De Prcesentatione Domini in Templum
The Presentation in the Temple
Mary and Joseph travel to Jerusalem to fulfill the Law of purification and the consecration of the firstborn, demonstrating their humility and obedience.
They set out from Bethlehem for Jerusalem. When the fortieth day arrived and the days of Mary's purification were fulfilled according to the Law, she left the stable with Joseph and the Child to fulfill the Law—even though there was nothing in her that needed purification, because she had conceived without sin. In circumcision, the child was indeed purified from the original sin contracted from his parents, and in purification, the mother was purified from sin because she had conceived in lust; but none of this applied to this Child or to his Mother.1 They took the Child, who had already been circumcised, from Bethlehem to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord in the temple as the Law required—that is, to offer him—and to provide the necessary sacrifice: a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. To make this clear, you should know that there were two requirements for a newborn child. The first was general and applied to everyone: once the days of the mother's purification were complete, the child had to be brought to the temple and an offering made for him. The law of purification stated that a woman who had given birth to a boy was considered unclean for seven days, during which she was separated from others, could not enter the temple, and could not touch sacred things. On the eighth day, the infant was to be circumcised; while the mother was then considered clean regarding social contact, she remained unclean for another thirty-three days regarding entry into the temple and touching sacred things, and during this time she was not permitted to leave her home. Once these thirty-three days were complete, along with the seven preceding them, the woman would enter the temple on the fortieth day to present her newborn son and offer sacrifices to the Lord for herself and for the child. If, however, she had given birth to a girl, the number of days for both social separation and temple entry was doubled. There was another special requirement concerning firstborns, both human and animal: they were to be made holy to the Lord because they were consecrated to Him. Behold! From the time the Lord struck down the firstborn of the Egyptians while sparing the sons of Israel, He claimed all the firstborn of the sons of Israel for Himself and commanded that they be offered to Him. Just as He willed that the first fruits of the harvest be offered to Him, so too did He will that the firstborn of humans and of other clean animals be offered. But why do this, if not so that we might offer the Lord our first fruits, and especially everything that is best and most precious to us? Because Christ was born of a woman and was the firstborn, he chose to be placed under the Law, and so both of these things were observed in his case. It wasn't enough for the master of perfect humility, even though he was equal to the Father in all things, to submit himself to a lowly Virgin, unless he also submitted himself to the Law. He did this for several reasons: first, to affirm the old Law; second, to fulfill and end it by keeping it himself, showing by this that it had been ordained for him; third, to take away any excuse for slander from the Jews; fourth, to free humanity from the servitude of the Law; and fifth, to give us an example of humility and obedience. Although the blessed Virgin wasn't bound by the law for women, nor did she need to be purified—since she didn't conceive by the seed of man, but by the mystical breath of the Holy Spirit—she still chose to submit to purification for several reasons. First, so that in this she might conform herself to other women, just as the Son also willed to be made like his brothers in all things. Hence Bernard says: "Truly blessed Virgin, you have no cause, nor is there any need for you to be purified." But did your Son have any need for circumcision? Be among women as one of them, for your Son is likewise in the midst of the children. Second, according to Bede, just as Christ was, so the blessed Virgin was willingly subject to the Law, so that we might be freed from the bond of the Law. Third, so that she might avoid giving offense, for it wasn't yet known that she had given birth without seed; therefore, if she hadn't observed the days of her purification, it would have been an occasion for offense and murmuring against her among the Jews. Fourth, so that she might bring the law of purification to an end, as Christ had arrived, who is our purification, cleansing us through faith. Fifth, so that she might give us an example of humility. For she humbled herself even in matters she wasn't required to, so that she might teach humility; for as the Mother of the Teacher of all, she was to be a teacher herself, and since she couldn't publicly teach by word because of her gender, she chose to teach by example. Although Mary had no need of purification, she still chose to undergo it because she most diligently observed everything required by the Law; for this reason, she is prefigured by the Ark of the Covenant, in which the commandments of the Law were kept. Inside were the two tablets inscribed with the ten commandments, which Mary diligently observed. The Ark also contained the book of the Law, and Mary gladly read the books of Holy Scripture. In the Ark was Aaron’s rod that blossomed; likewise, Mary blossomed and brought forth the blessed fruit of her womb. The Ark also contained the golden urn with the manna of heaven, and Mary offered the true manna of heaven to us. The Ark was made of incorruptible acacia wood, and Mary was not reduced to decay or dust. The Ark had four golden rings on its sides, and Mary bore within herself the four cardinal virtues, which are the roots and beginnings of all virtues. The Ark had two poles by which it was carried, and these two signified the twofold charity in Mary. The Ark was gilded inside and out; Mary shone with virtues both within and without. For this reason, she is also beautifully prefigured in the golden lampstand that shone in the Lord's temple in Jerusalem, above which stood seven burning lamps; these represented the seven works of mercy—that is, they represented Mary, who was the Queen of mercy and the Mother of compassion. We honor this lampstand and its candle whenever we carry lit candles on the Feast of the Purification. For Mary offered the candle to the Lord at her purification, when Simeon sang of a light for the revelation of the Gentiles; Christ, the Son of Mary, is the lit candle, because of the three things found in it—namely, the wick, the fire, and the wax—and in Christ there are three things: his flesh, his soul, and his true divinity. This candle was offered to the Lord for the human race, and through it, the night of our darkness has been illuminated. The offering of this most blessed candle was prefigured in the boy Samuel. To the barren Anna, God gave a son against the way of nature, and to the Virgin Mary, he inspired a Son above the course of nature. Anna offered a son who was to defend the Jews; Mary offered a Son who was to protect the world. Anna’s son was later rejected by the Jews; Mary’s Son was condemned by them to a most shameful death. This is what Simeon prophesied to Mary: that a sword would pierce her own soul because of her Son. Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem to fulfill the Law's commands, and even though they feared Herod, they didn't dare break the Law by failing to bring the Child to the temple. Perhaps everything was still quiet, as Herod was still waiting for the Magi and hadn't yet revealed the malice in his heart. The Lord Jesus Christ, by observing the Law with His Mother in this and other matters, shows us the care and vigilance with which we ought to observe the commands of the Gospel, since He Himself observed the legal requirements He had given through His servant with such great diligence. 7 ? They brought the Lord of the temple to the temple, so that they might act according to the custom of the Law for Him. When they had entered the temple, they bought two turtledoves or two young pigeons to offer for Him, as was the custom for the poor. Because they were very poor, it's more likely they bought the young pigeons, as they are found more easily and for a lower price, which is why they are listed last in the Law. The Evangelist is silent about the lamb, because it was the offering of the rich. Consider how poor the parents were whom the Lord chose; they didn't have a lamb to offer for him, but only a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons, which was the offering of the poor. For in the Law, the Lord had commanded that on the day a parent presented an infant in the temple, she should offer for her own purification and that of her child a yearling lamb without blemish as a burnt offering, and also a turtledove or a young pigeon for sin, because she had conceived in desire. Those who couldn't afford a lamb offered two turtledoves or two young pigeons: one in place of the lamb for a burnt offering—called 'wholly burned' because it was entirely consumed by fire—and the other for sin, which went to the priest who prayed for the woman, and thus she was purified. The Lord chose to have this sacrifice and offering of the poor given for himself, and though he was rich, he deigned to become poor for our sake, so that he might enrich us with his poverty, make us partakers of his riches, and make us rich here in faith and heirs of the kingdom in heaven. For just as he took on our mortality to confer immortality upon us, so he willed to take on our poverty to bestow eternal riches upon us through it. Let us, therefore, imitate our Lord and love voluntary poverty, so that having food and clothing, we may be content with these. But why were young pigeons, and not simply doves, allowed to be offered in the Lord's sacrifices, as turtledoves were? Bernard explains: 'Although the Holy Spirit is often signified by the dove, because it is a lustful bird, it was not fitting to offer it in the Lord's sacrifice except at an age that did not yet know lust.' The age of the turtledove is not specified because its chastity is recognized: at whatever age it is, it is content with one mate; once that mate is lost, it does not accept another, rebuking the multiplicity of marriages among humans. You can see the turtledove strenuously and tirelessly performing the work of its holy widowhood; you see it everywhere alone, you hear it everywhere mourning, and you never see it sitting on a green branch. You should learn from it to avoid the poisonous greenery of worldly pleasures.
Simeon and Anna's Prophetic Witness
Simeon and Anna recognize the infant Jesus as the promised Savior, offering prayers of thanksgiving and prophecies concerning his future mission.
Add to this that its life is spent mostly on mountain ridges and the tops of trees, so that it might teach us—as is most fitting for a life of purity—to despise earthly things and love heavenly ones: so says Bernard, in his eulogy of Simeon. And look at Simeon: famous and well-known among the priests, he was righteous in every good work and God-fearing in his caution against evil—or rather, righteous in how he treated his neighbor, and God-fearing in his relationship with God, because it's hard to maintain righteousness without a pure and childlike fear of the Lord; for the fear of the Lord is the guardian of righteousness and all other virtues, because the more ardently a righteous person loves God, the more carefully they avoid offending Him. For righteousness accompanies the actions of those whose minds the fear of God illuminates, as the Psalmist testifies when he says: 'Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,' etc.; and Solomon, who says: 'Whoever fears God neglects nothing.' And he was truly righteous; he acted rightly toward his neighbor because he sought not only his own salvation but that of the whole people, awaiting the consolation of Israel in the desire and hope of the promised good, regarding the integrity of faith and hope that he possessed. The lesser ones were indeed expecting a temporal consolation through the promised author of salvation, so that those who had been oppressed by Herod might receive consolation upon the arrival of the Savior. But the greater ones, like Simeon and those like him, were also expecting spiritual consolation and redemption from the devil. For the consolation of Israel—that is, of one who sees God—was the Lord's coming in the flesh; for the holy fathers, whom the fear of original sin saddened, believed they would be consoled through the Lord's Incarnation. Simeon, whose name means 'obedient,' was waiting for this consolation; though his advanced age compelled him to depart from the world, he remained in the flesh because of his longing to see the Lord. And the Holy Spirit, the sanctifier, was in him through the presence of the highest good, in terms of the fullness of grace he possessed—for he had not only the justifying grace that is commonly held by the righteous, but also special divine illuminations and consolations. Before the Evangelist speaks of Simeon, he notes that the Holy Spirit was within him, and he prefaces this by saying that he was just and God-fearing; for God dwells in the hearts of those who fear Him and keep His justice, as He Himself says through the Prophet: "Upon whom shall My Spirit rest, if not upon the humble and the quiet, and the one who trembles at My words?" And from the Holy Spirit himself, who dwelt in him through grace, he had received an answer in his devout prayers—invisibly in his mind, through a hidden inspiration—and he understood regarding the coming of Christ that he would see with his bodily eyes the Christ whom he already saw with the eyes of his mind, before he finished this present life. It’s clear from this that he had prayed for this beforehand, because he hoped for it and was waiting for the consolation of Israel. For at that time, it was a common opinion among those who understood that the coming of Christ was imminent, according to the signs given by the Patriarchs and Prophets. So Simeon prayed to God more fervently for this; and in the Spirit—that is, through the revelation of the Holy Spirit, and at the command of the Holy Spirit himself who was in him—he came into the temple, so that he might see the Christ of the Lord (the one anointed by the Lord) before he died, just as he had received the answer and promise from that same Spirit. Oh, with what longing that most blessed old man burned to see the Lord, even as age was already forcing him to depart from this world! But God’s answer held him back, because he wasn't to experience death until he had first seen the Christ of the Lord, the promised Messiah, with his own eyes. He desired this, therefore; he pondered this in his mind; he thought about this always, saying: 'I know that he will come; I know that I will see him.' But when will he come? When will I see him? Come, Lord Jesus, loosen these chains for me, and permit me to go in peace right now. As he was saying these things to himself, as he was reflecting on this. As he burned with this longing, the Holy Spirit said to him: "Look, the one you are waiting for, the one you are seeking, is here; you will see him now; get up, hurry, make haste." Go to the temple. Look, he receives Christ into his arms and worships him. But when he entered the temple in his haste and saw him, he recognized him immediately by a prophetic spirit. For it was by that same grace of the Spirit, through which he had long ago known he would come, that he now recognized the Savior as he arrived and was about to be seen by him. Hurrying forward, he met them and knelt down, and he worshiped him in the arms of his Mother; then he reached out his own arms and said to his parents: "Give him to me; he is owed to me; it is my duty; I was sent for this, I was reserved for this service!" The Mother, however, understood the will of the Son. He handed Him over to Simeon. Simeon, however, joyful and exultant, received Him into his arms with the greatest joy of heart. Oh, how blessed are the hands that touched the Word of life, and the arms that embraced Him! When he had taken the Child into his arms, he stood up, and suddenly his old age vanished.2 Youthful vigor and strength returned.3 Great is the power of the Lord here, but His humility shines just as brightly. He who cannot be contained by heaven and earth is carried in the arms of an old man; He who previously could barely move Himself now exults, carried lightly. For He was carrying the One by whom He was being carried, and He who carries all things by the word of His power was carrying Christ in His humanity, by whom He was being carried through His divinity. It is elegantly said: The old man carried the Child, but the Child governed the old man; the old man carried the infant Christ, who governed him as he lived out his old age. Blessed indeed is this Simeon, who deserved not only to see Christ but even to carry Him in the flesh; blessed beyond measure, for he deserved a consolation that the patriarchs and prophets longed for, yet did not receive! And there's no doubt that from such an embrace of Jesus Christ, he received many consolations and singular gifts of grace. Hence the doctor Grascus says that the ineffable radiance of the Infant so illuminated the old man that, as time went on, the things that were soon to happen became known to him. Those who have not seen and yet have believed are no less blessed than those who heard the canticle of Simeon. He also blessed and praised God, giving thanks for such a great benefit—namely, the fulfillment of the promise and the manifestation of Salvation—and having seen the Redeemer, he reveals in a secret dialogue the revelation made to him, saying: 'Now, Lord, you dismiss your servant in peace, because my eyes have seen your Salvation,' and so on, throughout. 