This past Sunday, we celebrated the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Forty days after the birth of Jesus, his parents, Mary and Joseph, brought baby Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem. They presented Jesus into the hands of the priest and so to God. Jesus could not be presented immediately after his birth because, according to the Jewish culture, a woman who gave birth to a child was
considered unclean (Lev 12:1-8).
The mother of the child was excluded from the public; she had to avoid all things sacred, including the temple. The child's gender determined the time of the exclusion from the public and temple. Mary did not exempt herself from this law; she obeyed, and only after 40 days did she, Joseph and Jesus visit the temple.
As the mother of God,
I believe Mary did not have to obey Jewish customs and laws; however, she did. Mary and Joseph were faithful Jews who obeyed Jewish laws. We can learn this from the Holy Family's many acts of humbly submitting themselves to all Jewish customs.
Today, many people see laws as burdens that need to be resisted and as a way to restrict their freedom, especially religious laws. We must remind ourselves that these laws are not intended to
enslave us but rather to help us.
How do I relate to laws in my religion? How might I embrace religious laws more in my life? What might the Lord be inviting me to notice about laws and customs in my life today?
Reflections by Morongoa Selepe
