The presentation of the Lord, life and love, be a prophet
February 2, 2024
Hello John,
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Saint of the Day for February 2: Presentation of the Lord
At the end of the fourth century, a woman named Etheria made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Her journal, discovered in 1887, gives an unprecedented glimpse of liturgical life there. Among the celebrations she describes is the Epiphany, the observance of Christ’s birth, and the gala procession in honor of his Presentation in the Temple 40 days later. Under the Mosaic Law, a woman was ritually “unclean” for 40 days after childbirth, when she was to present herself to the priests and offer sacrifice—her “purification.” Contact with anyone who had brushed against mystery—birth or death—excluded a person from Jewish worship. This feast emphasizes Jesus’ first appearance in the Temple more than Mary’s purification.
The observance spread throughout the Western Church in the fifth and sixth centuries. Because the Church in the West celebrated Jesus’ birth on December 25, the Presentation was moved to February 2, 40 days after Christmas.
At the beginning of the eighth century, Pope Sergius inaugurated a candlelight procession; at the end of the same century the blessing and distribution of candles which continues to this day became part of the celebration, giving the feast its popular name: Candlemas.
Reflection
In Luke’s account, Jesus was welcomed in the temple by two elderly people, Simeon and the widow Anna. They embody Israel in their patient expectation; they acknowledge the infant Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah. Early references to the Roman feast dub it the feast of Saint Simeon, the old man who burst into a song of joy which the Church still sings at day’s end.
Journey with the Saints this Lenten season.
Connect and pray with the Church’s most beloved saints and holy people, including Thomas Merton, Francis, Clare, Damien of Molokai, Teresa of Calcutta, and Gianna Molla, to name a few!
In my best, my most alive moments—in my mystical moments, if you want—I have a profound sense of belonging. At those moments, I am aware of being truly at home in this universe. I know that I am not an orphan here. There is no longer any doubt in my mind that I belong to this Earth Household, in which each member belongs to all others—bugs to beavers, black-eyed susans to black holes, quarks to quails, lightning to fireflies, humans to hyenas and humus. To say “yes” to this limitless mutual belonging is love. When I speak of God, I mean this kind of love, this great “yes” to belonging.
I experience this love at one and the same time as God’s “yes” to all that exists (and to me personally) and as my own little “yes” to it all. In saying this “yes” I realize God’s very life and love within myself.
If John the Baptist walked among us today, we probably would be quite scandalized by his camel hair clothes and bug-eating ways. And yet, it is very often prophetic voices of truth that come to us in ways we might easily dismiss.
Pray
God of the prophets, Fill my heart with the zeal and courage to say the hard, but necessary truths like John the Baptist. Show me the people and situations I need to speak up and stand for in my life. Make me a prophet like your servant John. Amen.
Act
Who are prophetic voices you look up to? What characteristics of those voices inspire you in your own life?
Today's Pause+Pray was written by Patricia Breen. Learn more here!
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