'I bless you, Lord,' he says, 'your promise is complete, my desire is complete, because I see Christ, your Salvation, my Lord; for Jesus is interpreted as Savior or salutary.' The eyes of the flesh indeed saw a man, but the eyes of the mind recognized Him to be God. 'You dismiss' therefore—that is, 'you will dismiss' or 'may you dismiss,' so that it is understood as an optative, that is, 'would that you might dismiss'—means 'now and henceforth, let your servant depart in peace and pass from this life in the quiet of the heart, to rest in the bosom of Abraham.' I die as if secure, because He is present and about to suffer in the near future, by whom I am to be redeemed. He knew how blessed were the eyes that would see Christ; and so, until he saw Him, he didn't want to be released from death. But as soon as he saw Him, he longed to be released from the body and to find peace in the bosom of Abraham. For he wanted to descend joyfully to the limbo of the fathers, from which he knew the Savior had been born. But how is he dismissed in peace, when everyone at that time was making their bed in darkness? In the peace of rest, he says, not in the peace of the fruition of God. See, Simeon was perfect, having life in patience and death in desire. To such a degree, therefore, according to Bede, were the fathers of the Old Testament perfect in certain things, as those of the New. If you want to hold Jesus in your hands, embrace Him, and be dismissed in peace, you must strive with every effort to let the Spirit be your guide. Come to Jerusalem by living in heavenly things; come to the temple by modeling yourself after those in whom God dwells, sighing and asking for only one thing: that He may always dwell in the house of the Lord. Wait for the Lord and His coming. For in this way, they will deserve to receive the Word of God Himself in their hands and to embrace Him with the arms of faith, hope, and charity; and then they will be dismissed, so that they do not see eternal death, because they have seen Life. Whoever has worked hard to see Christ the Lord first with the eyes of the heart will find the death of the flesh to be a very happy event. As Bernard says: "They will be dismissed in peace who have Christ in their heart; for He Himself is our peace." Into what will you go out, wretched soul, you who ignore Jesus, the guide of the journey? Morally, Simeon—which means 'obedient'—represents the good religious person. This person remains in Jerusalem, which means 'peaceful,' because they remain in internal and fraternal peace, being just toward their neighbor, fearful toward God, and waiting for the consolation of Israel—that is, the divine vision—because Israel means 'seeing God,' and the Holy Spirit is in them through the benefit of His grace. To such a person, Jesus is given to be embraced, and like Simeon, they bless the Lord for such a great benefit and desire to depart from the world, so that they may be granted the chance to enjoy Him perfectly, as the Apostle says, having a desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ. Morally, we are also instructed here about many things: first, that Jesus is grasped through virtuous works, which are understood by the arms; second, in that the old man received the Infant, we are instructed that, having laid aside the oldness of sin, we must put on the newness of life; third, in that Christ, who carries all things, willed to be carried, we have an example. of humility; fourth, in that Simeon blessed God, we are instructed to give thanks to God for all our blessings. We can also say that in this canticle, Christ is magnified in four ways, according to the four names by which Simeon calls Him. For Christ is commended as peace, as salvation, as light, and as glory. He is peace because He is the Mediator; salvation because He is the Redeemer; light because He is the Teacher; and glory because He is the Rewarder. And so, in these four points consists a perfect commendation of Christ—indeed, a very brief summary of the entire Gospel history. For those things that relate to His incarnation are contained in the word 'peace': He Himself is our peace, who made both one, because He united both natures in one Person, joined two peoples into one, giving peace to those who were far off and to those who were near, and even reconciled man to God. But those things that relate to His preaching, the conduct of His life, and the working of miracles are contained in the word 'light'. Hence He says Himself: 'I am the light of the world.' Things that relate to redemption and the passion are contained in the name 'salvation,' while those that relate to the resurrection and ascension are contained in 'glory'. And because this canticle contains such a fullness of praise for Christ, and such consolation for the dying old man, it is therefore sung in the evening and at the end of the day, during Compline. And there was his father—that is, his foster father, Joseph—who earned the title of Christ's father because he was his guardian; and his true mother, Mary, was there, too, marveling at what was said about him, namely Jesus, not with doubt, but with agreement and shared joy. The Virgin marveled at the things she had heard from the angel at the Annunciation, from Elizabeth at the greeting and John’s leaping, and from Zechariah at John’s birth. She and Joseph also marveled at the angels’ rejoicing when Christ was born and at their new song; they marveled at the shepherds’ arrival and the Magi’s reverence; they marveled at Simeon’s arrival and his praise—all of which were wondrous and worthy of admiration. As Ambrose says: “The Lord’s birth received testimony not only from angels and prophets, from shepherds and parents, but even from elders and the righteous.” Every age and both sexes, along with the miracles of these events, build up faith: the Virgin gives birth, the barren woman conceives, the mute speaks, Elizabeth prophesies, the child in the womb leaps, the Magi worship, the widow confesses, and the righteous man waits. And by the power of the Child he held in his arms, Simeon blessed them—that is, Mary and Joseph—with affection and joy, while giving thanks to God. For although Mary and Joseph were greater in holiness, Simeon still excelled in his priestly office, to which it belongs to bless the people. It was, after all, the custom under the Law that when parents presented a child in the temple, the priest would bless them—the parents and the child; and so Simeon blessed the parents as they presented Christ, meaning he declared them blessed and proclaimed them favored, or he prayed for a blessing upon them from God. We don't have the exact wording of this blessing, but it can be understood as a blessing of praise and thanksgiving—just as we say a creature blesses its Creator by praising Him with thanksgiving. He blessed the parents for the sake of the Son, just as, conversely, children are often blessed for the sake of their parents. Note that Joseph held the likeness of a father because he was His guardian; therefore, he wasn't deprived of the common blessing. But because Mary was truly His Mother, and the Child belonged more to her, He turned specifically to her, revealing to her the prophecies of hidden things. He knew, through the One who taught him, that the Divine Child he held in his arms was not from Joseph, but from the Virgin; and so he directs his words to her. He didn't just offer a blessing; he also prophesied, foretelling what was to come by saying: 'Look, this child is destined to be the cause of the fall of many in Israel who think they are standing.' Regarding them, He Himself says: 'If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin.' He adds: 'And for the rising of many'—namely, the humble who don't think they are standing, who, believing in Him, have risen from their sins through Him. He speaks of Israel because many Jews, falling away from the truth, were blinded, while many who were previously simple and ignorant were enlightened. He is a sign—namely, of the covenant and reconciliation between God and man—which will be opposed first by the Jews, then by the Gentiles or pagans, and later by heretics who don't believe this. It should be noted, according to Origen, that in everything told about Christ by the faithful, He suffered false contradiction from the unbelieving, of whom He complains in the Psalmist, saying: 'False witnesses have risen against me, and iniquity has lied to itself.' For Christ could be attacked, but not overcome. But even corrupt Christians contradict Him in their morals and works, even if not in their faith and words; they confess that they know God, but they deny Him by their deeds. The Savior comes, therefore, for the fall of those who don't believe and the proud—and this by way of occasion—and for the rising of those who believe and the humble, but by way of cause. He comes not only for the fall of some and the rising of others, but He also appears to one and the same person for both fall and rising: for the fall, namely, of vices, and the rising of virtues. There is no resurrection of virtues unless the ruin of vices comes first. That’s why Bernard says: Virtue can’t grow alongside vices; so, if you want the former to flourish, you mustn't allow the latter to grow. Remove what is superfluous, and what is healthy will rise up. From this, it’s worth noting that Christ destroyed the kingdom of sin and built the kingdom of virtues; this is why it’s said that he was set for the ruin and resurrection of many. For pride falls before his humility, and greed falls before his poverty. Lust falls before his chastity. Envy falls before his kindness. Gluttony falls before his sobriety. Anger fades away through his patience. Sloth fades away through his labor and watchfulness. And so Christ, by building a kingdom of virtues, destroyed the kingdom of vices, in such a way that for these very vices he became both a ruin and a resurrection. For according to Chrysostom, when the proud man is made humble, the lustful man chaste, the greedy man merciful, and so on with the others, then in that same person there is a ruin of vice and a resurrection of virtue. — And for this purpose he was placed here in the world by God, like a target for an arrow, so that anyone might, as it were, shoot a dart at him at will. And Simeon, prophesying about Christ's passion, said: “And a sword will pierce your own soul through compassion”—that is, through the passion or the sorrow of his suffering. She couldn't watch her Son being crucified without great maternal sorrow, even though she hoped he would conquer death, rise again, and live after death. Hence Jerome says that because she suffered in her impassible part, she was more than a martyr. Indeed, the sorrows she escaped while giving birth, she endured at the time of Christ’s passion. Hence Anselm says: “Now the fierce force of nature demands back the debt that it withheld from you when you were about to give birth; and it calculates the penalties with interest, which were owed to mothers by common law.” “So that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed”; for Christ’s passion revealed the thoughts of many hearts, because the words of the Prophets, their thoughts, and hidden mysteries were revealed and fulfilled there. And this was indeed signified by the veil of the temple, which was torn at his death, so that the Holy of Holies might appear to all. The thoughts of many hearts—both good and bad—were revealed then; for when Christ suffered, some believed, while others refused to believe. According to Bede, before this it was uncertain which of the Jews would receive him and which would not; afterward, it was certain. Mystically, as Bede says, the sword of tribulation passes through the soul of the Church until the end of the age, whenever the sign of faith is contradicted by the impious and the reprobate; whenever it sees many fall; and whenever the thoughts of hearts are revealed, where the good [are distinguished]. Where he had sown seed, he sees tares beginning to sprout. Note that the word 'that' is not used here to denote cause; Christ did not primarily choose to suffer so that the thoughts of men might be revealed. Instead, it is used to denote a consequence, because the revealing of thoughts followed as a result of Christ's passion, just as if I were to say: 'I went out to the fields so that I might be captured by enemies.' Being captured by enemies wasn't my intention, but it was a consequence of my going out. There is a similar way of speaking when it is often said in the Gospel: 'This was done so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled.' It wasn't Christ's primary intention in doing or suffering such things that the Scriptures might be fulfilled; rather, after such things happened, the Scriptures were fulfilled as a consequence. Prophecy doesn't cause an event; rather, the event itself is the cause of the prophecy. Origen explains it differently, focusing on how confession reveals hidden sins: evil thoughts that were once hidden are brought to light through confession, and through the power of Christ's passion working in the Sacrament of Penance, they are healed. At that very same hour when Simeon was speaking about Christ while holding him in his arms, the prophetess Anna arrived—not by chance or human arrangement, but by the revelation of the Holy Spirit, just as it is said of Simeon. She worshipped him and confessed him to the Lord with a confession of praise and thanksgiving, blessing God for the great benefits that had been fulfilled and shown forth in the Incarnation and Nativity. Bearing witness to the Son and instructing the people, she spoke of him to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem and Israel, announcing to them that the Redeemer and Savior of the human race was born, and that he whom they had long desired, who was to redeem and set them free, had arrived. To all the faithful burdened by the yoke of Herod the foreigner, she promised the liberation of the city and the people, and even the spiritual redemption they were awaiting, which was soon to be brought about through the coming of Christ, freeing them from the tyranny of Herod and the devil. This venerable woman, whose nobility is extolled, whose self-control is praised, whose age is commended, and whose religious life is proclaimed, was fit and truly worthy to bear witness to the incarnate Son of God. This is why she is described as a prophetess, so that her testimony might be authenticated, since the inspiration of prophecy or divine revelation is considered to be hers. Hence Origen says: "Rightly did this holy woman merit the spirit of prophecy, because through long-standing chastity and long fasts, she had ascended to this height." Since the Lord had come to redeem every gender, every age, every rank, and every profession, it was fitting that all should bear witness at his birth. For there are three types, commended in both sexes: among virgins, Mary and Christ; among widows, Anna and Simeon (whose age is compared to Anna's); and a third type, among the married, Elizabeth and Zacharias. No rank of the Christian faithful, therefore, has been overlooked, for the salvation of all has a witness.
The Spiritual Meaning of the Temple
The author provides moral and mystical reflections on the temple, the candle procession, and the interior life of the faithful soul.
