Irecently led a group of pilgrims to Jerusalem. As we stood at the foot of the Temple Mount and remembered the Presentation of Jesus, several people had questions. There were questions about the redemption of the first-born son. About the rite of purification after childbirth. About how to put Matthew and Luke together in terms of chronology and geography—Bethlehem, the Temple in Jerusalem, the flight into Egypt, and the return to Nazareth.
All these are very good questions. But they are not the questions that interest St. Luke. Neither are they the focus of the Feast of the Presentation, observed with great solemnity since the fourth century.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
The most important thing about this feast is not even the intriguing prophecy of Simeon to Mary that a sword would pierce her heart “that the thoughts of many hearts would be revealed.”
What tips us off to the deepest meaning of the Presentation is the nickname it acquired early in Christian history– Candlemas. It is so-called because it is the day of blessing all the candles used in the Church throughout the year.
Posted by 