Attention to Attitudes

The texts today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary celebrate the Presentation of the Lord.
The participation of Mary and Joseph in this ritual, according to Friar Jude Winkler, is to respect two spiritual traditions. After giving birth, the mother performed a rite of purification to be restored to the worshipping community. Winkler comments that Roman Catholic practice included some of this attitude until Vatican II. The second tradition involves "buying back" the first born, specially protected by Providence since the Exodus by offering sacrifice in the Temple. The tendency of the modern mind sometimes is to sweep away ancient attitudes without searching for the Truth within the ritual which is worthy of celebration, even today. The expectation of the Jews for a Messiah who would bring the Day of the Lord and restore the righteous of the people in their relationship with God is revealed in the texts from the Prophet Malachi. Mary is aware of the special, Messianic nature of her child. Winkler suggests that she is stressed in mind between the Jewish attitude to the Messiah and the indication of Divinity as Jesus nature. It is a comfort perhaps to her Spirit to participate in the ancient rituals which reassure us that even though the path may not be clear and the reflection of the author of Hebrews that the Divine delight is to be brother and sister with humanity in life and death through Jesus is not an attitude possible for Mary at that time, the Presence is within us, as Mary experienced in a unique way,  which is the salvation, not only of Israel as Simeon and Anna proclaim in Luke's Gospel, but for all people at all time. What a powerful promise the power of which is wrapped in traditional practices to enable our unwrapping of the wonder and awe of the Divine plan at a pace which mere humans can tolerate.