Church celebrates the Presentation of the Lord

By Maxine Kaiser

Special to the Intermountain Catholic

On Feb. 2, the Church celebrates the richly symbolic feast of the Presentation of the Lord, commonly known in the Western Church as Candlemas, whereas in the Eastern Church it has long been known as Hypapante, meaning "Encounter."

On this day we commemorate the joyful event described in Luke 2:22-40, when Mary and Joseph brought the Child Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem on the 40th day following his birth to present him to the Lord, along with two turtle doves as Jewish law required. There they were met by the elderly prophets Simeon and Anna, who recognized the Child as the long-awaited Messiah. Simeon took the Child Jesus into his arms and proclaimed that he could now die in peace because he had seen the Promised Savior, Christ, the "light of nations and the glory of Israel." The Canticle of Simeon, Nunc Dimittis, has since then become part of the Church’s daily Compline (Night Prayer).

The Presentation of the Lord is a Feast of Lights. The Church honors Jesus as the Light who came into the world to enlighten all people. The liturgy for this day begins with the Blessing of Candles and, if possible, a procession with all the people carrying lighted candles while singing and praising Christ, the Light of the nations. This is to remind us of Christ the true Light who has entrusted us through our baptism to carry that light wherever we go.

The late author Pius Parsch, a pioneer in the liturgical movement in the early 20th century, pointed out a gradual heightening of the season’s "Light" motif in the three peak festivals of the winter cycle - Christmas, Epiphany and Presentation of the Lord. He noted that on Christmas "the light shines in the dark and only a few (Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds at the crib) receive it." On Epiphany the light casts its bright beams upon Jerusalem (the Church) "and the Gentiles come flocking out of the darkness to the City of Lights." On Candlemas Day, the Light is placed in our very hands, to hold during the procession. And, finally, in every Eucharistic liturgy we in Holy Communion take the role of Simeon, who was privileged to hold the Lord’s Anointed in his arms – so that we, the Church, will then carry Christ to the world.

Those who remember this feast day by its former title, the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, might view it as primarily a Marian feast, but since the revision of the liturgical calendar in 1969, the Church ranks it as a Feast of the Lord, with its ancient name, Presentation of the Lord, restored. In the 1974 document Marialas Cultus, Pope Paul VI called this important feast a "joint commemoration of the Son and his Mother," a "celebration of the mystery of salvation accomplished by Christ," and one with which "Mary, Mother of the Suffering Servant of Yahweh …and model for the new People of God, is intimately associated." Some may also recall that prior to the revision of the calendar, Feb. 2 marked the end of the Christmas season, whereas Christmas time now officially concludes with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Nonetheless, with its many images that echo back to Christmas, the Presentation of the Lord can be considered "a Christmas feast outside the Christmas cycle" while it is at the same time pointing forward to springtime and the Paschal Triduum.