Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

February 2, 2015 8:30am

Yesterday afternoon, I had an interesting appointment.

I met with a couple engaged to be married – a Catholic woman from our parish, and a Jewish man from Montgomery County.

And the fourth person present was a Jewish cantor.

In the Jewish tradition, the cantor officiates or assists at interfaith weddings.

The Jewish cantor has a high ranking in the religion, maybe something like a deacon in our Church.

At any rate, it was a wonderful meeting.

We were planning the wedding ceremony for this May.

In the planning, we are doing some allowed combining of the Catholic and Jewish rituals and traditions.

And that is why I share this with you.

This young man and young woman both value their respective traditions.

Each of them respects the other’s tradition, and both of them want their own tradition to be part of this wedding ceremony.

I recall this in light of today’s gospel.

Joseph and Mary highly value their religious tradition and that is why they present Jesus in the temple.

My thought is that our traditions express who we are and even make us who we are.

They express for us that we are Catholic.

And, in fact, they make us Catholic.

They first do this when we are presented in the church for baptism.

And then they continue to do this when we come here Sunday after Sunday or weekday after weekday for the Eucharist.

This is exactly what we believe about all the sacraments.

They actually make God present; Jesus is actually present in the bread and wine and then is present in us through our receiving it.

In that way, this makes us Catholic.

This is the core and wonder and richness of our tradition.

And that is why we do it, as Jesus says, “Do this in memory of me.”