopas came up and said to him, “Are you the only one staying in Jerusalem who does not know what has happened there in these days?” (Luke 24:18). Then, when asked “What things?”, they went on: “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a man, a prophet,” and so on (Luke 24:19). So they held him as a prophet and as the one who redeems Israel; but because of the passion, they were in danger of casting into doubt even this belief about him, that he redeems Israel. This did not happen in vain, but to show that “the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:25). For at the suffering of the cross, all were perplexed and shaken—not only the ordinary disciples, but also the chosen ones and his mother. This is what established the whole world, in Christ Jesus our Lord, through whom and with whom to the Father be glory, with the Holy Spirit, now and always and to the ages of ages. Amen.