Father Thomas Welbers' Homily	Jump back to Homily Index
Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, February 2, 2003 (Together in Mission Follow-Up Sunday)	Listen to Audio

The old man Simeon. He wasn’t a priest; he had no official standing. He wasn’t a prophet. He didn’t have a following. Nobody in particular listened to or recorded his words. Perhaps he didn’t speak very much. He was just there. Living privately, living quietly. Praying and waiting.

But one day, he got a nudge. Perhaps an intuition. God doesn’t have to shout to those who spend their lives listening and waiting. He got a nudge to go to the Temple. Nothing unusual in that. A holy old man living in Jerusalem, he probably went to the Temple everyday – praying and waiting.

There was a lot of turmoil in those days. Evil and brutal rulers, rebels seeking to overthrow them. Demonstrators taking to the streets, and sometimes being massacred for their opposition. Simeon was into none of that. Interesting that the public figures in those days, as well as those who opposed them, are both long forgotten now. But Simeon’s few words live on. They were words spoken not for or against any earthly positions or ideologies. They were simply words that demonstrated what he had spent his life waiting for and trusting in – the power of God to be revealed.

There must have been a crowd of parents bringing their first-born baby boys to be presented to the Lord in the Temple. All good Jews, no matter where they lived, did that if they could. But Simeon was strangely, mysteriously led to this one family, this one baby boy. And those words, which could not have done other than burn in the hearts of the parents. “My eyes have seen . . . a light of revelation to the Gentiles.” This child was to be a light, not just to one “chosen” group of people, but to all peoples of the world for all time.

A few years later, one of the first things Jesus taught to his followers was that they were to continue to be for the world what he was for them: “You are the light of the world,” he told them in the Sermon on the Mount in St. Matthew’s Gospel. Just as he told them, as recorded in John’s Gospel, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” He also later said to those same disciples, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

And so we, with all our faults and weaknesses, pride and poverty, continue not only to walk in the light, but to be the light. What does this mean in a time of danger and disaster such as we are living in today? What does it mean to be light – to shine with Christ’s light – in a world characterized by so much tragedy and loss of unwanted life, deceit and greed, and even uncertainty and scandal within our church.

One thing is very clear. The Lord doesn’t call us, most of us anyway, to be somewhere else, or to do something else. He simply wants us to be alert for his presence wherever we are, and to be attentive how to live so that those around us in our world can see that he is present to them as well. Thus he invites us to look around us and see with his eyes, to hear with his ears, to understand with his mind, and to love with his heart.

That’s not something we can do on our own. That’s not something we can get better at by trying harder. It’s not the result of a program or project. Living as the light of Christ is something we can do only by prayerful watching and patient waiting, alert and attentive to the nudges of God’s Spirit.

Yesterday (last Friday) the light of Christ came to OLA in a very special way. Catholic Schools Week concluded with a Friendship Day, in which we invited the children of our sister school, Santa Teresita in East LA, to celebrate Mass together with our children, families, and school faculty. Bishop Gabino Zavala even kept Cardinal Mahony waiting at a morning meeting in order to at least start the day with us, and welcome the children of both our schools. (See how we rate!!) Last week we heard how your pledges and contributions to Together in Mission help to keep the light of faith and hope burning in areas of our Catholic Church where the needs far outstrip the resources.

I realize that many of you may not have had an opportunity last week to make your pledge to Together in Mission. I would like to conclude by briefly offering you an opportunity now to do this. If you have already made your pledge to Together in Mission, thank you very much. Please do not consider these next few minutes as wasted time. Instead, pray for those who have not yet made a pledge, that they may join you in this wonderful work.

If you received a pledge card in the mail and brought it with you, you can hand it in today. If you have not yet pledged, I ask you to pick up one of the pledge envelopes in your pew, and a pencil. If anyone needs a card or a pencil please raise your hand, and one of the OLA school students who are in the aisles will give you one.

The question continues to come up about Archdiocesan finances, and whether Together in Mission money can be used for other purposes. The answer is that this is a tightly restricted fund, designated by the will of you the donor solely for the purpose assisting the poorer parishes and schools of the Archdiocese. After the costs of conducting the campaign are taken care of, all the money you contribute to Together in Mission will be used for that purpose.

Thank you also for your generosity last week in giving substantial aid for the victims of the earthquake in Colima, Mexico. Ten percent of last Sunday’s regular collection was $1,900, plus $3,741 which was your designated additional contributions, means that $5,641 is being sent to help the earthquake victims rebuild their lives. As I said last week, 100% of this money is being sent directly to the local Catholic Church in Colima to be used to alleviate the most pressing needs of the people who are still suffering.

Truly, Together in Mission and this type of generous aid is one of the ways that we can let the light of Christ shine in our lives. Thank you for your generosity.

I want also to thank the students of Our Lady of the Assumption School, and Mrs. Sandra Columbus for their wonderful help. Thanks and God bless you.

© Thomas Welbers, 2003