The Sacrifice
At the time of Christ, it was tradition that the firstborn son of any Jewish family was taken to the Temple in Jerusalem as an offering to God. The details of this tradition in Judaism reveal the nature of what God desires of humanity; the setting, the action, the persons involved, its comparison to the traditions of the other cultures at this time, and the continuation of similar traditions in the Church today all emphasize the importance of the feast we celebrate this Sunday, the Presentation of the Lord.
The only place to offer sacrifice in Judaism was the Temple in Jerusalem. The Temple was considered the meeting place between Heaven and Earth because this was where the priests offered everything he had to God on behalf of the people. The presentation of the firstborn son occurred at the Temple; if the Temple was where everything could be given back to God by the priests on behalf of the people, then it was appropriate that the firstborn son be presented to God in this same place. Notice, though, that two turtledoves were the burnt offerings while the child was merely presented. At this particular time in history, child sacrifice was very common among the pagans who surrounded the Jews. Often, these pagans would place children born with deformities in the forged hands of metal idols to honor gods such as Baal or Moloch, but underneath the idol was a place for coals to be lit so that the statue would glow red hot. Among this horrific ritual of the pagans, parents would be considered even more pious if they offered healthy children to these gods. Contrast this with the God of Israel and what He asked of His people: His dwelling place on earth was the Temple, which was built upon the site where Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaac. This story from Genesis revealed two things about God to His chosen people - He did not desire human sacrifice, and He was going to use this precise spot to manifest His love for us. The God of Israel was a God of love who gave far more than He demanded to receive. But out of a reciprocal love, the Jews offered their greatest and most important treasure, the inheritors and providers of their people, who were the firstborn males. Instead of sacrifice, the offering was a marking, so that these children would never forget that they first and foremost belong to God.
The presentation of Jesus, as firstborn of Mary, was a culmination of the promise that God made two thousand years earlier on that exact same spot when He sent His angels down to take the knife from Abraham’s hand. Abraham named this site, “the Lord will provide,” and He now, at Christ’s presentation, provided His only Son to the people He loved so dearly. The gift of His Son was cherished most by his mother Mary. How painful it must have been for Mary to hear the words of Simeon that a sword would pierce her own heart because of this child. Mary is the representative of the best of human creation in the eyes of God. The faith of Abraham led him to take Isaac to that spot to offer him over to God, but Abraham was saved from this pain. The pain of this sacrifice, taken away from all Jews, would be borne by Mary when she handed over her son completely to God, knowing he would be The Sacrifice. Today, we offer our lives to God, in the same way the Jews did, when our souls are indelibly marked for Him alone in our baptism. Our God took on the necessary sacrifice, and our blessed mother took on its pain. Now, our part is to give every aspect of our own lives back to God. He will subsequently transform us in a radical way so that we may be considered His own children, a relationship only possible through love.
Today's Readings:
