The feast was first observed in
the Eastern Church as “The
Encounter”. In the sixth cen-
tury, it began to be observed
in the West in Rome, with a
more penitential character, and in Gaul
(France) with solemn blessings and pro-
cessions of candles, popularly known as
“Candlemas”. The presentation of the Lord
concludes the celebration of the Nativity
and, with the offerings of the Virgin Moth-
er and the prophecy of Simeon, the events
now points towards Easter.
In today’s celebration we recall to our
mind the journey of the Blessed Virgin
Mary and St. Joseph to the temple at Jeru-
salem, to offer the Infant Jesus to God.
We read in the Book of Exodus: “Moses
said to the people; ‘When the Lord has
brought you into the land of the Canaan-
ites, as he swore to you and your ancestors
and has given it to you, you shall set apart
to the Lord all that first opens the womb.
All the firstborn of your livestock that
are males shall be the Lord’s. But every
firstborn of donkey you shall redeem
with a sheep if you do not redeem it you
shall break its neck. Every firstborn male
among your children you shall redeem”
(Exo.13:11-13).
There was another rule given by God
through Moses to the Israelites: “The Lord
spoke to Moses saying: Speak to the peo-
ple of Israel saying: If a woman conceives,
and bears a male child, then she shall be
ceremonially unclean seven days … on the
eight day the flesh of his foreskin shall be
circumcised. Her time of blood purifica-
tion shall be thirty-three days, … when the
days of her purification are completed …
she shall bring to the priest at the entrance
of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year
for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a tur-
tledove for a sin offering. He shall offer it
to the Lord, and make antonement on her
behalf … if she cannot afford a sheep, she
shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons,
one for a burnt offering and the other for
a sin offering; and the priest shall make
atonement on her behalf and she shall be
clean” (Lev. 12:1-8)
Joseph and Mary offered a pair of turtle-
doves or two young pigeons (cf. Luke 2:24)
which means that Joseph and Mary were
poor people.
Certainly Mary was not bound by the
above law of Moses. Nevertheless she ful-
filled the law of Moses in order that she
might be an example to us in everything
and also in order that she might not scan-
dalise others. Here we have an example of
humility and obedience.
Today we celebrate the first Offertory of
the First Mass. Jesus comes to the temple
and offers himself to God the Father.
The Responsorial Psalm says: “O gates,
lift high your heads; grow higher, ancient
doors. Let him enter, the king of glory!
Who is the king of glory? The Lord, the
mighty, the valiant; the Lord, the valiant
in war” (Psalm 24:7-8). These words speak
literally of the gates of the temple of Jerusa-
lem, its entrances. For he whom the Psalm
calls the king of glory is to enter these gates.
Who is the king of glory? The Lord, the
mighty, the valiant, the Lord valiant in war.
This is a mystical language. It is the language
of images. For the events seem to have lit-
tle to do with the language of the Psalmist.
The Gospel simply says: “When the time
came for their purification according to the
law of Moses, the parents of Jesus brought
him up to Jerusalem to present him to the
Lord” (Luke 2:22). They brought him like
so many other men obedient to the law of
the Jews. They brought him to present him
to the Lord. And none of those present
could imagine then that the words of the
Psalmist were fulfilled at that moment. The
child forty days old in the mother’s arms
had nothing of that “king of glory” about
him. He did not enter the temple of Jeru-
salem as “the Lord, valiant in war”, as “the
Lord, the mighty”.
And yet he is mighty! He entered the
temple to announce a “war”. The struggle
will end in victory. An unusual victory. The
victory of the cross. In the eyes of everyone
it meant ignominy, defeat. But in reality it is
a victory, a triumph.
The Lord is “the Lord of armies” (Psalm
24:10). He is mighty, not in the material
sense, but in spiritual sense, a real sense,
mystical sense.
All Christians enter into this battle. The
war is against the devil; it is against our
evil inclinations; it is against “the rulers,
against the authorities, against the cosmic
powers of this present darkness, against
spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly plac-
es” (Eph.6:12).
As the Lord consecrated himself to God
the Father, many will imitate him in this
consecration. Who are these? They are
those who follow him more closely by the
profession of the evangelical counsels.
Today is declared by Pope St. John Paul
II as the World Day for Consecrated Life.
He established this day as such in threefold.
First, it answers the intimate need to praise
the Lord solemnly and to thank him for
the great gift of consecrated life. Secondly,
this day is intended to promote knowledge
of and esteem for the Consecrated Life by
the entire people of God. Thirdly, today
consecrated people are invited to celebrate
together solemnly the marvels, which the
Lord has accomplished in them, to acquire
a more vivid awareness of their irreplacea-
ble mission in the Church and in the world.
(Cf. “L’ Osservatore Romano,” ed. English,
29 January 1997,p.3)
Today’s feast is an open invitation for us
to renew our dedication to the Lord. We
should offer him our entire being, our
thoughts, our works, everything we are,
everything we do.
We can make this offering in many dif-
ferent ways. Today we we might make
our own this moving prayer of St. Alphon-
sus Liguori: Today, Oh my queen, I also,
in imitation of the wish to offer my poor
heart to God … Offer me as thine to the
eternal Father and to Jesus, and pray him
that through the merits of his Son, and by
favour, he may accept me, and take me for
his own. (St. Alphonsus Liguori, Glories of
Mary, II, 6).
The procession of candles in today’s litur-
gy symbolizes how the life of each Chris-
tian should give light to others. Christ is the
Light of the world. ‘Light’ as a word is fre-
quently used to signify life and truth. The
absence of light suggests solitude, doubt
and error. Christ is the Life of the world
and every person, the Light that shows the
way, the Truth that saves, the Love that ful-
fils… When we carry a burning candle in
today’s procession, we are taking part in the
light of Christ.
St. Luke takes care to note that Simeon
addressed to Mary a message of warning
in today’s Gospel. This warning establish-
es a link between the future of both the
mother and the Son. “And a sword will
pierce through your own soul also” (Luke
2:35). With Simeon’s prophecy in mind
we too turn our gaze from the Son to the
Mother, from Jesus to Mary. The mystery
of this bond which unites her with Christ,
the Christ who is a ‘sign of contradiction’ is
truly amazing.
At the Presentation, Mary learns that her
destiny is intimately united to that of her
Son. The sword which Simeon speaks of is
Mary’s painful participation in the suffer-
ings of her Son. The Lord suffered on the
Cross for our sins. It is our sins which cause
the sufferings of Mary. Therefore, we have
a duty to atone not only to God but also to
his Mother, who is our Mother too.
May God grant us the grace to present
all that concerns us to Him through Christ
our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a happy
feast day, a happy Sunday and a fruitful
week ahead. Rev. Fr. Christian Ehimen
Usifoh.
