Homily for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple

February 2nd is only Groundhog's Day in the secular world. In the life of the Church, yesterday was the great Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple . . . otherwise known as Candlemas.

At our Old College Mass last night, we were joined by a number of Holy Cross, Saint Mary's and Notre Dame students, and at the beginning of the Liturgy, we observed the traditional blessing of candles, which gives the feast its more popular name:

In the darkened chapel, the Light of Christ was spread amongst the congregation, and the prayer of blessing was prayed over the candles:

God our Father, source of all light, today you revealed to Simeon your Light of revelation to the nations. Bless + these candles and make them holy. May we who use them to praise your glory walk in the path of goodness and come to the light that shines forever.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

My homily for the evening gives a bit more of the context:

As we heard in our opening rites, today’s Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, comes forty days after our celebration of the Lord’s birth at Christmas – and marks the day on which, according to the Law of Moses, the firstborn son of Mary was presented and dedicated to the Lord.

Because this feast celebrates a manifestation, an epiphany of Jesus Christ, it is linked thematically and liturgically with the celebrations of Christmas, and Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord, and it properly concludes the Christmas season. Our blessing of candles reminds us of the Christmas star that the Magi followed to Bethlehem, and turns our minds and hearts to the Light of the World whom they found in the manger.

The Church also marks today (or in this country, this coming Sunday) as World Day for Consecrated Life. Inaugurated in 1997 by Venerable John Paul II, this day “promotes knowledge of and esteem for the consecrated life by the entire People of God, and gives consecrated persons (or those discerning a call to religious life) an opportunity to return to the sources of their vocation.”

It’s no mistake that this Day for Consecrated Life coincides with this feast, because we celebrate Jesus being dedicated to the Lord – and religious life is itself an "eloquent icon of the total offering of one's life.” Those called to consecrated religious life, “show forth in the Church and in the world, by means of the evangelical counsels they profess, the characteristic features of Jesus -- the chaste, poor and obedient one.”

In so doing, consecrated religious remind a world that tends to be focused on the here-and-now – that tends to regard the goods of this world as ends in themselves – that, as the prophet Malachi says in our first reading, “He is coming, the Lord of hosts – but who will endure the day of His coming?”

In other words, consecrated religious witness in this world to the kingdom that is already in our midst, and that will one day come in its fullness. Like the prophets Simeon and Anna, we witness to the presence of the Lord in our midst, and announce the day of His coming.

This will never be easy. This will always be, in every time and place, countercultural – because no human culture is fully imbued with the kingdom. As a result, all of us who witness to His kingdom will, from time to time, have to suffer in our witness.

And so we take as our model, and special patroness, the Blessed Mother – who so perfectly shows us what it is to be consecrated to the Lord, and whose own heart was pierced with the sword of suffering.

We pray through her intercession for the fidelity of all consecrated persons, and for an increase in vocations to religious life and consecrated virginity. May we who discern and live the consecrated life joyfully give over our entire selves as a light to the nations.