St James Catholic Church

Ordinarily this would be the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time of the church year.  But, every now and then, February 2 falls on a Sunday.  This Sunday is  forty days after Jesus was born. In accordance with the Torah, Mary and Joseph brought him to the temple in Jerusalem to be presented to the Lord.  At this young age of forty days, this event fulfills our first reading from the Prophet Malachi 3:1-4 “and suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek.”  We call that feast The Presentation of the Lord, or the Feast of the Meeting.

On that day two elderly people who frequented the temple, Simeon and Anna, recognized the six-week old child as the Savior of the World.  Simeon had received a revelation from the Holy Spirit “that he should not see death before he had seen Christ,” and when he did he responded saying, “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation which you prepared in the sight of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel.”  And so this day is also known as Candlemas Day.  The Church blesses candles as a reminder that we, too, have seen the light of the world who came to remove darkness, sin, and death itself.  We have all received that candle, that light from the Easter Candle when we were baptized.  Parents and Godparents, this light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly.  This child of yours has been enlightened by Christ and he or she is to always walk in the light of Christ. Like Jesus, for us too, it was perhaps the first time we were brought to the temple. As we go forth from this church, we pray that our sharing in God’s Word and sacrament leads us to the light that can never be extinguished: the Light of Christ.

Love, Peace, Joy

Fr. Bob

P.S.  Today is also the World Day for Consecrated Life.  We pray and remember all communities of sisters and nuns, brothers and priests, for all those women and men consecrated to God by vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience that they may seek to live their baptismal promises more intensely.  We pray to the Lord.