THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD IN THE TEMPLE
This Sunday we celebrate the presentation of the Lord in the temple also known as Candlemas Day. The feast was first observed in the Eastern Church as “The Encounter.” In the sixth century, it began to be observed in the West: in Rome with a more penitential character and in Gaul (France) with solemn blessings and processions of candles, popularly known as “Candlemas.” The Presentation of the Lord 40 days after Christmas concludes the celebration of the Nativity and with the offerings of the Virgin Mother and the prophecy of Simeon, these events now point us onwards toward Easter. “In obedience to the Old Law, the Lord Jesus, the first-born, was presented in the Temple by his Blessed Mother and his foster father. The Christ Child is revealed as the Messiah through the canticle and words of Simeon and the testimony of Anna the prophetess. Christ is the light of the nations, hence the blessing of candles on this day.
in our Gospel story, Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the temple as prescribed by their Jewish faith. There they encounter Simeon and Anna, both of whom tell them amazing things about their child’s future. In our own humanity, we wonder about our own child’s path and think about many, many questions such as “Will I be able to encourage, accept, and support him/her along the way?”, and perhaps, the unspoken fear “What if his/her path is derailed?” To both Simeon and Anna, , the Presentation means that the Christ-child (the Messiah) has come to meet his God and theirs in God’s own house. In turn they themselves are meeting the Christ-child, and in his company they are experiencing relief and peace, light and life, hope and joy. In a word, their meeting with Jesus is an experience, a powerful experience, of salvation.
The feast of the Presentation reminds us of all that Jesus means to us. We first met him on that momentous day our parents and godparents led us into the House of God and into the community of Christ to be baptized. We have met him again and again many times since as we take part in the sacramental life of the Church.
If we are open, we can hear the holy prophets as they remind us how and where God can be found. Like all parents, each of us is called to labour together with God. We may be young, enthusiastic, and optimistic. We might be middle-aged or old enough to have learned that hope is not about expectations but discernment. No matter our starting point, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord invites us to recognize God’s appearances in our world, to marvel at the mystery we see and to dedicate ourselves to nurturing it in our own lives and the lives of our families.
Fullerton T 