Deacon Neil’s “Gospel Question of the Week” (Luke 2:22-40)…Weekend of 2/1-2/2014…The Presentation of the Lord…In this week’s Gospel passage, we see the parents of Jesus obeying the Jewish law of presenting their first-born son to the Lord in the temple. They travel to Jerusalem in response to this custom and ask God for protection for their son. In much the same way, we bring our children to the waters of baptism at the beginning of their lives. But this “presentation” of our children is not a one-time event. Rather it is the beginning of a life-long commitment to discipleship. Our baptism brings us into a relationship with Christ and makes us his disciples. It is, therefore, our responsibility to live up to this call. In today’s gospel passage, the elderly Simeon calls Jesus “a light for revelation.” Does this not mean, therefore, that we, too, as disciples of Jesus must also become “a light for revelation.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.” How do we become that light that overcomes the darkness that we find in so many places in our world today? It may be something simple as visiting someone who is sick at home or in a nursing home or hospital; it may mean offering consolation to those suffering the loss of a loved one; it may be helping to educate our children as they grow in faith. There are many opportunities for us to be a “light for revelation” and many of them are available to us here at St. Michael’s. Jesus has said: “You are the light of the world….Just so, your light must shine before others, so they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” (Matt. 5:14; 16) Ask God to give you the grace to be that light to others. Several years ago, a group of computer salesman from Milwaukee went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They assured their wives they would be home in plenty of time for dinner. But with one thing and another, the meeting ran overtime, and the men had to race to the station, tickets in hand. As they barged through the terminal, on man inadvertently kicked over a table supporting a basket of apples. Without stopping, all the men reached the train and boarded it with a sigh of relief. All but one. He paused, got in touch with his feelings, and experienced a twinge of compunction for the boy whose applestand had been overturned. He waved goodbye to his companions and returned to the terminal. He was glad he did. The ten-year old boy was blind. The salesman gathered up the apples and noticed that several of them were bruised. He reached into his wallet and said to the boy, “Here, please take this ten dollars for the damage we did. I hope it won’t spoil your day.” As he started to walk away, the bewildered boy called after him, “Are you Jesus?” He stopped in his tracks. And he wondered. GOSPEL QUESTION FOR THE WEEK: How do we present ourselves? Do people see Jesus in us?