Presentation of the Lord
2 February 2003
Praised be Jesus Christ! Now and Forever!
Dear Friends in Christ,
Forty days after His birth, the Lord Jesus was taken by Joseph and Mary to the Temple at Jerusalem to be presented, or consecrated, to God, and since the fourth century, beginning at Jerusalem and spreading to Rome, the Church has celebrated the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2nd, forty days after Christmas. This year the Feast of the Presentation takes the place of the Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time simply because February 2nd falls on a Sunday.
St. Luke records that the infant Jesus was greeted with faith in the Temple by two righteous children of Israel: Simeon and Anna, both of whom uttered prophecies about the child. Simeon’s prophecy is a great hymn of thanksgiving which is sung every night in the Liturgy of the Hours during the office of Compline (or Night Prayer). In that hymn, known by its first Latin words as the ’Nunc dimittis’, Simeon confesses that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ of the Lord, the glory of Israel, and a light for the revelation of the Gentiles. But Simeon also declares that the Christ Child is a sign of contradiction and that Mary, His Mother, will also be joined to the suffering of her Son for the sake of completing His messianic mission. Thus is the Messiah revealed not a conquering hero, but as a suffering servant. And all who seek the redemption of Jerusalem, that is the salvation of the world must be prepared to unite their lives to the sacrifice of Jesus.
Because Simeon confesses that Christ is the light to the nations, an ancient custom connects the blessing of altar candles with the Feast of the Presentation, and so this celebration is also known in English as Candlemas and the Order of Mass can be preceded by a rite for the blessing of candles to be used at the altar during the coming year. Because we now use oil lamps instead of wax candles on our altar, there are no candles to bless, but it is still fitting to recall on this Feast that in the sacred liturgy candles are always a sign of Christ the Light of the World. This is most especially true of the Paschal Candle which is blessed and carried in solemn procession at the Easter Vigil and which burns throughout the year at all Baptisms and funerals. The flickering flame of candles in the church should always recall to us Simeon’s profession of faith that the Lord Jesus is the light of all nations and the glory of His people Israel.
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us.
Father Jay Scott Newman