Forty days after the birth of Christ, Mary complied with the precept of the Mosaic law for purification after the birth of a child. She redeemed her first-born from the temple (Numbers 18:15) and was purified by the prayer of Simeon the just, in the presence of Anna the prophetess (Luke 2:22.). No doubt this event, the first solemn introduction of Christ into the house of God, was in the earliest times celebrated in the Church of Jerusalem.
Once in the temple, Jesus was purified by the prayer of Simeon, in the presence of Anna the prophetess. Simeon, upon seeing the Messiah, gave thanks to the Lord, singing a hymn now called the Nunc Dimittis:
Lord, now you let your servant go in peace,
your word has been fulfilled:
My own eyes have seen the salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of every people:
a light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of your people Israel.
On February 2nd, we celebrate the Presentation of the Lord or Candlemas. The name Candlemas comes from the activities associated with the feast. During Candlemas, we will be blessing all of the candles we use during Mass. We encourage you bring your own, to be blessed as well. Just place them in the sanctuary in front of the main altar and they will be blessed along with all of the others. The procession into the church for Mass commemorates Christ’s entrance into the temple. Since Vatican II, the feast is reckoned a feast of the Lord (as opposed to a feast of Mary), and officially designated “The presentation of the Lord.”