Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
About the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (Candlemas)
Readings for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
Commentary:
Reading 1 Mal 3:1-4
We hear in this, the final chapter of the Book of the Prophet Malachi ("My Messenger"), the prophet’s vision first of John the Baptist (“Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me”) and then of the coming of the Messiah (And suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek”). Given that this passage is placed on the great feast of the Presentation of the Lord, it proposes that on this day we see Malachi’s prophecy fulfilled.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 24:7, 8, 9, 10
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
In Psalm 24 we hear a longing for the coming of the Lord to his people. The psalmist gives us the image of the inanimate gates of the New Jerusalem, God’s Heavenly Kingdom welcoming the Lord of Hosts. For our purposes again, we have God in Jesus coming into the Temple. The song is appropriate for this revelatory event.
Reading II Heb 2:14-18
The Letter to the Hebrews today supports the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord by an apology on the Lord’s humanity. The author is eloquent in logic as he says; “Surely he did not help angels but rather the descendants of Abraham” meaning he came as man not as spirit in support of sons of Abraham.
Gospel Lk 2:22-40 or 2:22-32
St. Luke begins the account of the Lord’s presentation reminding us that Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, followed Mosaic Law by observing the Rite of Purification which by tradition was required of any member of the community who had come in contact with the “Mystery”, life and death, the birth of a child or the burial of the dead.
At the Temple in Jerusalem they encounter two prophetic figures Simeon and Anna. Both of these figures proclaim that the Messiah is come in the person of the Lord. We also hear from Simeon an image of the Lord’s passion and how a sword of sorrow will pierce the Holy Mother’s heart.
Reflection:
Jesus should have been only 40 days old when Mary and Joseph took him with them to the Temple in Jerusalem to fulfill the requirements of the Hebrew Law. However, we also know that Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt to avoid Herod following the Lord’s birth so the timing may be questionable (note; the scripture does not explicitly say how long it has been since the Lord’s birth, only that the Mary has returned in accordance to the Law.)
Last year I reflected upon how this feast has significance for parents and rightly so since the Holy Family coming to the temple is a great example, reminding us that the bond of faith is part of what holds a family together. This year I wanted to talk about another tradition that has grown up around this feast – Candlemas. I had not really heard of this until I started doing some research on the feast as we know it today. It seems that before the Vatican II reforms the Church celebrated the day with a procession with candles and at the end of that procession, the celebrant would bless the candles – hence “Candlemas”. I understand this is still the case in some of the eastern churches.
The reason I mention this is not to remind anyone that a tradition was lost but rather that the Church’s theology and understanding of the events revealed in scripture continues to evolve. You see when we celebrated Candlemas, we were focused on the Ritual Purification of the Virgin Mary. What does that feel like in today’s understanding of Mary’s nature and role within the Church? To me it seems as if we missed something important; like Mary is without sin and why should she need purifying? We understand that the answer to that question is because she was following Mosaic Law that required it. But what was more important as a focus of the feast; Mary’s purification or Simeon’s song of joy over the revelation of the Messiah?
The Church is constantly holding up her understanding of events, even ancient events in the life of the Church to the light of faith. While revelation of the Lord was completed in Holy Scripture, the actions of the Holy Spirit within the life of the community of faith are dynamic and the Church in her wisdom keeps a careful eye out for God’s actions through that mechanism. The finger prints God leaves are visible to the search eye, in the live of the community of faith and within the lives of it’s individual members.
Today we pray that the message that Simeon rejoiced over, the incarnation of the Messiah, will become clear to all the hearts of the world and that message will transform the world.
Pax
About the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (Candlemas)
Readings for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
Commentary:
Reading 1 Mal 3:1-4
We hear in this, the final chapter of the Book of the Prophet Malachi ("My Messenger"), the prophet’s vision first of John the Baptist (“Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me”) and then of the coming of the Messiah (And suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek”). Given that this passage is placed on the great feast of the Presentation of the Lord, it proposes that on this day we see Malachi’s prophecy fulfilled.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 24:7, 8, 9, 10
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
In Psalm 24 we hear a longing for the coming of the Lord to his people. The psalmist gives us the image of the inanimate gates of the New Jerusalem, God’s Heavenly Kingdom welcoming the Lord of Hosts. For our purposes again, we have God in Jesus coming into the Temple. The song is appropriate for this revelatory event.
Reading II Heb 2:14-18
The Letter to the Hebrews today supports the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord by an apology on the Lord’s humanity. The author is eloquent in logic as he says; “Surely he did not help angels but rather the descendants of Abraham” meaning he came as man not as spirit in support of sons of Abraham.
Gospel Lk 2:22-40 or 2:22-32
St. Luke begins the account of the Lord’s presentation reminding us that Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, followed Mosaic Law by observing the Rite of Purification which by tradition was required of any member of the community who had come in contact with the “Mystery”, life and death, the birth of a child or the burial of the dead.
At the Temple in Jerusalem they encounter two prophetic figures Simeon and Anna. Both of these figures proclaim that the Messiah is come in the person of the Lord. We also hear from Simeon an image of the Lord’s passion and how a sword of sorrow will pierce the Holy Mother’s heart.
Reflection:
Jesus should have been only 40 days old when Mary and Joseph took him with them to the Temple in Jerusalem to fulfill the requirements of the Hebrew Law. However, we also know that Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt to avoid Herod following the Lord’s birth so the timing may be questionable (note; the scripture does not explicitly say how long it has been since the Lord’s birth, only that the Mary has returned in accordance to the Law.)
Last year I reflected upon how this feast has significance for parents and rightly so since the Holy Family coming to the temple is a great example, reminding us that the bond of faith is part of what holds a family together. This year I wanted to talk about another tradition that has grown up around this feast – Candlemas. I had not really heard of this until I started doing some research on the feast as we know it today. It seems that before the Vatican II reforms the Church celebrated the day with a procession with candles and at the end of that procession, the celebrant would bless the candles – hence “Candlemas”. I understand this is still the case in some of the eastern churches.
The reason I mention this is not to remind anyone that a tradition was lost but rather that the Church’s theology and understanding of the events revealed in scripture continues to evolve. You see when we celebrated Candlemas, we were focused on the Ritual Purification of the Virgin Mary. What does that feel like in today’s understanding of Mary’s nature and role within the Church? To me it seems as if we missed something important; like Mary is without sin and why should she need purifying? We understand that the answer to that question is because she was following Mosaic Law that required it. But what was more important as a focus of the feast; Mary’s purification or Simeon’s song of joy over the revelation of the Messiah?
The Church is constantly holding up her understanding of events, even ancient events in the life of the Church to the light of faith. While revelation of the Lord was completed in Holy Scripture, the actions of the Holy Spirit within the life of the community of faith are dynamic and the Church in her wisdom keeps a careful eye out for God’s actions through that mechanism. The finger prints God leaves are visible to the search eye, in the live of the community of faith and within the lives of it’s individual members.
Today we pray that the message that Simeon rejoiced over, the incarnation of the Messiah, will become clear to all the hearts of the world and that message will transform the world.
Pax
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