“Behold, he is here for the fall and resurrection of many in Israel…” (Luke 2:22-40)

Biblical reflections by Mauro Leonardi*, priest and writer

From a gesture of humility on the part of Joseph and Mary, who undergo ritual purification and offer the Son to the Father, comes the consolation of Anna and Simeon and the prophecy of salvation for all humanity. She, through the heart of Mary and the Cross of Jesus, is redeemed, saved, brought back into the arms of the Father.

From the Gospel according to Luke 2:22-40

When the days of their ritual purification were completed, according to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph brought the child to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord - as it is written in the law of the Lord: «Every firstborn male will be sacred to the Lord» – and to offer as a sacrifice a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons, as the law of the Lord prescribes.

Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon, a righteous and pious man, who was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. The Holy Spirit had announced to him that he would not see death without first having seen the Christ of the Lord.

Moved by the Spirit, he went to the temple and, while the parents brought you the Child Jesus to do what the law prescribed in his regard, he too welcomed him in his arms and blessed God, saying:

«Now you can leave, O Lord, that your servant
go to peace, according to your word,
because my eyes have seen your salvation,
prepared by you in front of all peoples:
light to reveal you to the people
And the glory of your people, Israel ».

The Father and Mother of Jesus were amazed at the things that were said to him. Simeone blessed them and Mary, his mother, said: «Here, he is here for the fall and resurrection of many in Israel and as a sign of contradiction - and a sword will also pierce the soul to you -, so that thoughts are revealed of many hearts ».

There was also a prophetess, Anna, daughter of Fanuèle, of the tribe of Aser. She was very advanced in age, she had lived with her husband seven years after her wedding, she had then been widowed and was now eighty -four years old. He never moved away from the temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayers. At that moment, she also began to praise God and spoke of the child to those who waited for the redemption of Jerusalem.

When they had fulfilled everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their city of Nàzaret. The child grew and fortified himself, full of wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

* Mauro Leonardi (Como 1959) has been a priest since 29 May 1988 and has lived in Rome since then. He spends many hours of his day as a priest and prefers building bridges rather than raising walls. For years he has been writing stories, articles, essays and books that revolve around the relationship between man and God. Author of the blogLike Jesus. Abelis (Lindau) is his latest novel. The volunteers of the Gionata Project thank him for wanting to share these reflections on the Word with us.