ACCU Conference Mass Homily

Washington, DC
Feast of the Presentation
February 1, 2025

Throughout his papacy, our Holy Father Pope Francis has used the word “encounter” quite often in his homilies, addresses and writings, so much so that it might even be considered a “theme” of his pontificate.  In this Jubilee Year, he has taken “hope” as his theme.

As he uses the expression, “encounter” refers to what lies at the heart of the Christian vocation: the ability through God’s grace to connect most deeply, first with the Lord Jesus Christ and then, through him, with one another and with aspects of the world around us. “Encounter” means seeing beyond or beneath the surface of people and things to who and what is substantially there,,, and to embrace it.  For people of faith, a true “encounter” gives rise to a personal connection and a personal commitment.

Considering the times and ways in which Pope Francis speaks of “encounter,” one can sense in his words and expressions the depth of the biblical tradition that supports his thought.  In terms of Christianity, “encounter” refers to a personal, transformative experience of meeting the Lord Jesus Christ, where one feels a tangible presence of God’s love and grace leading to a deepened relationship with him and through him, with others.

St. Luke’s account of the “Presentation of the Lord in the Temple” --- today’s feast --- describes an “encounter” between a young couple --- Mary and Joseph along with their child Jesus --- the Holy Family --- with the devout and elderly Jew Simeon and the prophetess Anna in the Temple at Jerusalem.  The Eastern Churches, in fact, actually call today’s feast “Hypapante,” “the Feast of the Encounter.”

The Holy Family was at the Temple In Jerusalem for a very specific reason: to fulfill the prescriptions of the ancient Jewish law. First, in religious obedience to the Torah, as mentioned in the Book of Exodus (13:2), the first born male was required to be presented and consecrated to God by his parents forty days after his birth. And second, at the same time, his mother was to undergo a ceremonial purification, as mentioned in the Book of Leviticus (12), because the natural bodily process of childbirth was thought by the Jewish people  to render the mother physically unclean, requiring her reintegration into the religious community.  

Of course, we know in our Christian faith and theology that the child Jesus, did not NEED consecration nor did his Virgin Mother Mary NEED purification.  The presentation in the Temple was an act of obedience to God’ laws, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies and ritual practices --- an “encounter” between the “old and the new” in salvation history

That “encounter” was only deepened by the introduction of the “righteous and devout” man Simeon and the elderly prophetess Anna into St. Luke’s account of the presentation. Their “encounter” with the child Jesus and his parents was a recognition that the Lord had, indeed, come to the Temple as prophesied in the Book of the prophet Malachi (3:1).  They and all of Israel had been waiting patiently for the Messiah and now, in the person of Simeon and Anna, they held the Messiah in their arms, with Simeon praising and thanking God, “my eyes have seen your salvation … the glory of Israel and a light for the Gentile nations” and Anna gave thanks to God as she welcomed the child on behalf of “all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.”

The joy immediately evoked by this “encounter” was tempered by Simeon’s prediction that “this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel … a sign that will be contradicted” and that a sword would “pierce” Mary’s heart “so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”  From the hindsight of our faith, we see in this holy “encounter” a prediction of the Lord Jesus’ own passion and death --- the fulfillment of his mission --- and its consequences for witnesses who come to believe in him.

So, what are the take-aways from the “encounter” placed before us in St. Luke’s account of the “Presentation in the Temple” for us as presidents and administrators of Catholic colleges and universities?
Our conference this weekend has as its theme “Stewarding the Mission: Transforming the Enterprise.”

Those words represent the challenges and responsibilities and duties that are ours as leaders in the “enterprise” of Catholic Higher education.  We “steward the mission” that draws from our “encounter” with the Lord Jesus in his Word, in his Church and its history, teachings and traditions, and in the experience of academic communities we serve through our leadership.

We connect “the old with the new” when we, like Simeon and Anna, hold in our arms the Christ, an “encounter” that brings both a respect for tradition and an openness to innovation that transforms our enterprise. We recognize and live out the joys and sufferings occasioned by our “encounter” with the Lord Jesus and his Church.  We make every effort to ensure that our mission and enterprise provide us as leaders to reveal and be “a light to the nations,” a light that inspires a deeper and stronger faith for the believer; a light, that yields a real and genuine hope to and for all, a hope that is inclusive and welcoming, including those who feel marginalized or alienated; a light that reaches out in love and concern, and sees everyone as neighbors, embracing and serving them with a commitment to justice and with the arms of compassion and mercy.  We bring that light and hope to our campuses and the “encounters” they provide.

My sisters and brothers, on this feast when the Church blesses candles, let’s make ourselves as leaders on our campuses candles that light and illumine the paths of those in our classrooms and communities, seeking a “hope-filled” “encounter” with the Lord Jesus in the “temples” of this world.

That’s the way we “encounter” the Lord Jesus as we steward our mission; that’s the way we transform the enterprise of Catholic higher education. That’s the way we need to be “pilgrims of hope” who make of our leadership on our campuses and of the witness of our lives truly a “Jubilee!”