Gospel (Lk 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 the baby Jesus there to do what the Law prescribed regarding him, he also welcomed him into his arms and blessed God, saying: «Now you can leave, oh Lord , may your servant go in peace, according to your word, because my eyes have seen your salvation, prepared by you before all the people: a light to reveal you to the Gentiles and the glory of your people, Israel." Jesus' father and mother were amazed at the things that were said about him. Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: «Behold, he is here for the fall and resurrection of many in Israel and as a sign of contradiction – and a sword will pierce your soul too – so that thoughts may be revealed of many hearts." There was also a prophetess, Anna, daughter of Phanuèle, of the tribe of Asher. She was very advanced in age, she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, she had then become a widow and was now eighty-four years old. She never left the temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer. Arriving at that moment, she also began to praise God and spoke about the child to those waiting 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 Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, full of wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

Forty days have passed since Christmas and the Church celebrates the feast of the presentation of Jesus in the temple. And Jesus is presented as the "light of the people". The Lord comes to illuminate our lives and the world. While so much darkness envelops hearts, the liturgy shows us the Lord, still a child, who meets his people. Who recognizes him? The Gospel speaks of an elderly man, Simeon, who "was waiting for the consolation of Israel" and who was not resigned to the darkness present in the world. He was old, but he let the Spirit move him, as the Gospel notes. He was certain that he would not die before seeing the Messiah, the Christ. Simeon, in his old age, lets himself be guided by a prophecy: he has an attentive, vigilant heart, he does not run after his own complaints, as we do even when we are less elderly. Simeon, upon seeing that child, takes him in his arms and sings in all his amazement: "Now you can let your servant go in peace, O Lord, according to your word, because my eyes have seen your salvation" . Simeon's eyes are lit up by that child. The light of Jesus removes the shadow of the fear of death and Simeon who feels "full of days" can move calmly towards the passage of death. And he prophesies to Mary that that child will be a sign of contradiction: he will ask everyone to change their lives. There will be those who welcome him and will be joyful and those who will oppose him, even losing themselves. Then there is the testimony of Anna, a widow and elderly woman of eighty-four years. She lived in the temple, praying. She also recognizes the Messiah in the child and from that moment she begins to tell this good news to those in the temple. The meeting between the Son of God and his people also passes through two elders, the humble Simeon and the widow Anna, who recognize him, welcome him and show his light. One thanks and ends life with serenity, the other begins to communicate it to everyone. In that meeting everything can change, as the lives of those two elderly people changed. They stand before us today as teachers of the faith.