Yesterday, Today, and Forever by Maria Von Trapp Read Free Book Online Page A

from every nation under heaven, they were forced to change their foreign currency into the temple coins. A long story could be told about the temple markets and all the crooked business going on there. That’s where Mary and Joseph bought the two turtledoves because they were so poor they could not afford to buy a lamb. Mary carried her child, and Joseph carried the turtledoves and the money. They went across the vast open court up to the barrier, a wall about four feet high bearing inscriptions in Greek telling the Gentiles to go no further under penalty of death. But Mary and Joseph were allowed by the guards to pass.
    The real temple buildings were rising before them now. Up a flight of 15 steps they came to the gate called “Beautiful,” which was 80 feet high and 30 feet wide, made of heavy Corinthian bronze. The holy family approached the Court of the Women. There were many halls and latticed galleries. Crossing through, they came to another splendid gate called Nicanor. Outside this gate, which was made of silver and gold, they had to wait until they heard the silver trumpets blow. This was the sign of the closing of the morning sacrifice. Now the mothers to be purified lined up on the steps. And Mary, the mother of Jesus, was there, too. Through the golden bars she could see the huge altar from which clouds of incense rose, and behind it the tremendous façade of the house of God. If Mary looked, she could see through the open door the magnificent veil. Perhaps her own hands helped to weave it. The other women standing there with Mary on that morning must have gazed with awe at the veil behind which was the Holy of Holies. Nobody paid any special attention to the most beautiful of the mothers waiting there — not the other women, not the 50 priests around the altar, not the guards of the temple police. Nobody knew that the God of Israel had really come to His house this morning — in the arms of the beautiful maiden.
    Now the deep tones of the great organ called the Magraphah were to be heard. The white-robed priests came to accept the doves for the sin offering. The birds were taken in, killed, some of the blood spilling on the altar, and their flesh had to be eaten by the priests on the grounds of the temple. Some of the birds were burned, and the ceremony of the purification was over. All the mothers had become liturgically clean again. After this came the ceremony of the presentation. Out of the group of women, only the mothers with first-born sons approached the priest, presenting the baby to him.
    Two blessings were spoken: one in thanksgiving for the birth of a son, and the other had to do with the law of ransom. The five shekels were handed over to the priest, and the ceremony was finished. It was finished for all the mothers except one. When Mary went down the steps to meet Joseph and they both were just about to disappear humbly in the great stream of worshipers, they were stopped by a venerable old man. It was Simeon, of whom it is said that: “This man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him” (Luke 2:25). By the inspiration of the Spirit he came into the temple. He had been waiting at the foot of the steps watching the women coming down, all young mothers proud and happy. When he saw the most beautiful, the most radiant of them all, the Holy Ghost revealed to him that the beautiful little child in her arms was the Son of God. This was the most sublime moment of his long life. He approached her and stretched his arms out. Looking into the old face, she handed the child to him. What emotions must have filled the heart of the old man when he pressed his infant Savior to his heart, breaking out into the canticle of joy, “
Nunc dimittis….
” “And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a