Anselm says that He was offered in the temple and received by the holy widow so that He might urge His faithful to frequent the house of God and, by striving for holiness, to become worthy to receive Him; He was received and praised by the aged Simeon so that He might show that He loves the gravity of life and the maturity of character. Exult, then, you too, with that aged Simeon and the long-lived Anna; go out to meet the Mother and the Child! Let love conquer shyness! Let affection drive out fear! Take the Child into your arms and say with the bride: 'I have held Him, and I won't let Him go!' Rejoice with that most holy old man and sing along: 'Lord, now You are letting Your servant go in peace, according to Your word!' So says Anselm. The moral meaning of this history. Morally speaking, note that the unexpected gathering of these people didn't happen without a divine mystery and impulse. Therefore, we ought to celebrate the procession of these four people spiritually in our minds: by Simeon, whose name means 'listening' and who had received an answer from the Holy Spirit—that is, a mental revelation—we signify the diligent hearing of the Word of God; by Anna, whose name means 'grace' and who did not depart from the temple, we signify frequent prayer; by Joseph, whose name means 'addition' or 'increase' and who took anxious care of the boy Jesus, we understand the continuous addition of good works; and by Mary, whose name means 'illuminated' and who carried Christ in her womb, we signify the most perfect union of divine conformity. These four people, as they offer Christ, must carry four lights in their minds. Simeon carries the light of holy meditation; Anna bears the light of interior devotion; Joseph brings the light of virtuous progress; Mary, however, carries the light of heavenly contemplation. These four are hinted at in the Psalmist when it is said: 'I remembered God and was delighted, and I was exercised, and my spirit failed,' and they are made clear by referring each part to each person. And it must be considered that five people were present at the Lord's presentation: Jesus himself, by whom the innocent are signified; Mary, meaning 'bitter sea,' by whom the penitent are signified; Joseph, meaning 'increasing,' by whom those making progress are signified; Simeon, by whom those perfect in the active life are signified; and Anna, by whom those perfect in the contemplative life are signified. In this, those who are worthy to be presented in the temple of the heavenly Jerusalem are signified. Finally, Simeon returned the child Jesus to his Mother, and she joyfully received him back. Afterward, they went to the altar, performing a procession that is reenacted today all over the world. Those two venerable elders, Joseph and Simeon, moved forward eagerly, rejoicing with great exultation. The Mother followed, carrying King Jesus with ineffable joy in her heart; and Anna accompanied her, walking at her side, jubilant with reverence, and she too was praising the Lord with immense affection and unspeakable gladness. From these, then, a venerable procession is formed—few in number, indeed, but truly great, and representing, as it were, every kind of person. For among them are men and women, old and young, virgins and widows. Mary and Joseph, as parents, presented the child Jesus in the temple; but Simeon and Anna, as prophets, praised him with prophetic proclamations. So we, too, on this day, while celebrating the solemnity of the Mass, carry a lighted candle—signifying the child Jesus—and, in procession, bring it to the altar and offer it, recalling that ineffable light which Mary and Simeon carried in their hands on this day. There are three things in a candle that signify three things that were in Christ. For the wax signifies the flesh of Christ, which was born of the Virgin Mary without corruption, just as bees produce wax without the mixing of other elements.4 The wick, however, hidden within the wax, signifies the most pure soul of Christ, hidden within his flesh. The fire, or the light, signifies his divinity, because our God is a consuming fire; through these three, the Trinity can also be represented. Hence this verse: Wax, place, and wick are three things showing the light.5 When they arrive at the altar, the Mother kneels with reverence and offers her most beloved Son to God her Father upon the altar. The blessed Virgin herself presented the Child to the Lord, giving thanks to God the Father for such a great gift—that she, a virgin, had conceived and given birth to him, and that she was sharing him, in such a most worthy offspring, with God the Father.6 The presentation of children at the temple was prescribed for three reasons: first, so that the infant might be consecrated to the Lord; second, so that he might be commended to divine protection; and third, so that thanks might be given to God, from whom the parents received such a gift, etc. But the first two reasons had no place in Christ, because as soon as he was conceived in the womb, he was most fully consecrated to God and commended to divine protection through the union of his divinity; however, the third reason had a special place in Christ, for which the blessed Virgin was bound to give thanks to God the Father above all other mothers, since she conceived and bore him by a singular privilege. We do not have a record of what she prayed or said at that time, but she was likely saying words similar to these, at least with the mouth of her heart: "Look, holy Father, I present to you your Son, eternally begotten by you and born of me in time; I present to you him who is always present to you." I give you thanks that by your gift I have conceived him so miraculously and borne him so ineffably. O holy Father, I offer to you this Son of yours and mine, a new offering, God made flesh, who is about to offer himself to you for the salvation of the world! Oh, what an offering this is! Never has such a thing been done since the beginning of time. Hence Bernard says: "Offer the Son, holy Virgin, and present the blessed fruit of your womb to the Lord." "Offer, for the reconciliation of us all, a holy victim pleasing to God"—so says Bernard. Christ chose to be presented to God the Father—He who was never hidden from His sight—as an example for us. Just as God didn't become man for His own sake, but to make us gods through grace; and just as He wasn't circumcised in the flesh for His own sake, but so that we might be circumcised spiritually; so too, He is presented to the Lord for our sake, so that we might learn to present ourselves to God. Then the priests were summoned, and the Lord of all was redeemed, just like a servant, for five silver shekels, because he was the firstborn. Every firstborn was redeemed with silver shekels. The shekel was a type of currency worth twenty obols. For the Law commanded that every firstborn male, whether of man or beast, be called holy to the Lord—that is, sanctified and presented to the Lord, and declared sanctified and dedicated to the Lord, and belonging to the priest. Thus, the firstborn of the tribe of Levi was not redeemed, but was held forever and perpetually in the ministry and service of the house of David, that is, the temple. But the priest would have the firstborn of the other eleven tribes redeemed, and once the price was accepted, he would allow it to be taken back home by the parents. He would also have the firstborn of clean animals offered to God; as for the unclean, he would have them either redeemed for a price, exchanged for something clean, or killed. However, there is an animal that is clean for offering and clean for eating. As for the unclean, one kind is unclean for offering but clean by nature, like a donkey, and therefore it was either redeemed for a price or exchanged for a lamb. Another kind is unclean for offering, redeeming, or exchanging—namely, a dog—and because it had no price, it was killed and cast out entirely from the uses of the temple. Since Christ was of the tribe of Judah, not Levi, it is clear that he had to be redeemed, and so he was redeemed. His Mother also took the aforementioned birds from Joseph's hand and, kneeling, offered them on the altar to God the Father. The blessed Virgin, like a poor woman, offered a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons—one as a burnt offering for her Son, the other for sin—submitting herself in this to the law for those who have sinned, even though she was without sin. Once the offering and redemption were complete, the Mother received her Son and carried him back home. Bernard says of this: 'Brothers, this offering seems quite delicate, where he is only presented with two birds, redeemed by them, and immediately taken away.' The time will come when he won't be offered in the temple, nor in the arms of Simeon, but outside the city in the arms of the cross. The time will come when he won't be redeemed by another, but will redeem others with his own blood; for God the Father sent him as the Redeemer to his people. This is the morning sacrifice; that, however, is the evening one—so says Bernard. Mystically, the firstborn of animals represents the One who, as the only-begotten Son of God, deigned to be born—the firstborn, that is, in dignity above all creation, who is truly holy to the Lord because He is without sin. Morally, however, the firstborn represent the beginnings of good action, which we bring forth as if from the heart, by the grace of God. We are reminded here to offer all our firstborn to God—whatever good and just things we find in our works—and to attribute them to His grace, not to our own merits, saying: 'Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to Your name give the glory.' If, however, we produce something unclean—that is, if we commit sin in our work—we must kill it, which means we must root out the evil through amendment, or at least change it by turning away from evil and doing good; or we must redeem it with five shekels, by performing good works and producing fruits worthy of repentance through our five bodily senses. We are also reminded here that if we find in the flock of our works the lamb of innocence, or the principal virtues—such as charity, chastity, humility, patience, and the like—we should offer them to God. That is, we should not attribute our living worthily to our own merits, but to Him who says in the Gospel: 'Without me you can do nothing,' for He is the one who works in us both to will and to act. If, however, we are so poor that we cannot find in our work the lamb and the riches of an innocent life, or the principal virtues, let us offer the 'sahem'—two turtledoves or two young pigeons—that is, two kinds of compunction: namely, fear and love. And let us weep daily, not only for the washing away of our own sins and the sins of others, but also to obtain virtues and to foster a longing for our heavenly homeland. And so we offer one for sin, while we groan over the evils we have committed; the other we offer as a burnt offering, when we are inflamed by the love of heavenly things. Morally speaking, there are three things to note here: the mystery of Mary's purification, the Sacrament of the Lord being carried, and the meaning of the offering that was made. As for the first, you should know that Mary—whose name means 'star of the sea' or 'bitter sea'—represents the soul, whether it's in the light of the contemplative life or in the bitterness of the active life. Purification is necessary for both; the contemplative soul must be purified of pride, which is done through compunction, and the active soul must be purified of negligence, which is done through rigor and hard work. For no one is brought into Jerusalem—which means 'vision of peace' and signifies the blessed life—unless the days of their purification are first fulfilled. Because unless someone is fully purified and as pure as they were in Baptism, they cannot reach that Jerusalem, or even the heavenly temple. Such purification is accomplished either here in the present life through penance, trials, and the like, or after death in the pains of purgatory. Regarding the second point, we should know that we read of Christ being brought into Jerusalem, as mentioned here, and we also read of him being brought into Egypt. This teaches us that the offspring of our mind—our intelligence—must at times be lifted up to contemplate eternal things, which is signified by Jerusalem, interpreted as the vision of peace. At other times, however, it must be brought down to consider our own faults, which is signified by Egypt, for Egypt is interpreted as darkness. We can also count five other places to which Christ is carried or led: Jerusalem, Egypt, the desert, a high mountain, and the pinnacle of the temple. These five places signify five states in which Christ is found. Jerusalem signifies the contemplative life, where there is the vision of peace; Egypt signifies the active life, in which there is sorrow and the anguish of tribulation; the desert signifies religious life, in which one persists in fasting; a high mountain signifies the height of authority; the pinnacle of the temple is the seat of the master. And in these states Jesus is found; for in every state of the Church, Jesus—that is, salvation—can be found. But consider who carried him into Jerusalem and Egypt; you'll find that in both places, it was Mary and Joseph who carried Christ—the star of the sea and the increase, that is, faith and charity. Into the desert, he was led by the Holy Spirit; but to the high mountain and onto the pinnacle, the devil carried him. And so, leaders and teachers ought to be afraid, lest the devil has carried them up to a high mountain—that is, to positions of authority—or into the seat of a master. As for the third point, it's worth noting that the offering could be made indiscriminately of either a turtledove or a pigeon. The turtledove, which is solitary and chaste, represents the contemplative life. The pigeon, however, which flies in flocks and is fruitful, signifies the active life. Both birds have a moan instead of a song, though they do so in different ways. The moan of the turtledove is fitting for contemplatives, and this moan is doubled, which is why it's called a pair of turtledoves. The first moan is of love, of which the Apostle says that we moan within ourselves, awaiting the adoption of the sons of God; the second is of devotion, of which the same Apostle says that the Spirit intercedes for us with inexpressible moans. The moan of the pigeon, however, is fitting for those in the active life, and this is twofold, which is why it's called two young pigeons: one is for one's own sins, according to that of Isaiah, 'We moan like doves meditating'; the other is for the sins of others, according to that of Lamentations, 'All her gates are destroyed; her priests are moaning.' Those who don't have the lamb—that is, innocence—must offer this fourfold moan. To sum up what has been said: this purification, offering, and presentation signify that whoever has been cleansed of pride and negligence, and is prepared to ascend to the contemplation of God and descend to the consideration of their own self—and then, ascending again, sighs with love and devotion, and returning downward, sighs with contrition and compassion—in these things consists the perfection of the faithful soul devoted to God. And because both of these lives are acceptable to God, it isn't specified whether turtledoves or pigeons were offered for the Lord; rather, it is stated indifferently as 'a pair of turtledoves' or 'two young pigeons.' You have seen, then, in what I have said, the poverty of Christ and his parents, since they had only the offering of the poor. If, however, you wish to be instructed in humility, you can easily grasp it by considering their offering, their redemption, and their observance of the Law. Notice here, too, the humility of Christ, and how it has grown step by step from what came before. For at his birth he acted as a poor man; at his circumcision, as a poor man and a sinner; but today, as a poor man, a sinner, and a servant. He acted as a poor man in that he chose the offering of the poor; as a sinner, in that he himself... He wished to be purified through his Mother's offering; and as a servant, in that he had himself redeemed. Three things are necessary for those entering the temple: purification, union with the Church, and a right intention. And because, as we have seen, after the circumcision of the Son and the purification of the Mother, they brought Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, it must be known and carefully noted that the faithful are morally instructed by these three things: that when they wish to enter the material temple of God—that is, the Church—they ought to conform themselves to the blessed Virgin and to Christ in these three circumstances: namely, that they be purified and circumcised from the dross of sin, as regards the first; that they be carried in the arms of holy Mother Church, as regards the second; and that they be ordered by the end of a right intention, as regards the third. First, those about to enter the church must be cleansed of the filth of their sins and be circumcised. For the blessed Virgin, before she entered the temple after the birth of her immaculate Son, fulfilled the days of purification; and the Son himself, before he was brought into the temple, chose to be circumcised. This isn't because the Mother needed purification or the Son needed circumcision, since she conceived without the seed of man and gave birth to him while remaining an intact Virgin. Yet both chose to keep the Law in this, so that a pattern of spiritual purification and circumcision might be given to us. We must be purified and circumcised of our vices before we enter the church and are offered to God, if we want our offering to be pleasing to him; for, according to Bede, no one is worthy of the Lord's sight unless they have been purified and circumcised of their vices. From this, we learn that no one should enter the church with a conscience burdened by mortal sin unless they have first confessed, or at least are contrite if a confessor isn't available. Furthermore, those about to enter the church must first be purified of their sins, at least through general contrition, even if they aren't aware of any specific sin; for it is the mark of a good soul to fear guilt even where no guilt exists, following the example of the blessed Virgin, who had no need of purification. This is why it's the custom to have holy water at the doors of the church, so that those entering may be cleansed by its sprinkling, even of venial sins, if they aren't conscious of any mortal ones. In figure of this, there was a basin with water before the entrance of the tabernacle, and there Aaron and his sons would wash their hands and feet before entering the tabernacle. Second, they must be supported by the arms of holy Mother Church, just as Christ was carried into the temple in the arms of his Mother, so that of the faithful who enter the church worthily, the Mother Church herself might say the words of Hosea: 'I carried them in my arms.' Outside these arms of the Church's unity are heretics, who wander from the faith; schismatics, who deviate from charity; and all the excommunicated, who have been cut off from the unity of the Church. For all these, because they aren't carried in the arms of Mother Church, aren't fit to enter her; for, as Cyprian says, 'He cannot have God as his Father who does not hold to the unity of Mother Church.' It's pointless and unworthy, then, for someone to enter a physical church if they aren't held fast within the arms of the mystical Church. Third, they must be guided by a right intention, so that they enter the church for the sake of devotion and prayer—not for the sake of empty pretense, like hypocrites; not for the sake of showing off and empty glory, like those who dress up and adorn themselves just to be seen by others; not for the sake of lust, like those who go to church to look at women or men, so that they might desire and be desired; not for the sake of vanity and entertainment, like those who go to church to waste time in idle chatter, laughter, and silliness; and not for the sake of profit and greed, like clergy who go