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The second day of February is always special. It is forty days after the Solemnity of the Birth of Jesus. In the Bible, forty days is a sacred time of cleansing and readiness before something holy happens. Moses spent forty days on Mount Sinai before receiving the Law. After childbirth, a mother waited forty days before being purified and presenting the child in the Temple. Noah endured forty days of rain before the world was cleansed and renewed. Nineveh was given forty days to repent and change. Even today, the Church gives us forty days of Lent, time to cleanse our hearts and prepare for a new life.
Today's feast has multifaceted perspectives. Do we discuss the mother's purification after birth, thanksgiving, and offering the gift of a new child? Or the revelations of Simeon and Anna? Or Candlemas and Jesus as the light to the nations? Today is also the World Day of Consecrated Life, to thank God for the gift of consecrated life, religious sisters, brothers, monks, nuns, and consecrated lay people. Today should be a good day to focus on both parents together, In the image of Joseph and Mary presenting Jesus in the Temple, we have a wonderful model of husband and wife united in practicing the faith and in raising their child in the faith.
The two of them went together. Joseph and Mary. No spotlight. No angels singing this time. Just a long walk, a baby who probably cried halfway, and a law that could not be postponed.
This is not really a “presentation of the child” story; it is a “presentation of the parents.” Before Jesus is ever recognized by Simeon, Joseph and Mary have already offered something far more difficult than a pair of doves, they have offered their agreement. Their unity. Their quiet decision to keep showing up together.
Imagine the scene realistically. This is not a romantic pilgrimage. Mary is still recovering. Joseph is counting coins, realizing they can’t afford a lamb. The baby does what babies do at the worst possible moments. And yet, neither says, “You go. I’ll stay back.” Faith, here, is not dramatic; it is cooperative. Marriage here is not poetic; it is practical.
We live in a world where many couples divide everything, including responsibility. One handles faith; the other handles finances. One worries about values, the other about results. One prays; the other hopes prayer works. Joseph and Mary do none of that. They bring the child together because they understand something profound: what shapes a child most is not what parents teach, but what parents do together. Children notice how parents argue, reconcile, forgive, and keep going. They notice whether prayer is a shared habit or a private hobby.
Today's Gospel challenges modern families in a very specific way: Are we walking together, or just arriving at the same place separately? We can live under one roof and still be spiritually miles apart. Joseph and Mary remind us that unity is not about perfection; it is about direction.
They do not understand everything that is coming. They are not ready. But they are together. And that turns out to be enough for today.
The Temple scene ends, not with applause, but with a return home. A long back home. They returned to Nazareth. Back to the noise. Back to the dusty carpentry room. Back to growing pains. Back to a child who will someday talk back, ask hard questions, and disappear for three days without explanation.
Yes, Faith does not end in church; it gets tested in kitchens, carpools, tired evenings, and ordinary disagreements. The real offering happens after the ritual.
So, here is the invitation today, present your family again, not as an ideal family, but as it is. Present your marriage, your patience, your willingness to walk together even when the road feels long. God does extraordinary things with couples who keep choosing “to be together” over “being perfect.”
Joseph and Mary did not raise Savior by having all the answers. They raised him by showing up, side by side, again and again. That, it turns out, is still how holiness grows.
Father Boby John, C.S.C., ordained a priest in the Congregation of Holy Cross in 2008, worked as a pastor and an educator with tribal populations in Northeast India for thirteen years. Originally from Kerala, India, Father Boby grew up with his parents and three siblings. He is a dedicated and detailed educationist with a Master's degree in Educational Management and is pursuing a PhD in Educational Leadership. He is currently working as the Co-Director of Family Rosary, USA, and as the chaplain at the world headquarters of Holy Cross Family Ministries, North Easton, Massachusetts.
