
February 2 + The Presentation of the Lord
The Church celebrates the Feast of The Presentation of the Lord which occurs forty days after the birth of Jesus and is also known as Candlemas Day, since the blessing and procession of candles is included in today's liturgy. According to the 1962 Missal of Saint John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is referred to as the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is known as a Christmas feast since it points back to the Solemnity of Christmas.
The feast was first observed in the Eastern Church as The Encounter. In the sixth century, it began to be observed in the West: in Rome with a more penitential character and in France with solemn blessings and processions of candles, popularly known as Candlemas. The Presentation of the Lord concludes the celebration of the Nativity and with the offerings of the Virgin Mother and the prophecy of Simeon, the events now point toward Easter.
In obedience to the Old Law, the Lord Jesus was presented in the Temple by His Blessed Mother and His foster father, Joseph. This is another epiphany celebration insofar as the Christ Child is revealed as the Messiah through the canticle and words of Simeon and the testimony of Anna the prophetess. Christ is the light of the nations, hence the blessing and procession of candles on this day. In the Middle Ages, this feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or Candlemas, was of great importance.
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