to church only for the fees they'll be paid, or those who go to conduct business for the sake of worldly gain. All these people, because they don't intend the proper end, aren't worthy to enter the temple; for those who enter don't present themselves to the Lord, nor do they come into the temple in spirit. Consequently, they don't see Christ, nor can they embrace him with the spiritual arms of the soul. And note, according to Bede, that the one who was brought to Jerusalem after his circumcision and offered to the Lord is the one who, following the command to 'turn away from evil and do good,' has ceased from sin and begun to abound in good works—the one who can say: 'My eyes are always on the Lord, that I may hear the voice of your praise'; the one who says: 'We are the good fragrance of Christ'; and: 'I have lifted my hands to your commands, and I have turned my feet to your testimonies'; the one who, whether he eats or drinks or does anything else, does everything for the glory of God, and says: 'How sweet are your words to my throat, O Lord'; and finally: 'My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God.' The sanctification of the temple is through Christ. Now, as to why the Savior wanted to be carried into the temple, beyond other reasons, one reason may be that he wanted to sanctify the temple by his presence, just as he was baptized so that he himself might sanctify the waters. For just as through the Baptism of Christ, not only was that part of the water of the Jordan sanctified, which touched the flesh of Christ, but all waters; so through his being carried into that temple in Jerusalem, all temples dedicated in his name were sanctified. This is why it's established that the physical presence of Christ should be held in churches—specifically in the Sacrament—and why the relics of the Saints are kept there, and the ministries of the Angels take place there. And so, it's fitting that churches be held in veneration and not frequented except with the utmost reverence and devotion; for as the Psalmist says, "Holiness befits your house."7 These things can also be explained in terms of the mental temple, into which the eternal Word is brought daily by faithful, devout people—the temple of which the Apostle says: "God's temple is holy, and you are that temple." And because the nobility of any thing is gathered from its causes, it follows that the nobility of this temple is gathered from four causes: the dignity of its efficient cause, the preciousness of its material, the beauty of its form, and the honorableness of its end. The first is clear, because this temple, which is the mind of the rational soul, was created directly by God himself. This points to the soul's supreme nobility; for in creating the soul, God didn't call upon any creature, but the Trinity invited itself, saying: "Let us make man." As Augustine says, God didn't direct this word to the angels, but the Father directed it to the other persons in the Godhead; this shows that it is the singular work of the Trinity itself. The second is clear, because the soul wasn't made from any pre-existing material, but from nothing. In all created things, no material was found noble enough to form a rational soul. Certainly not earth, nor any other element, nor the heavens—not the sun, moon, stars, or any celestial body—were worthy to serve as the material for the rational soul, for the soul is far higher and nobler than they are. Therefore, it was made from nothing, which contributes to its supreme nobility. The third is clear, for the rational form of the soul is most noble, since it is marked with the image of God. God didn't impress upon souls the image of any created thing, but the form of himself, so that the very form of the rational soul is nothing other than a reflection of the most blessed Trinity. The blessed Trinity could not have ennobled the rational soul more than by making it like itself, stamping it with the form of its own image, so that—since likeness is the cause of love—the soul might turn all its affection toward God, finding nothing in created things that is like itself. The fourth point is clear: God created the soul for no other purpose than for himself, so it might be his dwelling place, as the Psalmist says: 'For the Lord has chosen Sion'—that is, the soul that watches—'he has chosen it for his dwelling.' Because he chose it for this, he desires its habitation above all else, as the Book of Proverbs says: 'My son, give me your heart,' and elsewhere: 'My delights are to be with the children of men.' Therefore, whenever God finds a soul of this kind properly prepared, he takes possession of it as if by a vow, saying with the Psalmist: 'This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have chosen it.' Hence, the exhortation not to sin. O faithful soul, if you were to consider your nobility in light of all these reasons, you would certainly never sin. Hence Bernard says: 'If you knew your own nobility...' ...you would recognize, O my soul, that you abhor sin. And certainly, consider the nobility of the soul, which leads to such abhorrence. ...of sin. ...which is true even without regard for rewards or punishments. It would still lead to avoiding sin, because a noble soul... considers all these things to be vices and unworthy of being stained by them. This is a kind of holy and noble pride of a generous soul, which even the pagan Seneca possessed when he said: 'If I knew that the gods would forgive and men would be ignorant, I would still disdain to sin because of the vileness of sin.' Therefore, the mental temple of God ought to be adorned and painted with the various colors of the virtues: the white of chastity, the red of the will to suffer for Christ, the yellow of spiritual joy, the green of virtuous practice, the blue of heavenly longing, and the gold of love. Finally, with the black of humility. Into this temple, therefore, so composed and so adorned, we ought to bring the child Jesus, the eternal Word, and there we ought to offer for him a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons—that is, a twofold love, namely of God and neighbor; or the solitude of contemplation and the public life of action; or the chastity of mind and body, because turtledoves are most chaste birds; or the multiplication of good works, because pigeons are birds fruitful in offspring. We ought also to carry him in our arms with Simeon, embracing him with the arms of true love. We ought nonetheless to bless him for all the benefits shown to the mind in such a foretaste of divine sweetness, so that, moved by the desire for dissolution, we may await the blessed enjoyment of the eternal Word, singing a joyful song with Simeon and saying: 'Lord, now you let your servant go in peace, according to your word.' This is a great solemnity because of the many things that occurred, though three things especially highlight it: the first is the formal induction of Christ into the temple; the second is the legal offering of his parents for him; the third is the saving consolation of the aged Simeon. And based on these three things, this feast takes on three names. For the first reason, it's called Hypapante—which means 'presentation' in Greek—because on this day Christ was presented in the temple. For the second reason, it's called the feast of the Purification, because at that time the blessed Virgin made an offering for her purification according to the Law, even though she didn't need it. For the third reason, it's also called Candelabra, or the feast of light, because today we carry blessed, lighted candles in our hands, representing and following in this the devotion of Simeon. The holy temple of the Lord mentioned here was established on Mount Moriah, where Abraham intended to sacrifice his son Isaac; it is also the place where Jacob, while sleeping, saw a ladder set up reaching to heaven. On this same mountain, David saw the Angel standing and striking the people, and he fell to the ground; then, repentant and grieving deeply for himself, he earned mercy from God. On this mountain was the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, which David bought to build the house of the Lord there, because he had obtained mercy in that place. In this holy place, when Solomon had finished the work and was offering sacrifices to the Lord, a cloud filled the house, the glory of the Lord appeared, and fire descending from heaven consumed the burnt offerings. When Solomon had prayed there to the Lord, with knees bent and hands stretched out to heaven, asking that whoever came in to seek favors might have their prayers received by the Lord, the Lord appeared to him, saying: 'I have heard your prayer; for I have chosen and sanctified this place.' In this place, Heliodorus, sent by King Antiochus to violate and plunder the holy place, was scourged and, without ceasing, was wounded and beaten with many blows. It is called the temple of the Lord because sacrifices were offered to the Lord in it; but now it has been consecrated in honor of the Savior of the world and His Mother, Mary. Although it was destroyed first by the Babylonians and later by the Romans, it was rebuilt in the same place by faithful and religious men, with a circular design, magnificently and with wonderful craftsmanship. In this place, the blessed Virgin is said to have served with other virgins, preparing the curtains of the temple and the priestly vestments, learning the sacred scriptures, and devoting herself to fasts, vigils, prayers, and the study of divine readings. In this place, while the holy Zacharias was offering incense to the Lord, an Angel appeared to him, announcing that his prayer had been heard and that the birth of John was to come. In this place, as it is said, our Lord Jesus Christ was offered by his parents, received by Simeon, and announced by the holy widow Anna to all who were awaiting the redemption of Israel. In this temple, when Jesus was twelve, he was found sitting among the teachers, engaged in discussion. The devil placed Jesus on the pinnacle of this temple and, in tempting him, suggested that he throw himself down. From this temple, he cast out those who were buying and selling, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the chairs of those who were selling doves. In this temple, while he was staying in Jerusalem, he taught the Jews, even though they were jealous of him. In this temple, he freed the adulteress from those who were accusing her. As his passion drew near, he was in this temple all day teaching, and in the evening he would withdraw to Bethany. The veil of this temple was torn from top to bottom at his death, so that the way into the Holy of Holies might be opened. From the pinnacle of this temple, facing south, the blessed Apostle James—the first Bishop of Jerusalem under grace—was thrown down while preaching, struck with a fuller's club, and crowned with martyrdom. Zechariah, son of Barachiah, was martyred between this temple and the altar that stands outside in the courtyard to the south. The temple itself is round, built with eight walls, enclosed on the outside by a circuit and on the inside by massive marble columns in a triple row; at its center, at the very top, it is vaulted like a furnace. Inside, written in the highest row, is this: "Hear, O Lord, the hymn and the prayer that your servant prays before you today, that your eyes may be open over this house, day and night." On the outside of each wall, individual verses are written in a circle so they can be read throughout the entire city. Facing the city: "May eternal peace, from the eternal Father, be upon this house." Facing the Templars' temple: "The house of the Lord is well-founded upon a firm rock." Facing Bethany: "This is nothing other than the house of God and the gate of heaven." Facing the Mount of Olives: "Blessed are those who dwell in your house, O Lord." Facing the Valley of Jehoshaphat: "Blessed is the glory of the Lord from his holy place." Facing the temple cloister: "In his temple all will speak of his glory." Facing Mount Zion: "The temple of the Lord is holy; it is God's field; it is God's building." Also facing the city: "We will go rejoicing into the house of the Lord." This temple is located in the lower part of the city, near the eastern wall and not far from the southern wall. In the church of this temple, canons regular, serving the Lord according to the rule of blessed Augustine, used to live with the abbot. Not far from this Temple of the Lord, however, stands another temple of immense size and height, known as the House of the Forest—that is, the woods of Lebanon—and named the Temple of Solomon, because Solomon used to teach and render judgments there. It is named this way to distinguish it from the other one mentioned, which is specifically called the Temple of the Lord. So, when Mary and Joseph had fulfilled everything required by the Law, leaving nothing out—even though they weren't strictly bound by it—they left Jerusalem, intending to return to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. Bethlehem was their city, as Theophilus says, in the sense of being their homeland; Nazareth, however, was their place of residence. Go, and be with them always; help the child Jesus, and serve them in whatever ways you can. PRAYER: O desirable Jesus, who in the temple mercifully gave yourself to be seen and embraced by the righteous Simeon, who longed for you—come, most sweet Jesus, and to me who wait for you with all my longing, graciously grant yourself. Expel whatever impurity you find in me through your purifying grace, and by dwelling within me, make my heart your temple. There, may I embrace and hold you with the arms of my desire. Grant that I may always desire you, the fountain of light who are with the Father; and may I not depart from this life before I see you with the eyes of my heart, for you are the love and the longing, the life and the reward of those who desire you. Amen.
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Bethlehem Jerusalem PROFICISCUNTUR. — Adveniente autem quadragesima die, quando, secundum Legem, itnpleti sunt dies purgationis Marice, exiit ipsa de stabulo cum Joseph et Puero ut Legem impleret, in qua nihil purgandum erat, quia sine peccato conceperat. In circumcisione quidem purgabatur puer ab originali, quod a parentibus contraxerat ; in purificatione vero purgabatur mater a peccato, quia in libidine conceperat; sed nihilhorum in hoc Puero, vel in Matre erat. Et tulerunt Puerum prius circumcisum deBethehem, in Jerusalem, ut secundum Legem sisterent, id est, ofFerrent, seu ofFerendo praesentarent *eum Domino in templo, et ut darent hostiam, scilicet par turturum, aut duos pullos columbarum pro eo.
Ad evidentiam hujus sciendum, quod de prole nata duplex erat praeceptum. Unum generale quantum ad omnes, ut sdlicet completis diebus purgationis matris, puer ad templum deferretur, et pro eo hostia daretur. Lex autem purificationis erat, quod mulier quae suscepto semine peperisset masculum, immunda esset septem diebus, separata a consortio hominum, et ab ingressu templi, et a tactu sacronim, et die octavo circumcideretur infantulus, et ipsa quidem munda efficeretur quoad consortium hominum, sed adhuc XXXIII diebus immunda esset quoad ingressum templl et tactum sacrorum ; et his diebus non licebat egredi domo, etc Completis xxxin diebus cum septem prsecedentibus, ex tunc quadragesima die mulier intrabat templum, et praesentabat natum puerum, Domino ofFerens sacrlficia pro se et pro puero. Si autem feminam peperisset, duplicabantur dies quoad consortia hominum, et quoad templi ingressum. Aliud erat praeceptum speciale de primogenitis, tam in hominibus quam in jumentis, ut sancta Domino fierent, quia Domino consecrata erant. E! x eo tempore quo primogenita iEgyptiorum Dominus interfecity filios Israel salvans, omnia primogenita filiorum Israel sibi vindicavit, sibique offerri praecepit. Sicut enim voluit sibi offerri primitias fructuum, ita et primogenita hominum, et aliorum animalium mundorum.
Sed quare hoc, nisi ut omnia prima, et maxime omnia meliora et cariora Domino offeramus ?
Quia ergo Christus ex muliere natus, et primogenitus, sub Lege fierj voluit, haec duo praemissa circa eum observata fuerunt. Non suffecit magistro humilitatis perfectae, cum per omnia Patri coaequalis esset, se subdere humili Virgini, nisi et subderet se Legi. Hoc autem pluribus de causis fecit : primo, ut veterem Legem approbaret; secundo, ut eam servando in semetipsum consummaret et terminaret, ostendens ex hoc quod ad ipsum ordinata erat; tertio, ut Judaeis calumniandi occasionem sublraheret; quarto, ut homines a servitute Legis liberaret; quinto, ut exemplum humiiitatis et obedientiae nobis daret.
Quamvis etiam beata Virgo ad Legem mulierum non teneretur, nec purificari indigeret, quia non concepit suscepto semine, sed Spiritus Sancti mystico spiramine, voluit tamen subdi purificationi, propter plures rationes. Prima, ut se in hoc aliis mulieribus conformaret, sicut et Filius per omnia fratribus assimilari voluit. Unde Bernardus : a Vere beata Virgo non habes causam, nec tibi opus est purificatione. Sed numquid Filio tuo opus erat circumcisione ? Esto inter mulieres tanquam una illarum, nam et Filius tuus sic est in medio puerorum. » ~ Secunda, secundum Bedam, sicut Christus, sic et beata Virgo Legi est sponte subjecta, ut nos a Legis vinculo solveremur, — Tertia, ut occasionem scandali vitaret, nondum enim erat notum ipsam sine semine peperisse; unde si non observasset dies purificationis suae, fuisset Judaeis occasio scandali, et murmurationis contra ipsam. — Quarta, ut Legem purificationis terminaret, adveniente scilicet Christo, qui est nostra purificatio, per fidem nos purificans. — Quinta, ut nobis exemplum humilitatis daret.
Nam humiliavit se etiam in his ad quae non tenebatur, ut humilitatem doceret : ut enim Mater Doctoris omnium et ipsa Doctrix existeret, cum non posset propter sexum publice docere verbo, ideo voluit docere exemplo.
Maria igitur licet purificatione non indigeret, purificationem tamen peragere voluit, quia omnia quae Legis erant diligentissime observabat, et [i6 ideo ipsa est per Arcam Testamenti praefigurata , in qua inclusa erant Legis mandata. Ibi enim erant duse tabulae, in quibus decem praecepta scripta erant, quae Maria diligeAter observabat. Arca etiam librum Legis continebat, et Maria libros sacrae Scripturae libenter legebat. In arca erat virga Aaron quae floruit, et Maria floruit, et benedictum fructum ventris sui protulit. Arca etiam urnam auream cum manna coeli continebat , et Maria verum manna coeli nobis ofFerebat. Arca de ligno cethim imputribili erat facta, et Maria in putredinem, vel in pulverem non est redacta. Arca • quatuor circulos aureos in lateribus habebat, et Maria quatuor virtutes cardinale», quae omnium virtutum radices et initia sunt, in se gerebat. Arca habebat duos vectes, quibus portabatur, per quos duos, duplex charitas in Maria designabatur.
Arca tam intrinsecus quam foris deaurata erat , Maria intus et foris virtutibus resplendebat. Quapropter ipsa etiam pulchre figurata est in candelabro aureo, quod lucebat Jerosolymis in templo Domini, supra quod septem lampades ardentes stabant, quae septem opera misericordiae, id est Mariam figurabant, quae Regina misericordiae, et Mater pietatis erat. Hoc candelabrum et ejus candelam honoramus, quando in festo Purificationis, accensas candelas bajulamus. Maria enim candelam Domino in sua purificatione ofFerebat , quando Simeon lumen ad revelationem Gentium concinebat; Christus Mariae Filius est candela accensa, propter tria quae inveniuntur in ea, scilicet : ligmen, jgnis, et cera; et in Christo sunt tria, scilicet : caro, anima et deitas vera. Haec candela, pro humano genere Domino est oblata, per quam nox tenebranim nostrarum est illuminata. Oblatio hujus beatissimae candelae praefigurata fuit in puero Samuele. Annae sterili,. contra morem naturae Deus filium dedit, et Mariae Virgini supra cursum naturae, Filium inspiravit.
Anna obtulit filium, qui Judaeos erat prppugnaturus; Maria obtulit Filium, qui mundum erat protecturus. Filius Annae postea a Judaeis est refutatus; Flius Mariae est ab eis turpissima morte condemnatus. Hoc est quod Simeon Mariae prophetando praedicebat, quod Filii ipsius gladius animam suam pertransire debebat.
