Dear Friends in Christ,
Today is the Presentation of the Lord which celebrates Jesus’ first entry into the temple in Jerusalem. Mary and Joseph are fulfilling the laws of the old Covenant by presenting their child in the temple and offering sacrifice. Jesus will eventually usher in the New and Eternal Covenant by offering His very self as sacrifice for the forgiveness of all sin. This Feast of the Presentation prefigures the freedom that Christ has come to bring us. One way the Church recognizes this is by blessing candles on this day, which give light to our Churches. Jesus was the light brought into the temple to drive away fear and bring us freedom.
I wouldn’t be doing my job as pastor if I didn’t acknowledge that there are many who are fearful right now in our country. Wherever we might stand in regard to the issue of undocumented immigrants in our country we cannot deny the heartbreaking human impact of indiscriminate deportations of millions of good people and their families who live and work here; people who may have entered the country without following the complicated, confusing, and long process to get permission as they strived to escape violence and crippling poverty. They came here to work and provide for their families and there seems to be no way to regularize their situation without turning back to the desperate and deadly situations they came from. They are now living in fear. How can our hearts not go out to them? They are victims of our broken immigration system that we need to implore our politicians to fix and make fair. I know this is a complicated issue, but I just felt like I needed to speak a word of hope to those who are also scared or worried. Jesus came to bring the light of hope, let us journey forward together in hope praying for all those who live in fear of their freedom.
Fr. Matt
