The Presentation of Jesus

The Presentation of the Infant Jesus in the Gospel According to Saint Luke

Copyright 2020 John N. Lupia, III

Triskelion, is an ancient symbol of three conjoined spiraling whirls representing Dynamis or the Omnipotence of the Godhead. The antiquity of the artistic motif predates Sacred Scriptures and found at Malta circa 4400 B.C.E. For the infant Church the triskelion clearly represented the Divine Trinity each omnipotent as one being in the Godhead. This is true even for the Evangelist writing the one whole narrative of salvation history. So the "Presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple" is actually tripartite or triskelion in design expressing the dynamism of omnipotent power of God fulfilling His promise of salvation in three events forming one single narrative..

The first event or part deals with the circumcision and naming ceremony on the eighth day. Simeon Boethus the high priest serves as the mohel in Jesus's circumcision and performs the rite of metzitzah which requires the Mohel to consume the skin and blood. Simeon in the divine plan of the history of salvation is elected by providence to be the first human being to consume the Eucharistic Christ and responds in Luke 2:29-32 "mine own eyes have seen the salvation"

The Divine Revelation :The Word became flesh.

The second event or part regards Niddah or post partum ritual purity where in Leviticus 12:4 Mary was deemed impure for thirty-three days and was required to enter the mikvah or ritual bath for purification where Hanna who lived in the Temple was the attendant who examined the women to assure menstruation ended and is now ritually pure. She was apparently amazed after examining Mary for Saint Luke 2:36 tells us she went about the Temple thanking God and spoke about the infant Jesus to all who awaited the salvation of Jerusalem.

The Divine Revelation : Born of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Third event or part is the conjoining of the presentation of Mary after thirty-three days and the presentation of the first born son forty days after his birth. In this triskelion narrative the two without sin are purified under the law. The forty days of Pentecost takes its roots with this first phase of the Messiah's life when he was consecrated to God and his Mother with him.The birth of the Church militant has the seal and signs promised from antiquity of the promised salvation now being celebrated as beginning.

The Divine Revelation : They dwelt among us.

All of Sacred Scripture is a confluence of three streams of thought flowing together revealing divine truths.