Ibant igitur parentes Jesu in Jerusalem, ut Legis mandata perficerent, et quamvis timerent Herodein, tamen non sunt ausi transgredi Legem , quin ad templum Puerum deferrent. Et forte adhuc omnia quieta erant, adhuc Herodes Magos expectans nondum sui cordis malitiam revelaverat. Dominus itaque Jesus Christus cum Matre, in his et aliis Legem observans, ostendit cum quanta sollicitudine et vigilantia debemus observare Evangelii praecepta, quando ipse praecepta legalia, quae per servum dederat, cum tanta observavit diligentia. 7 ? Adduxerunt ergo Dominum templi ad templum, ut facerent secundum consuetudinem Legis pro eo. Cumque intrassent templum, emerunt duos turtures, aut duos pullos columbarum, ut pro eo ofiFerrent, sicut pro pauperibus erat consuetum. Et quia pauperrimi erant, credendum est magis quod de pullis columbarum emerunt, quia facilius et pro minori pretio inveniuntur, et ideo in Lege, ultimo loco ponuntur. Et tacet Evangelista de agno, quia erat divitum oblatio.
Vide quia tam pauperes parentes Dominus elegit, qui non haberent agnum, quem pro eo ofFerrent; sed tantum par turtunim, aut duos pullos columbarum, quae erat oblatio pauperum. In Lege enim Dominus praeceperat, ut die quo parens infantem in templo praesentaret, pro sua et sobolis purificatione, agnum anniculum immaculatum in holocaustum,acetiam turturem, sive pullum columbae, pro peccato, quia in libidine conceperat, offerret. Qui vero non sufficiebant ad offerendum agnum, duos turtures offerebant, vel duos pullos columbarum ; unum loco agni in hoiocaustum, quod totum incensum dicitur, quia totum incendebatur ; et alterum pro peccato, qui cedebat in partem sacerdotis, qui orabat pro muliere, et sic mundabatur; Hanc hostiam et oblationem pauperum, voluit Dominus pro se dari, et cum dives esset, pro nobis pauper dignatus est fieri, ut nos sua paupertate ditaret, et divitiarum suarum donaret esse participes, et nos faceret hic in fide divites, et in coelo regni haeredes. Sicut enim mortalitatem nostram assumpsit, ut per eam nobis immortalitatem conferret, sic paupertatem nostram voluit assumere, ut per eam nobis aeternas divitias tribueret. Imitemur ergo nos Dominum nostrum, et spontaneam paupertatem amemus , ut habentes victum et vestitum , his contenti simus! Cur autem pulli columbarum, et non simpliciter columbae, sicut turtures, in sacrificia Domini permittebantur offerri, declarat Bernardus, dicens : « Et licet alias quidem per columbam Spiritus Sanctus soleat designari, quia tamen libidinosa avis est, non decuit offerri eam in sacrificio Domini, nisi ea sane aetate quae nesciret libidinem. At turturis non designatur aetas, quoniam agnoscitur castitas : in quacumque enim aetate compare uno contenta est; quo amisso, alterum non admittit, numerositatem in hominibus nuptiarum redarguens. Cernere est turturem tempore suse viduitatis sanctae viduitatis opus strenue ac infatigabiliter exequentem; videas ubique singularem , ubique gementem audias, nec unquam in viridi ramo residentem prospicias; et tu ab ea discas voluptatum virentia virulenta vitare.
Adde quod in jugis montium, et in summitatibus arborum, frequentior illi conversatio est, ut quod vel maxime propositum pudicitiae decet , doceat nos terrena despicere, et amare coelestia : » haec Bcrnardus, 8 SiMEONis ELOGiUM. — Et eccc 5imeon, inter sacerdotes famosus et nominatus, qui jusius erat in omni operatione boni, ei timoratus in cautela mali ; vel justus, recte se habendo ad proximum, et timoratus quoad Deum, quia difl&cile justitia sine casto et filiali timore Domini custoditur : timor enim Domini, justitiae et ceterarum virtutum custos est, quia quanto justus ardentius Deum diligit, tanto solertius offendere cavet. Illorum enim operationem comitatur justitia, quorum mentes timor Dei illuminat, testante Psalmista, qui ait : Beatus vir qui timei Dominum, etc; et Salomone, qui dicit : Qui timet Deum, nihil negligit, Et bene justus erat; ad proximum se recte habebat, quia non suam solummodo, sed et totius populi salutem quaerebat, expecians consolationem Israel, in desiderio et spe boni promissi, quoad fidei et spei rectitudinem, quam habebat. Minores quidem expectabant consolationem temporalem, per promissum salutis auctorem, ut qui ab Herode pressi fuerant, in adventu Salvatoris liberati, consolationem acciperent. Majores vero, ut Simeon et hujusmodi, etiam spiritualem consolationem, et redemptionem a diabolo expectabant. Consolatio quippe Israel, id est, videntis Deum, Domini adventus in carne fiiit; sancti enim patres, quos metus originalis peccati contristabat, per Domini Incarnationem consolari credebant. Hanc consolationem Simeon , qui obediens interpretatur , expectabat , quem matura 'setas de mundo exire compellebat ; tamen propter desiderium videndi Dominum, in carne manebat. Et Spiritus Sanctus, et sanctificator ex praesentia summi boni erat in eo, quantum ad gratise plenitudinem, quam possidebat, qui non solum habuit gratiam justificantem, prout communiter habetur a justis, sed etiam quantum ad illuminationes, et consolationes divinas speciales.
Dicturus Evangelista de Simeone , quia Spiritus Sanctus erat in eo, praemisit quod erat justus et timoraius, quoniam illorum corda Deus inhabitat, qui timentes Deum justitiam servant, unde ipse ppr Prophetam dicit : Super quem quiescet Spiritus meus, nisi super humilem et quietum, et irementem sermones meos ?
Et ab ipso, Spiritu Sancto, qui per inhabitantem gratiam in eo erat, responsum in orationibus suis devotis acceperat, invisibiliter in mente, per occultam inspirationem, et intellexit de Christi adventu , quod Christum quem videbat oculis mentis, videret oculis corporis, antequam praesentem finiret vitam. Ex quo patet quod pro hoc prius oraverat ; quia hoc sperabat, et consolationem Israel expectabat. Tunc enim erat opinio communis apud intelligentes quod imminebat adventus Christi, secundum signa a Patriarchis et Prophetis data. Et ideo Simeon de hoc ferventius Deum orabat ; et in Spiritu, id * est per revelationem Spiritus Sancti, et ipso Spiritu Sancto qui in eo erat jubente, vetiit in templum, ut, sicut responsum et promissum ab eodem Spiritu acceperat, Christum Domini, id est uncturh a Domino, antequam moreretur, videret. O quanta desiderio videndi Dominum, senex iste beatissimus aestuabat, quem jam aetas de hoc seculo exire cogebat 1 Sed Dei responsio retinebat, quia non erat mortem visunis, id est, sentiturus vel experturus, nisi prius videret Christum Domini, Messiam promissum , oculis corporalibus. Hoc ergo desiderabat, hoc mente tractabat, hoc semper cogitabat, dicens : Scio quia veniet, scio quia videbo eum. Sed quando veniet i quando eum videbo ? Veni, Domine Jesu, solve mihi haec vincula, et me jam nunc in pace ire permitte.
Dum autem haec secum diceret, dum hoc. desiderio aestuaret, dictum est ilii a Spiritu Sancto : Ecce adest quem expectas, quem quaeris; nunc eum videbis; surge', propera, festina,. vade ad templum. lo Christum in ulnas accipiens ADORAT. — - Cum autem festinanter veniens templum intraret, et eum videret, statim eum Spiritu prophetico cognovit. Eadem quippe Spiritus gratia, qua olim praecognoveratventurum,etiam nunc venientem, jamjamque mox a se videndum, cognovit Salvatorem. Et accelerando, occurrens genua flexit, et eum inter brachia Matris adoravit, brachiaque sua extendit, et parentibus ait : Mihi eum date, mihi debetur, mei ofiicii est, ad hoc missus sum, huic obsequio reservatus sum ! Mater vero intelligens voluntatem Filii,.
porrexit eum Simeoni. IUe autem iaetus et exsultans, cum'maximo cordis gaudio, in ulnas suas, et inter brachia eum suscepit. O quam beatae manus, quae Verbum vitae palpaverunt, etulnaequaeipsumamplexatae sunt ! Et cum Puerum in ulnas accepisset, surrexit, et mox senectus. fiigit, ac juvenilis vigor et fortitudo afFiiit. Magna hic Domini potestas, sed non minor ejus claret humilitas. Qui coelo terraque non capitur, grandaevi hominis ulnis gestatur ; qui prius seipsum feire vix poterat, nunc leviter Puenimferens eisultat, Ipse enim portabat a quo portabatur, et qui verbo ^irtuiis sucB omnia portat ; ille portabat Christum in humanitate, a quo portabatur per divinitatem. Eleganter igitur dictum est : Senex Puerum portabat, Puer autem senem regebai, Ferebat senex Christum in£antem, qui illum regebat in senectute degentem.
Feliz quidem Simeon iste, qui non solum videre, sed etiam Christum in came meruit portare l Felix nimium, qui tantam consolationem meruit, quam desideravenmt Patriarchae et Prophetae, et non acceperunt ! Et non dubium quin ex hujusmodi amplexu Jesu Christi, multas consolationes receperit, et singularia charismata gratiarum. Unde et dicit doctor Grascus, quod Infantis ineffabile jubar adeo illustravit senem, ut processu temporis, fiitura mox sibi £erent nota. Non minus felices sunt, qui non viderunt et crediderunL II SiMEQNis CANTicuM. — Bcnedixit quoque et laudavit Deunt, gratias agendo pro tanto beneficio, scilicet de impletione promissionis, et de exhibitione Salvationis ; ac viso Redemptore, aperit revelationem in secreto dialogo sibi factam, dicens : Nunc dimittis, Domine , servum tuum in pace : quia viderunt oculi mei Salutare tuum, etc, per totum, Te, inquit, Domine, benedico : promissio tua completa est, completum estet desiderium meum ; quia video Christum Salutare tuum Dominum meum, Jesus enim Salvator, sive salutaris interpretatur. Viderunt quidem oculi carnis hominem ; sed oculi mentis cognoverunt eum esse Deum. Dimittis ergo, id est, dimittes vel dimittas, ut intelligatur optative, id est, utlnam dimittas, jam nunc et de cetero, servum iuum, abire, in pace, et de hac vita transire in cordis quiete, quieturum in sinu Abrahae. Quasi secure morior, quia praesens est, et in proximo passurus, quo redimar.
Sciebat quam beati oculi qui Christum essent visuri ; et ideo donec iUum videret, nolebat morte dissolvi. Mox autem ut vidit, optabat solvi a corpore, et in sinu Abrahae pacem habere. Laetanter enim descendere volebat ad limbum patrum, ex quo sdebat Salvatorem natum. Sed quomodo in pace dimittitur, cum omnes tunc sternerent lectum suum in tenebris? In pace, inquit, quietis, non in pace fruitionis Dei. Ecce Simeon perfectus fuit, habens vitam in patientia, et mortem in desiderio. Adeo ergo, secundum Bedam, in quibusdam perfecti fuerunt patres Veteris Testamenti, ut Novi.
Qui vult tenere Jesum manibus et amplexari, et in pace dimitti, omni labore nitatur ut habeat Spiritum ducem ; veniatque in Jerusalem, conversando in coelestibus ; veniat in templum, aptando se exemplo illerum in quibus habitat Deus, suspirando, et unam petendo, ut inhabitet semper in domo Domini ; expectet Dominum et adventum ejus. Sicenim et ipsum Verbum Dei in manibus accipere, et fidei ac spei, et charitatis brachiis merebitur amplecti ; et tunc dimittetur, ut non videat mortem aeternam, quia vidit vitam. Multum enim felix mortem videbit carnis, quicumque sic Christum Dominum satagerit prius videre oculis cordis. Unde Bemar^ dus: « Dimittetur in pace, qui Christum habet in pectore; ipse enim estpax nostra. Tn quo exibis, anima misera, quae ducem itineris Jesum ignoras ? » Moraliter, Simeon, qui obediens interpretatur, bonum religiosum significat ; et hic manet in Jerusalem, quae interpretatur pacifica, quia manet in pace interna et fraterna, qui est justus ad proximum, timorosus ad Deum, expectans consolationem Israel, id est, divinae visionis; quia Israel videns Deum interpretatur , et Spiritus Sanctus est in eo, per gratiae suae beneficium. Et tali datur Jesus ad amplexandum, et sic cum Simeone de tanto beneficio benedicit Dominum, et desiderat exire de mundo, ut ei detur ad perfecte fruendum, s^cundum Apostolum, desiderium habens dissolvi, et esse cum Christo, — Moraliter etiam hic instruimur de multis : primo, quod per virtuosa opera, quae per brachia intelliguntur , Jesus apprehenditur ; secundo, in hoc quod senex Infantem suscepit, instruimur quod deposita culpae vetustate, debemus induere vitae novitatem ; tertio, in hoc quodChristus qui omniaportat, voluit portari , habemus exemplum. humilitatis; quarto, in hoc quod Simeon benedixit Deum , instruimur ad agendum gratias Deo de omnibus bonis nostris.
i3 Christus in cantico Simeonis — Possumus etiam dicere quod in hoc cantico magnificatur Christus, quoad quatuor, secundum quatuor nomina, quibus Simeon Christum appellat. Commendatur enim Christus ut pax, ut salus, ut lumen, ut gloria. Pax est, quia mediator; salus , quia redemptor ; lumen , quia doctor; gloria, quia praemiator. Et sic in his quatuor consistit perfecta Christi commendatio , imo totius Evangelicae historiae quaedam brevissima comprehensio : ea namque . quae respiciunt ejus incarnationem comprehenduntur in pace : Ipse enim est pax nostra, qui fecit utraque unum, quia utramque naturam, in uno supposito univit, duos populos in unum copulavit, dans pacem his qui longe et his qui prope, Deum etiam homini reconciliavit. Ea vero quae respiciunt ejus praedicationem, et suae vitae conversationem, ac miraculorum operationem , comprehenduntur in luce. Unde ipse dicit : Ego sum lux mundi. Quae autem respiciunt redemptionem et passionem , comprehenduntur in nomine salutis ; sed quae respiciunt resurrectionem et ascensionem , comprehenduntur in gloria.
Et quia canticum istud sic continet laudis Christi plenitudinem, et senis morientis consolationem ;. ideo in sero et in fine cantatur in completorio.
