The Hour of None: Presentation in the Temple

A light for revelation, Simeon says of Jesus when Mary
and Joseph go to the temple to engage in the rituals
required after the birth of a child. Medieval artists
sometimes conflated the Presentation in the Temple
with the Circumcision, which would have happened several
weeks previously. Although Simeon wouldn't actually have
held the knife, he has cutting words nonetheless:
And a sword will pierce your own soul, too, he says
to Mary. Then the prophet Anna arrives, and she
sings of redemption, and perhaps Mary remembers:
A light, he said; a light for revelation.
A luminous Word.

From The Advent Hours
Jan Richardson © 2002

paper collage, calligraphy, and acrylic on wood
21" x 29"


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