Candlemas

Tomorrow the Church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation. Believe it or not, this traditionally had been the conclusion of the Christmas season. That’s right: Christmas is more than just 12 days; it was actually 40! 

This great feast commemorates a couple of things. The first and most basic is the circumcision of the child Jesus. In presenting Jesus in the Temple, Mary and Joseph are in fact presenting Him for His circumcision, to formally bring Him into the family of Abraham. If there was any family that could have held themselves exempt from the Covenant and the Law, it would be the Holy Family; and yet Mary, Joseph and Jesus all humbly follow the prescriptions of the Old Covenant. How much more ought we to follow the prescriptions of the New Covenant?

The second part of the Presentation is the fulfillment of prophecy. The reading that always accompanies this celebration comes from the prophet Malachi: “And suddenly there will come to the temple the LORD whom you seek, and the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.” The Presentation is the fulfillment of this prophecy in that the Lord has come to His dwelling place, the Temple. God dwells amongst His people; the Light comes into the world. This is precisely why this feast was celebrated as the conclusion of the Christmas season.

Finally, this brings us to the third part of this feast. To commemorate the Light coming into the world, one way in which the Church celebrates this occasion is with the blessing of candles. This feast was traditionally also called “Candlemas.” The congregation would start outside of the church, the priest would bless the candles, and a procession would be led into the church, bringing the light (Christ) into the house of the Lord. 

May we always look to Christ as the true Light of the world, and may we always look to find Him in His Father’s house!