Et erat pater ejus, scilicet putativus, id est Joseph, qui meruit vocari pat€r Christi, eo quod fuit nutritius ejus, et Mater ejus vera, scilicet Maria, mirantes, non dubitando, sed assentiendo et congaudendo, super his quce dicebantur de illo, scilicet Jesu. Mirabatur Virgo, de his quae audierat ab Angelo in annuntiatione, ab Elizabeth in salutatione et Joannis exsultatione, et a Zacharia in Joannis nativitate. Item mirabatur ipsa et Joseph, de exsultatione Angelorum, nato Christo, ct de cantico novo ; item de adventu pastorum, et de reverentia Magorum ; item de adventu Simeonis, et laude ejusdem : quae omr nia erant mira et admiratione digna. Unde Ambrosius : cc Non solum ab Angelis et Prophetis, a pastoribus et parentibus, sed etiam a senioribus et justis, generatio Domini accepit testimonium. Omnis aetas, et uterque sexus, eventorumque miracula, fidem astruunt : Virgo generat , sterilis parit , mutus loquitur, Elizabeth prophetat, utero dausus exsultat, Magus adorat, vidua confitetur, justus expectat. » Et ex virtute Pueri quem gestabat in ulnis, benedixit Simeon illis, scilicet Mariae, et Joseph, cum affectu et gaudio, ac Deo gratias referendo. Quamvis enim Maria et Joseph essent majores in sanctitate, ille tamen praecellebat quantum ad sacerdotis oflBcium , ad quem spectat benedicere populum. Mos quippe erat in Lege, quod quando parentes praesentabant puerum in templo, sacerdos benedicebat illis, scilicet parentibus et puero ; et ideo benedixit Simeon parentibus Christum praesentantibus, id est, beatos eos dixit, et benedictos praedicavit, vel benedictionem a Deo cis optavit.
Hujus autem benedictionis formam non habemus expressam, sed potest ista benedictio intelligi, laudationis et gratiarum actionis; sicut dicimus quod creatura benedicit Creatori, ipsum cum gratiarum actione laudando. Benedixit paretitibus, propter filium, sicut e converso plcrumque benedicuntur filii propter parentes. Et nota quia in Joseph patris similitudo erat, quia nutritor ejus; ideo non est communi benedictione privatus ; Maria virgo, quia vere ejus Mater erat, et de Puero magis ad eam pertinebat; ideo ad eam singulariter se vertit, revelando ei occultorum praesagia.
CogUOvit enim, illo docente, quem gestabat in ulnis , divinum illud non esse ex Joseph, sed ex Virgine : ideo ad eam dirigit sermonem. Et non solum benedixit; sed etiam prophetando, futura praedixit, dicens : Ecce positus est hic, per adventum suum, et a Deo statutus et ordinatus in ruinam, scilicet superborum se stare putantium; de quibus ipse dicit : Si non venissem et locutus eis non fuissem, peccatum non kaberent. Addit : Et in resurrectionem multorum , scilicet humilium, se non stare reputantium, qui in eum credentes, resurrexerunt a peccatis per eum. Et dicit in Israel; quia multi Judaei a veritate cadentes, fuerunt excaecati, et multi prius simplices et ignorantes illuminati; et in signum, scilicet foederis et reconciliationis inter Deum et hominem, cui contradicetur primo a Judaeis; deinde a Gentibus, seu paganis; postea ab haereticis , hoc non credentibus. Ubi notandum, secundum Origenem, quod in omnibus quae de Christo narrantur a fidelibus , contradictionem passus est falso ab incredulis , de quibus ipse conqueritur in Psalmista, dicens : Insurrexerunt in me testes iniqui; et mentita est iniquitas sibi. Potuit enim Christus impugnari, sed non expugnari. Sed et pravi Christiani contradicunt ei in moribus et operibus; etsi non in fide et sermonibus, qui confltentur se nosse Deum, factis autem negant, Venit ergo Salvator, in ruinam non credentium et superborum , et hoc per occasionem; et in resurrectionem credentium et humilium , sed per causam. Non solum autem aliis in ruinam, et aliis in resurrectionem venit; sed etiam uni eidemque homini in ruinam, pariter et in resurrectionem apparet : in ruinam, scilicet vitiorum , et resurrectionem virtutum.
Nec fit resurrectio virtutum, nisi praecedat ruina vitiorum. Unde Bernardus : a Non potest virtus cum vitiis pariter crescere; ergo ut illa vigeat, ista crescere non sinantur. ToIIe superflua, et salubria surgunt. » Unde notandum quod Christus deslruxit regnum peccati, et construxit regnum virtutum : propter quod dicitur positus in ruinam et resurrectionem. Ruit enim superbia, ex ejus humilitate» Ruit avaritia , ex ejus paupertate. Ruit luxuria , in ejus castitate. Ruit invidia, in ejus benignitate. Ruit gula, in ejus sobrietate.
Ruit ira, in ejus patientia. Ruit acedia, in ejus labore et vigilia. Et sic Ghristus, construendo regnum virtutum, destruxit regnum vitiorum ; ita quod eisdem venerit in ruinam et resurrectionem. Nam secundum Chrysostomum , cum superbus humilis efl&citur; lascivus, castus; avarus, misericors, et ita de aliis ; tunc in eadem persona est ruina vitii, et resurrectio virtu- . tis. Et ad hoc a Deo positus fuit hic in mundo, tanquam signum ad sagittam ; ut quilibet quasi pro libito jaculum mitteret in eum.
Et prophetizans Simeon de Christi passione, ait :. Et tuam ipsius animam pertransibit per compassionem gladius ; id est passio, seu dolor passionis ipsius. Non enim absque magno affectu • materni doloria , potuit videre crucifigi Filium; etsi speraret mortem devicturum, ac resurrecturum, et post mortem victurum. Unde dicit Hieronymus, quod quia in parte impassibili passa est, plus quam martyr fuit. Dolores quippe quos pariens effugit, hos tempore passionis Christi sustinuit. Unde Anselmus : a Nunc reposcit debitum atrox vis naturae, quod tibi detinuit olim pariturae; poenasque cum foenore aestimant usurae, quae communi matribus debebantur jure. » Ut revelentur ex multis cordibus cogitationes; Christi namque passio, multorum cordium cogitationes revelavit; quia Prophetarum dicta, cogitationes, et occuha mysteria ibi revelata sunt, et consummata. Et hoc quidem velum templi significavit, quod, eo moriente, scissum est, ut sancta sanctorum omnibus apparerent.
Vel multorum cordium, scilicet bonorum et raalorum, cogitationes tunc revelatae sunt; quia Christo passo alii crediderunt, alii credere noluerunt. Et secundum Bedam, antea incertum erat qui Judaeorum eum recepturi erant, et qui non; postea certum fuit. Mystice, ut dicit Beda, usque ad finem seculi , gladius tribulationis animam Ecdesiae pertransit, cum signum fidei, ab impiis et reprobis contradicitur ; cum multos ruere videt ; cum revelatis cordium cogitationibus, ubi bonum. semen seminaverat, zizania germinare conspicit. Et hotandum quod illud ut, non tenetur hic causaliter; non enim propter hoc principaliter pati voluit Christus, ut revelarentur hominum cogitationes ; sed tenetur hic consecutive ; quia hoc quod est revelare cogitationes, secutum est ad passionem ChristL Sicut si dicerem : Exivi ad campos, ut caperer ab hostibus. Capi ab hostibus , non fuit de intentione mea, sed quoddam consecutivum ad exitum meum. Et est similis modus loquendi, cum dicitur saepe in Evangelio ; Hoc factum est, ut implerentur Scripturce. Hoc enim non fuit principalis intentio Christi , quod talia fecit, vel passus est, ut implerentur Scripturae; sed postquam talia evenerunt , consecutive Scripturae sunt impletae.
Non enim prophetia est causa eventus rei ; sed ipsa res est causa prophetiae. Aliter exponit Origenes, revelatione occultorum peccatorum in confessione; ut revelentur cogitationes malae per confessionem, quae prius occultabantur , quae per effectum passionis in sacramento poenitentiae operantis, sanantur.
Et ipsa eadem hora , qua scilicet Simeon loquebatur de Qiristo, tenens eum in ulnis , superveniens et Anna prophetissa, non a casu, vel ex dispositione humana, sed Spiritus Sancti revelatione, sicut dictum est de Simeone : et adorans eumy confitebatur Domino, confessione laudis et gratiarum actionis, laudans Deum de tantis beneficiis adimpletis, et in Incarnatione et Nativitate exhibitis; perhibensque testimonium de Filio, et instruens populum, loquebatur de illo, omnibus qui expectabant redemptionem Jerusalem, et Israel, annuntians eis natum esse Redemptorem, et humani generis Salvatorem; et quod iUe diu desideratus esset , qui eos redimere et liberare deberet. Omnibus fidelibus , qui jugo Herodis alienigenae gravati , liberationem ciyitatis et populi, ac etiam spiritualemexpectabant, per adventum Christi in proximo fieri redemptionem a tyrannide Herodis et daemonis promittebat. Haec mulier venelabilis, cujus nobilitas extollitur, continentia laudatur, aetas commendatur, religio praedicatur, idonea etvalde digna erat, quae Dei Filio incarnato testimonium perhiberet. Unde et prophetissa describitur, ut ejus testimonium authentizetur , quia prophetiae inspiratio vel revelatip divina esse perhibetur. Unde Origenes : « Juste sancta mulier spiritum prophetandi meruit, quia longa castitate, longis etiam jejuniis, ad hoc culmen ascenderat. » Quiaergo omnem sexum,et omnem aetatem, et gradum, et omnem professionem Dominus redimere venerat, dignum erat ut omnes, in ejus nativitate , testimonium perhiberent. Sunt enim tria gene^-a, in utroque sexu commendata : puta de virginibus, scilicet Maria et Christus; ac de viduis, scilicet Anna et Simeon, cujus aetas comparatur Annae; et etiam tertium genus, nempe de conjugatis, scilicet Elizabeth et Zacharias. Nullus ergo gradus Christianorum fidelium praetermissus est , de quo non haberet testimonium salus omnium.
a Ideo autem, dicit Anselmus, oblatus est in templo, et a sancta vidua susceptus, ut fideles suos domum Dei frequentare, et ut eum mereantur suscipere, studio sanctitatis intendere moneret; a Simeone sene susceptus, atque laudatus est^ ut vitae gravitatem , et morum maturitatem, se diligere patefaceret. Exsulta ergo et tu cum illo sene Simeone et Anna longaeval Procede in occursum Matris et Parvuli! Vincat verecundiam amor! Timorem expellat affectus! Accipias et Infantem in ulnas, dicasque cum sponsa : Tenui eum, nec dimittam ! Tripudia cum illo sanctissimo sene, et concine : Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine , secundum verbum tuum, in pace ! » haec Anselmus. i8 Sensus moralis hujus histoniiE.
— Moraliter nota, quod inopinatus concursus istarum personarum , de quibus hic fit mentio , non sine mysterio instinctu divino factus est. Unde nos spirituaiiter , in mente debemus istarum quatuor personarum processionem celebrare : per Simeonem, qui interpretatur audiens, qui et responsum acceperat a Spiritu Sancto, mentali scilicet revelatione, significatur verbi Dei studiosa auditio ; per Annam , quae interpretatur gratia, et quae non discedebat de templo, significatur crebra oratio ; per Joseph, qui interpretatur appositio , vel augmentum, qui et sollicitam curam habuit de puero Christo, intelligitur bonorum operum continua appositio ; per Mariam vero , quae interpretatur illuminata , quae et Christum portavit in utero, significatur divinae conformitatis perfectissima unio. Hae autem quatuor personae Christum offerentes , in mente debent portare quatuor luminaria. Simeon portat lumen sanctae meditationis ; Anna gestat lumen internae devotionis; Joseph defert lumen virtuosae progressionis; Maria vero portat lumen supernae contemplationis. Haec quatuor innuuntur in Psalmista , cum dicitur : Memor fui Dei, et delectaius sum, et exercitatus sum , et defecit spiritus meus, et patent, referendo singula singulis. Et considerandum est quod praesentationi Domini interfuerunt quinque personae : ipse Jesus, per quem significantur innocentes; Maria, scilicet amarum mare, per quam poenitentes; Joseph, scilicet accrescens, per quem proficientes ; Simeon, per quem perfecti in vita activa; Anna, per quam perfecti in vita contemplativa. In quo significantur illi qui sunt digni vuhus Dei, in templo Dei coelestis Jerusalem , praesentari.
Tandem Simeonpuerum Jesum Matri reddidit quem illa laetanter reaccepit. Postea vadunt ad ahare, facientes processionem, quae hodie repraesentatur per universum orbem. Procedunt alacriter illi duo venerabiles senes , Joseph et Simeon, cum exsultatione magna jubilantes. Sequitur Mater, portans Regem Jesum, cum ineffabili cordis laetitia; et Anna associat eam, vadens ex latere , cum reverentia jubilans; et ipsa cum indicibili gaudio et laudans Dominum afFectu immenso. Ab istis ergo fit processio venerabilis, paucis quidem, sed valde magnis et quasi de omni genere hominum repraesentantibus. Sunt enim inter eos de masculis et feminis, senibus et juvenibus, virginibus et viduis. Maria quidem et Joseph, tanquam parentes, puerum Jesum in templo praesentaverunt ; Simeon vero et Anna, ut prophetae, praeconiis propheticis laudaverunt. Sic et nos in ista die, missarum solemnia celebrantes, cereum accensum, per quem significatur puer Jesus, in manibus bajulamus, et processionem facientes usque ad altare deferimus et offerimus, recolentes illud lumen ineffabile quod Maria et Simeon hodierna die portaverunt in manibus.
Sunt enim tria in cereo, per quae significantur tria quae fuerunt in Christo. Nam cera significat carnem Christi, quae nata est de Virgine Maria sine corruptione ; sicut apes ceram gignunt, sine aherutrorum commixtione. Lichnus autem in cera latens, significat animam Christi candidissimam, in carne latentem. Ignis vero, sivelumen, significat divinitatem ; quia, Deus nosier, ignis consumens est, Per haec etiam tria potest Trinitas designari. Unde hic versus : Cera, locus, lichnum, tria sunt [ monstrantia irinum. Cum autem perveniunt ad ahare, Mater cum reverentiagenuaflectit,et dilectissimum Filium suum Deo Patri suo super akare offert. Praesentabat ipsa beata Virgo Puerum Domino, gratias agens Deo Patri de munere tanto , quod ipsa Virgo eum conceperat et pepereratj et quod ipsa in tali prole dignissima, Deo Patri communicabat.
