Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Lk 2:22-40 or 2:22-32

There are costs for almost everything in life. We can’t live without earning money and without spending that money. Often, we disagree on the prices of the products, taxes we have to pay, and many other disagreements. Sometimes we wonder why do we have to pay for the church, or support our church. Why are there certain fees for a baptism, a funeral, or a wedding? Why are we asked to contribute to the weekly collection? And I agree, those things should be totally free. But unfortunately, our parishes also have many expenses which have to be paid for. That’s how the churches can operate and provide the spiritual nourishment to their people. And this is nothing new; it has always been like that. In the Gospel today, for the feast day of the Presentation of Jesus, we read that when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to present Him in the temple to the Lord, they also had to make an offering, “in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.”