The Presentation of the Lord!
The Presentation of the Lord!
February 2nd, we celebrate the presentation of the Lord! On the eighth day after Christmas, the circumcision took place. Forty days after Christmas, on February 2nd, we celebrate the feast of The Presentation of the Lord! This year it falls on Sunday. The Feast of presentation of the Lord is observed as World Day of Consecrated Life. The religious men and women did great work for the church and the world. We know from our experience with Sisters of Francis, Precious Blood Fathers, or Benedictine Fathers. Their dedication made a difference in St. Anthony Catholic School and Parish, Immaculate Conception, and St. Francis parishes. So this celebration reminds us to pray for them and for all the religious and, at the same time, pray for vocation. Another name for the feast is Candlemas, the Mass of Candles, because there is a custom of a solemn blessing of candles that symbolizes the light of the world coming into the temple and into the world through Christ.
Why do we celebrate this feast? To understand this feast, we need to know some Jewish laws. In the book of Exodus, chapter 13:2 says, “Consecrate to me every firstborn; whatever opens the womb among the Israelites, whether of human being or beast, belongs to me.” Then Exodus 13:14, Moses says, “When your son asks you later on, ‘What does this mean?’ you will tell him, ‘With a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of a house of slavery.” In Leviticus 12:6, the Lord says to Moses, “When the days of her purification for a son or a daughter are fulfilled, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a yearling lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon or a turtledove for a purification offering.”
The first reading from the book of Malachi (3:1-4) says the sudden coming of the messenger of the Lord. The Lord will arrive at the temple to purify the temple and all those who serve there. In 1 Kings chapter 8, Solomon builds the temple, and the great glory cloud comes down into the temple as a sign of God’s presence. Babylonians destroyed the Temple of Solomon. After the Babylonian exile, they rebuilt the temple. But the glory cloud was not returned. It was a symbol of God’s presence.
In the Gospel of Luke (2:22-40), we see the fulfillment of the Old Testament. According to the law, Mary and Joseph offer sacrifices for the purification of Mary and the presentation of baby Jesus. Mary and Joseph could not afford the customary offering of a lamb, so she gave two pigeons instead as an offering to the poor. Like all godly parents, Mary and Joseph raised their sons in the fear and wisdom of God. He, in turn, was obedient to them and grew in wisdom and grace.
As said in Isaiah 40:9, the Good News is that God is coming to forgive His people’s sins and to set them free. In the temple, Simeon waits to see salvation. He’s waiting for the consolation of Israel, but he’s waiting for the coming of God to do it. Every day, during the night prayer, Simeon’s words are recited. In Latin, it’s known as the Nunc Dimittis, which means “now allow”— Simeon says allow your servant to depart in peace.
The Danish Philosopher Kierkegaard said that a saint is someone whose life is about one thing. That means the whole being is to serve God. Jesus was brought to the temple to purify the temple, and everyone serves there. He came to this world to purify all of us who receive him. He followed the law of Moses; he identified as one among all except sin. He brought us salvation through his passion, death, and resurrection. Every time we celebrate Eucharist, he shares His Word and Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity with us and remains with us – the temple of the Holy Spirit. The light of the world is coming to us. As we celebrate the Candlemass, let us ask him to bless us and remain with every moment of our life so we can serve him with our undivided minds and hearts.