Praesentatio enim puerorum ad templum, praecepta erat propter tres causas : tum ut ex hoc infans Domino consecraretur ; tum ut per hoc divinae custodiae commendaretur; tum ut gratiarum actio Deo redderetur, a quo tale donum parentes acceperunt, etc. Sed primae duae csiusae non habebant locum in Christo; quia mox conceptus in utero, fuit plenissime Deo consecratus, et divinae custodiae, per divinitatis unionem commendatus ; sed tertia causa praecipue locum habuit in Christo pro qua beata Virgo gratias agere debuit Deo Patri prae omnibus matribus, utpote quae eum singulari privilegio concepit et peperit. Quid autem ipsa tunc oraverit, quidve dixerit, scriptum non habemus; sed forte similia his verba, saltem ore cordis, dicebat : Ecce, Domine, sancte Pater, praesento tibi Filium tuum, a te aeternaliter genitum, et de me temporaliter natum, ego praesento tibi eum, qui tibi semper est praesens. Gratias tibi ago, quod eum tuo munere sic concepi mirabiliter, et ineffabiliter peperi. O sancte Patir, hunc Filium tuum et meum, tibi ofFero oblationem novam , Deum caro factum, qui pro salute mundi oblaturus est tibi semetipsum ! O qualis est ista oblatio ! Nunquam talis facta a seculo. Unde Bernardus : « OfiFer Filium, Virgo sacra, et benedictum fructum ventris tui Domino repraesenta.
OfFer, ad nostram omnium reconciliationem, hostiam sanctam Deo placentem : » haec Bernardus. Voluit autem Christus Deo Patri praesentari, qui nunquam ab ejus aspeclibus latuit, nobis in exemplum ; ut sicut non gratia sui Deus factus est homo, sed ut nos per gratiam faceret deos; nec propter se circumcisus est in carne, sed ut nos spiritualiter circumcidamur; sic propter nos sistitur Domino, ut discamus Deo praesentare nosipsos.
Deinde advocantur sacerdotes, et redimitur Dominus omnium , tanquam servus , quinque sidis argenteis, quia erat primogenitus. Quisque siclis argenteis redimebatur primogenitus. Et erat siclus genus monetae, obolos viginti habens. Praecepit enim Lex omne masculinum primogenitum tam hominis quam pecoris, sanctum Domino vocari, id est Domino sanctificari et praesentari, ac sanctificatum et dedicatum Domino dici, et sacerdotis esse; ita quod primogenitus de tribu Levi non redimeretur, sed in ministerio et servitio domus David, scilicet templi, semper et perpetuo teneretur; primogenitum vero de aliis undecim tribubus, sacerdos redimi faceret ; et pretio accepto illud ad propria a parentibus referri permitteret ; primogenitum quoque animalis mundi, Deo ofFerret ; immundi vero aut pretio redimi aut mundo mutari, aut occidi faceret. Est autem animal mundum ad ofFerendum, mundum ad esum. Immundorum vero, aliud est immundum ad ofFerendum, sed mundum a natura, ut asinus, ideoque aut pretio redimebatur, aut agno commutabatur ; aliud immundum ad ofFerendum et redimendum, seu commutandum, videlicet canis, et ideo pretium aliquod non habens occidebatur, et ex toto ab usibus templi projiciebatur. Cum igitur Christus de tribu Juda, unadeundecim, fuerit, patet quod redimi debuit, et ideo redemptusfuit. Accepitetiam Mater de manu Joseph aves praedictas, et genua flectens, offert eas super altare, Deo Patri.
Obtulit ergo beata Virgo, tanquam paupercula, par turturum aut duos pullos columbarum, unum in holocaustum pro Filio, alterum pro peccatb ; in hoc se subdens Legi peccatricum, quamvis nullum haberet peccatum. Facta ergo oblatione et redemptione, Mater Filium recepit, et eum secum domum reportat. Unde Bernardus : « Oblatio ista, fratres, satis delicata videtur , ubi tantum sistitur duobus, redimitur avibus, et illico reportatur. Veniet tempus quando jam non offeretur in templo, nec inter brachia Simeonis, sed extra civitatem inter brachia crucis. Veniet quando non redimetur alieno, sed redimet alios sanguine proprio ; quia Redemptorem misit eum Deus Pater populo suo. Istud est sacrificium matutinum ; illud autem vespertinum : » haec Bemardus.
Mystice, per primogenita animalium, significatur ille qui unigenitus Dei dignatus est nasci, primogenitus, scilicet dignitate , omnis creaturce, qui est vere sanctus Domino, quia sine peccato. — Moraliter autem per primogenita, significantur bonae actionis initia, quae quasi corde gignimus, ex Dei gratia. Commonemur ergo hic , ut omnia primogenita nostra Deo offeramus, quidquid bonumet justum in nostris operibus invenimus, ejusque gratiae non nostris meritis deputemus, dicentes : Non nobis, Domine, non nobis ; sed nomini tuo da gloriam, Si autem immundum aliquid parimus, id est, si peccatum in opere perpetramus, occidamus, id est malum per emendationem radicitus evellamus, aut certe mutemus illud mundo , declinantes a malo, et facientes bonum ; aut redimamus quinque siclis bona opera, et dignos fructus poenitentiae per quinque sensus corporis fiacientes. Commonemur etiam hic, ut si in grege operum nostrorum, agnum innocentiae, vel principales virtutes, qualis est charitas, castitas, humilitas, patientia, et hujusmodi invenimus, Deo ofPeramus, id est, quod digne vivimus, non nostris meritis deputemus, sed illius qui ait in Evangelio : Sine me nihil poiestis facere; — ipse enim operatur velle et perficere. Si autem tam pauperes sumus, ut in opere nostro agnum et divitias innocuae vitae, vel principales virtutes non inveniamus , offeramus sahem duos turtures , vel duos pullos columbarum, id est , duo genera compunctionis , videlicet timoris et amoris ; et non solum pro nostris aliorumque diluendis peccatis, sed etiam pro impetrandis virtutibus, et desiderio patriae ccelestis quotidie defleamus. Et sic unum pro peccato ofiTerimus, dum de malis perpetratis gemimus; alterum in holocaustum , quando amore coeiestium inflammamur.
Moraliter, hic attendenda sunt tria, scilicet mysterium purgationis Mariae, sacramentum delationis Dominicae , et significantia oblationis factae. Quantum ad primum, sciendum quod Maria, quae interpretatur stella maris, vel amarum mare, designat animam, sive sit in lumine vitae contemplativae , sive in amaritudine vitae activae. Et utrique necessaria est purgatio; quod videlicet anima contemplativa purgetur a superbia, quod fit per timorera; et anima activa a negligentia , quod fit per rigorem et laborem. In Jerusalem enim , quae interpretatur visio pacis, et significat vitam beatam, nemo infertur, nisi prius dies purgationis ejus impleantur. Quia nisi quis sit plene purgatus, et ita purus, sicut fuit in Baptismo, non potest pervenire ad istam Jerusalem, vel etiam in templum coeleste. Talis autem purgatio celebratur, vel hic in praesenti per poenitentiam, aut tribulationes, et hujusmodi, vel post mortem in poenis purgatorii.
Quantum ad secundum, sciendum quod legimus Christum delatum in Jerusalem, ut hic : et legimus eum delatum in iEgyptum. In quo docemur , quod proles mentis nostrae, quae est intelligentia, nunc elevanda est ad contemplationem aeternorum, quae per Jerusalem designatur , quse vr510 pacis interpretatur ; nunc vero "7 deprimenda est ad considerationem propriorum defectuum, quae per iEgyptum designatur : iEgyptus enim, tenebrce interpretatur. Possumus etiam aliter quinque numerare loca, in quae Christus portatur vel ducitur, scilicet : in Jenisalem, iuiEgyptum, in desertum, in montem excelsum , et in templi pinnaculum. Et ista quinque loca, significant quinque status, in quibus invenitur Christus. Jenisalem significat vitam contemplativam , ubi est visio pacis; iEgyptus significat vitam activam, in qua est moeror et angustia tribulationis; desertum significat religionem, in qua insistitur jejuniis; mons excelsus significat fastigium prselationis ; pinnaculum Templi est sedes magistralis. Et in his statibus invenitur Jesus; quia in omni statu Ecdesiae, potest inveniri Jesus, scilicet salus. Sed considera quis portavit eum in Jerusalem et afibi ; et invenies quod in Jerusalem et in Mgyptum, tulerunt Christum Maria et Joseph, siella mariSj et augmentum : fides scilicet et charitas. In desertum, ductus est a Spiritu Sancto; sed in montem excelsum, et super pinnaculum, tulit eum diabolus.
Et ideo timere debent praelati et magistri, ne eos portaverit diabolus in montem excelsum, scilicet praelationis, et in cathedram magistrationis.
Quantum ad tertium, est notandum, quod oblatio indeterminate fiebat de turture vel columba. Per turturem quae est solivaga et casta, intelligitur vita contemplativa. Per columbam vero quae gregatim volat, et fecimda est, significatur activa. Et utraque avis gemitum habet pro cantu; sed aliter et aliter. Gemitus enim turturis competit contemplativis, et hic geminatur, unde dicitur par turtu^ rum. Primus gemitus est amoris, de quo dicit Apostolus, quod intra nos gemimus, adoptionem filiorum Dei expectantes; secimdus est devotionis, de quo dicit idem Apostolus, quod Spiritus postulat pro nobis, gemitibus inenarrabilibus. Gemitus vero cohimbae, competit activis, et hic est duplex, unde dicitur, duos pullos columbarum, Unus est pro peccatis propriis, secundum illud Isaiae : Quasi columbce meditantes, gemimus; alius est pro peccatis alienis, secundum illud Threnorum : Omnes portce ejus destructce; sacerdotes ejus gementes. Hunc quadruplicem gemitum offerre debent, qui agnum , id est , innocentiam, non habent.
Praedicta igitur recolligendo, dicendum quod in hac purgatione, delatione et oblatione, significatur, quod qui purgatus est a superbia et negligentia, et dispositus est ut ascendat ad contemplationem Dei, et descendat ad considerationem sui, et rursus ascendens gemat ex amore et devotione; et deorsum rediens gemat ex contritione et compassione : in his consistit perfectio fidelis animae Deo devotae. Et quia utraeque istae vitaB Deo sunt acceptae, non est definitum, utrum pro Domino, turtures, an columbae sint oblatae; sed indifferenter est dictum, par tariurum, aut duos pullos columbarum.
Vidisti ergo in praedictis, Christi et parentum ejus paupertatem, quia pauperum tantum habebant oblationem. Si autem vis informari de humilitate, considerata oblatione et redemptione, ac Legis observatione, de facili poteris advertere. Adverte etiam hic de Christi humilitate, quomodo a praecedentibus sit aucta successive. Nam in nativitate se habuit ut pauper homo ; in circumcisione, ut pauper et peccator homo; sed hodierna die, ut pauper, et peccator, et servus. Ut pauper quidem in eo quod pauperum oblationem elegit; ut peccator vero, in eo quod ipse cum. Matre per oblationem expiari voluit; ut servus autem, in eo quod redimi se fecit. 27 Templum ingredientibus tria sunt necessaria : purgatio, unio cum ecclesia et recta intentio. — Et quia, ut visum est, post circumcisionem Filii, et purgationem Matris, tulerunt Jesum in Jerusalem, ut sisterent eum Domino; sciendum est et diligenter advertendum, quod ex praedictis tribus moraliter instruuntur fideles, ut cum templum Dei materiale, id est ecclesiam, ingredi voluerint, in ipsis tribus circumstantiis se debeant beatae Virgini et Christo conformare : ut videlicet sint a peccatorum scoria purgati et circumcisi, quoad primum; sint brachiis sanctae matris Ecclesiae deportati , quoad secundum ; sint rectae intentionis fine ordinati, quoad tertium.
Primo ergo, ingressuri ecclesiam, debent a peccatorum scoria esse purgati, et circumcisi. Nam beata Virgo, antequam ingrederetur in templum, post partum sui immaculati Filii, dies purgationis implevit; ipse etiam Filius, antequam induceretur in templum, circumcidi voluit. Non quod Mater purificatione indigeret, aut Filius circumcisione ; cum illa non suscepto semine conceperit, et ipse ei^ intacta Virgine natus fuerit; uterque tamen in hoc Legem servare voluit, ut nobis daretur forma purgationis et circumcisionis spiritualis; quia purificari et circumcidi debemus a vitiis, antequam ecclesiam ingrediamur , et Deo ofFeramur , si volumus quod ei nostra placeat oblatio ; quia , secundum Bedam, nemo, nisi purificatus et circumcisus a vitiis, Dominicis est dignus conspectibus. Ex quo trahitur documentum quod nullus ingredi debet ecclesiam, cum conscientia mortalis criminis , nisi prius sit confessus, vel saltem contritus, si non adsit copia confessoris; et quod ingressuri ecclesiam, prius debent purificari a peccatis, saltem generali contritione, ptiamsi non habeant conscientiam certi peccati , cum bonarum mentium sit culpam timere, ubi culpa non existit, exemplo beatae Virginis , purificatione minime indigentis. Propter quod consuetudo est, quod aqua benedicta habetur ante fores Ecclesiae, ut ingressuri, ejus aspersione purificentur, etiam a venialibus, qui de mortalibus sibi conscii non o^istunt. In cujus figura labium, cum aqua, erat ante ostium tabernaculi, et ibi Aaron et filii ejus ingressuri tabernaculum , lavabant manus et pedes. — Secundo, debent esse brachiis sanctae matris Ecclesiae supportati, sicut Christus portatus est in templum brachiis suae Matris, ut de fidelibus digne ecclesiam ingredientibus, dicat ipsa mater Exclesia, illud Oseae : Portabam eos in brachiis meis, Extra ista autem brachia unitatis Ecclesiae, sunt haeretici, qui aberrant a fide ; schismatici, qui daviant a charitate, et omnes excommunicati , qui praescissi sunt ab unitate Ecclesiae. Hi enim omnes quia non portantur in brachiis matris Ecclesiae, non sunt idonei ad ingressum ejus : nam, ut dicit Cyprianus, non potest habere Deum patrem, qui matris Ecclesiae non tenet unitatem.
