The Presentation of the Lord in the Temple
The Presentation of the Lord in the Temple
As the fortieth day after Christmas, the second of February celebrates three related events. The Old Testament laws of ritual purity required that a woman was ritually unclean for forty day after the birth of a male child. In order to be purified, she had to bring to the priest “a yearling lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon or a turtledove for a purification offering…If, however, she cannot afford a lamb, she may take two turtledoves or two pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a purification offering”.
In addition, the second of February, marks the ritual purification of Mary because Jewish law mandated a waiting period of forty days in order for that ritual purification to take place following the birth of a male child (Lev 12:6-8). Purified, the Virgin is now able to bring her son to the temple, according to Jewish custom.
Moreover, since a firstborn son was regarded as belonging to the Lord, according to the Book of Exodus, “Consecrate to me every firstborn; whatever opens the womb among the Israelites, whether of human being or beast, belongs to me” (Ex 13:2) and the firstborn had to be redeemed by an offering of money or, according to the Book of Numbers, “the equivalent of five silver shekels” (Num 18:16). Having complied with these regulations, Mary and Joseph undertook this day’s second event: the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple.
Finally, in the course of the Lord’s presentation, there occurred the meeting or Hypapante between the infant Christ and Simeon and Anna and that encounter is a reminder of the fact that Jesus entered his Father’s Temple for the first time. This meeting can be considered a theophanic recognition of Christ’s divinity. As early as the middle of the fifth century, a candlelight procession was already connected with this fortieth day observance as an echo of the Lord’s Nativity. This latter practice of blessing candles and carrying them in procession to this day also becoming known as Candlemas.
World Day for Consecrated Life
Since 1997, February 2 has also been designated as The World Day for Consecrated Life and the days that follow the Presentation is an opportunity to celebrate the gift of consecrated life and pray for men and women discerning a consecrated vocation within the universal Catholic Church. While all the baptized are called to share a common relationship with God and all are intended to be “religious” or holy in the broad sense of the word, those choosing to live consecrated lives elect to follow a specific tradition or spirituality often patterned after the life and teaching of the founder of a particular community living out the founder’s charism.
This annual observance draws attention to the contributions that consecrated men and women make to the Church and society at-large. Consecrated or religious life as distinct from other forms of consecrated life by its liturgical character, public profession of the evangelical counsels, fraternal life led in common, and witness given to the union of Christ with the Church more commonly known as vowed religious — Catholic brothers and sisters who are members of religious congregations or institutes (monastic, mendicant, canons regular, or clerics regular) and others who embrace the eremitic life who are hermits without always professing the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience or consecrated virgins, in apostolic life, or are members of secular institutes.
Prayer for Consecrated Life
O God our Father, Lord of the harvest, we ask You to send Your Holy Spirit to stir up the grace of Consecrated life vocations in the hearts of many within the Diocese of Worcester. Grant them the willingness and generosity to place their lives completely in Your hands as Religious priests, brothers and sisters, and consecrated virgins or hermits. Help the people of God to support them by their own fidelity to Your call to holiness through prayer and apostolic service. When You desire that members of any family or those known to us to follow Your Son in this way, grant your people the wisdom, love, and insight to support and encourage those who are discerning that future life the willingness to listen to Your voice and follow You without delay. Amen.
Nature and dignity 