From the desk of the pastor for Feb. 2, 2025

The Lord be with you, and happy Candlemas! This weekend we celebrate an often forgotten feast: the Presentation of the Lord. Remembering His humility helps us to embrace God’s Will in all things.

We know from Luke’s Gospel that Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:22-40) as an act of purification. The Law of Moses required that a woman come to the Temple forty days after childbirth to be cleansed of blood impurity (Lv 12). But what is that?

For both Jews and Gentiles the world could be divided into four related but separate categories: pure, impure, sacred, and profane. A pure creature was one in its proper place and not infected by sin or defilement; things were pure by default if they were in their correct place. An impure creature was out of its proper place and could spread its contagion by merely touching anything else. Those with leprosy were considered unclean or impure and could not be with the rest of society. A sacred object or creature was something set aside to be with God and reserved for God, like the Temple. A profane creature or object was anyone or anything that did not belong to God.

The Law of Moses declared that certain actions made people unclean, like having a baby. It would take too much time to explain the nuances of this, but we should remember that being impure did not doom anyone. Being impure did require purification before entering into normal life and especially before entering into the presence of the sacred.

Jesus being presented to God in the Temple was not required and is out of place, so to speak. When we call to mind Simeon and Anna’s reactions, Christ coming to the Temple is even more out of the ordinary. Luke is contrasting the normal purification of Mary with the extraordinary presentation of Jesus.

Why did Mary and Joseph present Jesus to God in the Temple? Because they knew that Jesus was a priest by nature. They understood that He was God’s Son and thus innately holy and should be shown to God in a priestly way. Anna and Simeon’s declarations about Jesus demonstrate how well Mary and Joseph had understood God’s will and would come to understand it.

We have candles blessed on this day to celebrate Christ coming to enlighten the whole world. For much of our liturgical history, Candlemas ended the Christmas season. The candles symbolize Christ, the true Light of the world casting out darkness and sin. Even if we don’t use candles at home or light them in church, the Presentation reminds us that our souls are to be brightened by the Beloved Son. Just as the prophets longed to see His Face, may we long for His Real Presence. Jesus comes not only to the Temple built by human hands but also into the depths of our souls.

In His Sacred Heart,
Fr. John