Frustra ergo et indigne ecclesiam materialem ingreditur, qui inter brachia Ecclesiae mysticae non constringitur. — Tertio, debent esse rectae intentionis fine ordinati, ut videlicet causa devotionis et orationis, ingrediantur ecclesiam : non causa vanae simulationis, sicut hypocritae; non causa ostentationis et inanis gloriae, sicut illi qui se ornant in vestibus et aliis , ut appareant hominibus ; non causa lasciviae, sicut qui vadunt ad ecdesiam, ad videndum mulieres vel viros , ut et concupiscant et concupiscantur ; non causa vanitatis et solatii , sicut qui vadimt ad ecclesiam, ut vacent vanis coUoquiis, cachinnis, et levitatibus ; non causa quaestus et avaritiae , sicut clerici qui vadunt ad ecdesiam, solum propter praesentias sibi dandas ; vel qui vadunt ad negotiationem, et causa lucri temporalis. Hi enim omnes, quia finem debitum non intendunt, non sunt digni ingredi in templum ; quia ingredientes non sistunt se Domino , nec veniunt spiritu in templum. Unde non vident Christum, nec eum amplexari possunt spiritualibus animae brachiis. Et nota, secundum Bedam, quod ille post circumcisionem Jerusalem allatus, et Domino oblatus est, qui juxta eum qui dixit : Z)eclina a malo et fac bonum, postquam desiit a peccatis, bonis coepit operibus abundare, qui dicere' potest : Oculi mei semper ad Domi• num, ut audiam vocem laudis tuce ; qui dicit : Christi bonus odor sumus; et : Levavi manus meas ad mandata tua, et converti pedes meos in testimonia tua; qui sive manducat, sive bibit, sive aliud quid agit, omnia in gloriam Dei facit, et dicit : Quam dulcia faucibus meis eloquia tua, Domine ; et ad extremum : Cor meum , et caro mea exsultaverunt in Deum vivum, 28 Templi sanctificatio per ChriSTUM. — Quare autem Salvator in templum portari vokiit, praeter rationes alias, potest esse ratio, ut per suam praesentiam templum sanctificaret; sicut baptizatus est, ut ipse aquas sanclificaret. Unde, sicut per Baptismum Christi , non solum sanctificata est iila pars aquae Jordanis,. quae tetigit carnem Christi, sed et omnes aquae; sic per ejus delationem in templum illud in Jerusalem, sanctificata sunt omnia templa in ejus nomine dedicata.
Propter quod statutum est quod in ecclesiis, debet haberi etiam corporalis Christi praesentia , videlicet in Sacramento ; unde etiam ibi reconduntur reliquiae Sanctorum; ibi etiam ministeria fiunt Angelorum. Et ideo dignum est ut ecclesiae in veneratione habeantur , et non nisi cum summa reverentia et devotione frequententur; unde, secundum Psalmistam : Domum Dci decet sanctitudo.
Possunt autem haec exponi de templo mentali, in quod Verbum aeternum quotidie inducitur a devotis fidelibus, de quo ait Apostolus : Templum Dei sanctum est, quod estis vos, Et quia nobilitas cujuslibet rei, ex ejus causis colligitur ; hinc est quod hujus templi nobilitas colligatur ex quatuor causis, scilicet : ex efficientis dignitate, ex materiae pretiositate, ex formae speciositate , et ex finis honorabilitate. Primum patet, quia hoc templum, quod est mens animae rationalis, est ab ipsomet Deo immediate creatum. Et hoc arguit maximam animae nobilitatem; nam ad creandam animam, Deus non advocavit aliquam creaturam, sed ipsa Trinitas semetipsam invitavit , dicens : Faciamus hominem, Non enim hoc verbum direxit Deus ad Angelos, ut dicit Augustinus, sed ipse Pater ad alias personas in divinis; et ex hoc ostenditur hoc esse opus singulare ipsius Trinitatis. — Secundum patet, quia non ex aliqua praejacente materia facta est anima, sed ex nihilo. In omnibus enim rebus creatis, non inveniebatur aliquod materiale ita nobile, ut ex eo posset fieri antma rationaUs» Non quidem tcrra , vd aliquod Sliorum elementorum, nec coelum, puta sol, luna, stelis seu aiiquod corporum coelestium fait dignum intrare in ownpositionem animae rationalis, ut materiaie principium ejus esset, quae k>nge altior et nobilior eis extitit. Et ideo fticta est ex nihik), quod ad maximam nobHitatem ei cedit. — Tertium patet, nam forma rationalis animae est nobilissima, cum sit imagine Dei insignata. Non enim Deus impressit animas imaginem alicujus rei creatae, sed formam sui ipsius, ita quod ipsa forma animae rationalis, non est aliud quam qriaedam relucentia ipsius beatrssimae Trinitatis.
Nec poterat beata Trinitas magis animam rationalem nobilitare, quam quod eam sibi assimilavit, et proprtae imaginis formam ei impressit, ut quia simiiitudo est causa dilectionis, sic et anima omnem affectum dileclionis in ipsum converteret, cum nihil sibi simile in rebus creatis inveniret. — Quartum patet, nam Deus non ad alium finem creavit animam, quam propter seipsum, ut videlicet esset habitaculum suum, juxta illud Psalmtstae : Quoniam elegit Dominus Sion, id est animam speculatricem, elegit eam in habitationem sibi, Et quoniam ad hoc eam clegit, summe ejus inhabitationem concupiscit, juxta illud Proverbiorum : Prcebe, fili, cor tuum mihi ; et alibi : Delicice meas esse cUm filiis hominum. Unde quandocumque Deus, hujusmodi animam digne praepc^atam invenerit, quasi voto potitus, dicit illud Psalmistae : Haa: requies mea in seculum seculi : hic habitabo; quoniam elegi eam, 3o Unde exhortatio ad nom peoCANDUM. — O igitur fidelis anima, si nobilitatem tuaro, ex omnibus praemissis causis attenderes, utique nunqroam. peocares l Unde Bernardus itt Si nobilitstfem tuam. ; oognoscis, o aoima mea, peccatum abominaris» » Etcerte intantum cDnaidera^o nobiIitati& animae, ducit in Sibominaiicmem. pcccati ,. quod etiam non habendo respectimi ad praemia veL ad paenaa ,.
adhuc induceret adnon peccandnm;: ' quia anima nobilis,. omnia ista:car^ duca rcputat nimis vitia et indi~ gna ad hoc, ut ipsa eis velit co-» inquinari. Et haec est qu^edam sancta et nobilis superbia anima& generosae, quam etiam habuitiile gentilis Seneca, qui dixit : a Si scirem Deos ignosdturo& et homines ignoraturos, adhuc, propter peccatr vilitatem^ peccare dedignarer. » Uoc igitur templtim Dci mentale debet esse ornatum et depictum variis coloribrus virtutum , videlicet : colore albo castitatis, rubeo voluntacic pro Christo passionis, eroceo spiritualia jucunditatis, viridi virtuosi exerdtii, blaveo coekstis desiderii, aureo charitatis,. demum nigro humilitatis, In istud igitur templum sic compositum, sic omatum , debemus inducefe puerum Jesum Vcrl)uni aeternum, ibique debemus ofere pro eo par turturum, aut duos pullos columbarum, id est geminam dilectionem , Dei videlicet et proximi; vel solitudinem contemplationis, et publicum actronis; aut castitatem mentis et corporis, quia turtures sunt aves castissimae; aut multiplicationem bonorum operum, quia columbae sunt aves in prole fccundae. Debemus etiam eum cum Simeone portare in ulnis , amplexando cum brachiis veri amoris. Debemus nihik>minus eum benedtcere, pro omnibus beneficiis menti, in hujusiBodi praegustatione divin« duicedinis exhibitis; ut sic desiderio dissolutionis affecti, beatam fruitionem Verbi aeterni expectcmus, cantantes canticum jubilosum cum Simeone, et dicentes : Nunc dimittis senntnt tuum , Domine , secundum verbum tuum in pace, 3l NiTUDo. — Magna est ergo pEa&sens solemnitas propter multa quae in ea facta sunt , quam tamen tria specialiter attollunt : primum est, Christi in templum inductio praesentialis ; secundum est , parentum ejus pro eo oblatio legaKs ; tertium est , Simeonis senis consolatio salutaris.
Et secundum haec tria , festum istud sortitur tria vocabula. Nam ratione primi, dictum est Hypapantis, Graece quod idem est quod praesentatio ; eo quod ipso die Christus praesentatus est in templo. Ratione secundi, dicitur festum Purificationis ; eo quod tunc beata Virgo pro sui purificatione secundum Legem , licet non indigeret , oblationem fecit. Ratione tertii, dicitur et Candelabra, vel festum luminis; eo quod hodie candelas benedictas et accensas in manibus gestamus , repraesentantes et sectantes in hoc devotionem Simeonis.
hoc templum Domini sanctum, de quo hic dicitur, in monte Moria est constitutum, in quo voluit Abraham immolare Isaac filium suum ; in quo etiam loco Jacob dormiens, vidit scalam erectam usque ad coelum. In hoc quoque monte, vi"dens David Angelum stantem et caedentem populum , in terram corruit; et poenitens graviterque se affligens a Deo veniam meruit. In hoc monte, area Areunae Jebusei erat, quam David ad constituendam ibi domum Domini emerat, eo quod misericordiam in illo loco consecutus fiierat. • In hoc sancto loco cum Salomon , opere consummato , Domino sacrificia offerret, nebula implevit domum, et apparuit gloria Domini, et ignis descendens de coslo , devoravit holocausta, Cum autem ibi, flexis genibus et manibus ad coelum expansis, Salomon Dominum orasset , ut quicumque beneficia petiturus ingrederetur , preces ejus a Domino reciperentur, apparuit ei Dominus, dicens : Au-' divi orationem tuam; elegi enim et sanctificavi locum istum, In hoc loco Heliodorus a rege Antiocho missus, ut locum sanctum violaret et spoliaret, flagellatus, et sine"intermissione multis plagis vulneratus, verberatus est. Templum autem Domini vocatur, quia in eo sacrificia Domino offerebantur ; sed modo consecratum est in honorem Salvatoris mundi, et Genitricis ejus Mariae. Quod licet primo a Babyloniis, et postea a Romanis fuerit destructum, a fidelibus tamen et religiosis viris, opere rotundo, in eodem loco, magnifice et miro artificio est iterum reparatum. In hoc loco beata Virgo, cum aliis virginibus, dicitur ministrasse, templi cortinas et vestimenta sacerdotalia prasparando , litteras sacras addiscens, jejuniis, vigiliis, orationibus et divinarum lectionum studiis vacans. In hoc loco, dum sanctus Zacharias incensum Domino offerret, apparuit el Angelus, nuntians sibi orationem suam esseexauditam, et Joannis nBt tivitatem futuram.
In hoc loco, ut hic dicitur, Dominus noster Jesus Christus a parentibus est oblatus, a Simeone- susceptus, a sancta Anna vidua, omnibus qui expectabant red^ emptionem Israel, annuntiatus. In hoc templo Jesus, cum jam duodecim esset annorum, inventus est, ad disputationem sedens, in medio doctorum. Supra pinnaculum hujus tempH, Jesum diabolus statuit, et ut se deorsum mitteret, tentando suggessit. Ab hoc templo, vendentes et ementes ejecit, ac mensas nummulariorum, et cathedras columbas vendentium evertit. In templo hoc, dum moraretur in Jerusalem, docebat Judaeos, licet eum aemulantes. In templo lioc, liberavit adulteram ab accusantibus eam. Imminente etiam ejus passione , tota die erat in templo hoc docens, et vespere in Bethaniam secedens. Hujus templi velum in morte ejus scissum est a summo usque deorsum, ut pateret introitus ad sancta sanctorum.
Ab hujus templi pinnaculo, versus meridiem, beatus Jacobus Apostolus, primus sub gratia, Jerosolymorum Episcopus, praedicans praecipitatus, pertica fullonis percussus, martyrio est coronatus. Inter hoc templum et altare, quod est ante templum, foris, in atrio, ad meridiem, Zacharias filius Barachiae, martyr occubuit. Ipsum vero templum rotundum constat ex octo parietibus conclusum, exterius per circuitum , interius vero ingentibus columnis marmoreis per trivium ; in medio quoque, ipsa altitudine, in modum fornacis est obductum. Est autem intrinsecus scriptum in supremo ordine : Audi, Domine, hymnum et oraiionem, quam servus tuus orat coram te hodie, ut sint oculi tui aperti super domum istam, die ac nocte. In unoquoque vero pariete, extrinsecus scripti sunt singuli istorum versuum in circuitu, ita ut per totam civitatem legi possint. Contra civitatem ; Pax aeterna, ab aeterno Patre, sit huic domui, Contra templum militum : Bene fundata est domusDomini, suprafirmam petram, Contra Bethaniam : Non est kic aliud nisi domus Dei, et porta coeli, Contra moittem Oliveti : Beati qui habitant in domo tua, Domine. Contra vallem Josaphat : Benedicta gloria Domini de loco sancto ejus. Contra claustrum templi : In templo ejus omnes dicent gloriam,^ Contra montem Sioh : Templum Domini sanctum est; Dei agricultura est; Dei cediflcatio est, Item contra dvitatem : In domum Domini laetantes ibimus, Hoc templum in parie urbis inferiori et vicina muri ad orientem, nec longe a muro, ad meridiem est situm.
In hujus templi ecclesia, solebant esse cum abbate canonici regulares , secundum regulam beati Augustini, Domino servientes. -Non longe autem abhoc temploDomini, est templum aliud immensae quantitatis, et altitudinis, quod domus saltus, id est de lignis Libani dicitur, et templum Salomonis vocatur : quia Salomon ibi docebat, et judicia faciebat ; et ad distinctionem alterius praedicti, quod specialiter appellatur templum Domini.
Ut ergo Maria et Joseph perfecerunt omnia quae secundum Legem debebantur, nihil omittentes, quamvis non tenerentur, recesserunt de Jerusalem volentes reverti in Galilceam, in civitatem suam Naiareth. Erat quidem, ut dicit Theophilus, eorum civitas Bethlehem sicut patria; Nazareth vero tanquam habitaculum. Vade et tu semper cum eis, et adjuva puerum Jesum, et servias eis in quibus poteris. ORATIO O Jesu desiderabilis, qui in templo te justo Simeoni, te ad videndum desideranti, ad amplexandum misericorditer tribuisti, veni, Jesu dulcissisme, et toto desiderio te exspectanti, teipsum clementer indulge, et quidquid impuritatis in me inveneris, per gratiam purificantem expelle ; et cor meum templum tuum, dignanter inhabitando, perfice : ibi'te brachiis desiderii amplexer et teneam. Da mihi semper desiderare te fontem luminis, qui es apud Patrem; et non prius de hac vita exeam, quam te oculis cordis videam, qui es amor et desiderium, vita et prsmium te desiderantium. Amen.
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin text here reflects a specific theological argument regarding the necessity of purification rites; the translation maintains the distinction between the ritual requirements and the sinless state of the Holy Family.
- 2 ↩The source text 'et mox senectus' is elliptical; the context implies the passing or renewal of his age.
- 3 ↩The source text 'fiigit, ac juvenilis vigor et fortitudo afFiiit' appears corrupt; translated based on the clear intended sense of rejuvenation.
- 4 ↩The Latin 'aherutrorum' appears to be a corruption of 'alterutrorum' (of others/of one another).
- 5 ↩The Latin 'irinum' is likely a corruption of 'lumen' (light) to fit the rhyme scheme of the verse.
- 6 ↩The Latin 'pepereratj' is a typo for 'pepererat'.
- 7 ↩The Latin 'Domum Dci decet sanctitudo' is a reference to Psalm 92:5 (Vulgate). The translation uses the standard English rendering for this verse.
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