Joseph and Mary presented Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem to fulfill the Law of Moses which required that the first-born male child be offered to God as a way of giving thanks for sparing the Israelites during the Passover in Egypt.
It was at the Presentation at the Temple that the baby Jesus was recognized as the long-awaited savior and light to the Gentiles by two prophets, Simeon and Anna.
The presentation took place forty days after the birth of the child. The mother of the child would be purified at that time by offering a lamb for sacrifice. The Blessed Virgin Mary did not require purification but observed the law as Jesus would later.
Instead of a lamb, Mary offered a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons, which reveals her family’s poverty. This symbolic sacrificial offering would ultimately be fulfilled when Jesus, the Lamb of God, is Crucified.
Forty days after Christmas, on February 2, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of Lord. It is also known as Candlemas, or formerly as the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary.
Candles represent Christ who is the Light of the World. Candles that are used during Mass, while administering the sacraments, and in other liturgical celebrations are blessed on Candlemas.
St. John Paul II instituted a special day of prayer, World Day for Consecrated Life, and attached it to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord to honor those consecrated men and women who reflect the light of Jesus upon the world through his Church.
Catholics meditate on the events of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple as the 4th Joyful Mystery of the Rosary.
Ready to greet the Jesus when He comes:
The true Lamb of God enters the Temple:
Mary and Joseph were obedient to the Jewish Law:
Mary did not need purification:
When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, they took Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,” and to offer the sacrifice of “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,” in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord. Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Messiah of the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to Him, he took Him into his arms and blessed God, saying: “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.”
Luke 2: 22-32
A sacrifice that would be fulfilled on the Cross:
Anticipating salvation and sorrow:
Presenting the Lord in a place of sacrifice:
The presentation of Jesus in the temple shows him to be the firstborn Son who belongs to the Lord. With Simeon and Anna, all Israel awaits its encounter with the Savior-the name given to this event in the Byzantine tradition. Jesus is recognized as the long-expected Messiah, the “light to the nations” and the “glory of Israel”, but also “a sign that is spoken against”. The sword of sorrow predicted for Mary announces Christ’s perfect and unique oblation on the cross that will impart the salvation God had “prepared in the presence of all peoples”.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 529
A great theme of light:
Candles are an important part of the Christian faith:
On the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple we are celebrating a mystery of Christ’s life linked to the precept of Mosaic Law which prescribed that 40 days after the birth of their first-born child parents should go to the Temple of Jerusalem to offer the infant to the Lord and for the ritual purification of the mother. Mary and Joseph also fulfilled this rite, offering to comply with the law a couple of turtle doves or pigeons. In giving a deeper interpretation to these things we understand that at this moment it is God himself Who is presenting his Only-Begotten Son to humanity through the words of the elderly Simeon and the Prophetess Anna. Simeon, in fact, proclaimed Jesus as the “salvation” of humanity, a “light” for all the nations and a “sign that is spoken against”, because He would reveal the thoughts of hearts. In the East this Feast was called Hypapante, a feast of encounter. In fact, Simeon and Anna, who met Jesus in the Temple and recognized Him as the Messiah so long awaited, represent humanity that encounters its Lord in the Church. Subsequently, this Feast also spread to the West, where above all the symbol of light and the procession with candles which gave rise to the term “Candlemas” developed. This visible sign is intended to mean that the Church encounters in faith the One who is “the light of men” and in order to bring this “light” into the world, receives Him with the full dynamism of her faith.
Pope Benedict XVI, Homily, 2 February 2010
A day of special prayer for men and women in consecrated life:
The Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of the Catholic Church
Claiming Christ who has claimed us:
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