“Let us celebrate the feast (of the Presentation) in a solemn way, illuminating the mystery of the day with lights.”
-St. Cyril of Alexandria
Join us at 6:00pm Thursday, February 2nd, to celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (Candlemas Day). Holy Mass will begin in front of the Blessed Virgin Mary Statue near the school entrance for the blessing of candles and candlelight procession. (Weather permitting)
You are encouraged to bring candles from home to be blessed.
The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord is 40 days after the birth of Jesus, and ends Christmastide. This day marks two Jewish traditions to be celebrated by the Holy Family—the ritual purification of the mother after the birth of a child and the presentation of the first male child in the temple.
The second important connection is the encounter with Simeon and Anna, which fulfills the prophecy that Simeon would not die until he had seen Christ, the Savior. When Simeon encounters Jesus, he says: “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 the sight of all the peoples: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” And that reference to light helps make the connection to Candlemas, which became a time when the candles to be used at church and at home were blessed—a sign of bringing the light of Christ into the world.
Prayer for Candlemas Day
LORD Jesus Christ, You are the true Light enlightening every soul born into this world. Today we celebrate the feast of Candlemas. Before Holy Mass, the priest blesses the candles, whose wax is the humming summer’s work of countless bees. The flames of these candles will shed their light upon the altar at the Holy Sacrifice. Help us to realize, this day and every day, that our own humdrum daily work, if it is done for love of You, and in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, will be a supernatural work, and will shine brightly before You for all eternity. Help us realize, too, each time we see the blessed candles at Holy Mass, or at the bedside of the sick, that they are a symbol of Yourself, the Light shining in the darkness of this world. Help us to live in that Light, to make it our own, and to kindle it in the souls of others, increasing the area of light and lessening the darkness in the world. This, dear Lord, help us do, through the merits of Your own dear mother, Mary, who did everything for love of You, from the moment she brought You into this world till the day she joined You in the realms of light at her death. Then we, too, working for You, shall be light-bearers who will help to spread Your kingdom on earth, and increase the number of those who dwell in heaven, the city of eternal light. Amen.
Prayer Source: Rural Life Prayerbook by Alban J. Dachauer, S.J., National Catholic Rural Life Conference, 4625 Beaver Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50310, 1956 (reprinted by TAN Books)
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