The Presentation of the Lord
Feast
- Feast Day
- February 2
The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, observed in the Latin Church on February 2, falls forty days after the Solemnity of Christmas in obedience to the Mosaic prescription (Leviticus 12:2-8) for the purification of the mother and the offering of the firstborn male.
The Gospel of Luke (2:22-40) narrates the event: Mary and Joseph brought the child Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem and offered the sacrifice of two turtledoves or pigeons, the offering of the poor. There they were met by the prophet Simeon, who took the child in his arms and pronounced the canticle Nunc dimittis ("Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace"), naming the child "a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel." The aged prophetess Anna also gave thanks and spoke of the child to all who awaited the redemption of Jerusalem.
The feast is attested at Jerusalem in the late fourth century in the pilgrim diary of Egeria, who calls it the fortieth day after Epiphany. From Jerusalem the celebration spread to the Greek East under the title Hypapante ("Meeting") and entered the Roman calendar by the seventh century. The popular name Candlemas derives from the blessing and procession of candles before the principal Mass, a custom attested in Rome from the seventh century, in which the candles signify Christ as the light of the nations confessed by Simeon.
In the General Roman Calendar the feast ranks above weekday celebrations and Sundays in Ordinary Time. Pope Saint John Paul II in 1997 designated February 2 as the World Day of Consecrated Life, drawing the connection between consecrated celibacy and the offering of Christ in the Temple.
The Presentation joins three liturgical themes. It completes the Christmas cycle by carrying the child to the Temple, the dwelling place that he himself fulfills. It situates the Mother of God under the prophecy of Simeon, "a sword will pierce your own soul," binding her joy at the manifestation of her Son to the cross to come. And it teaches the meaning of consecrated life as offering: those who give their lives to Christ in vows are presented as he was, in the Temple, for the redemption of all.
Catholic Churches Named After The Presentation of the Lord
12 parishes on Catholic Church Times share The Presentation of the Lord's name. Find their Mass times, confession schedules, and adoration hours:
- St. Mary of the Presentation — Chesterville, ON
- Our Lady of the Presentation Catholic Church — Sacramento, CA
- Church of the Presentation — Upper Saddle River, NJ
- Our Lady of the Presentation — Lees Summit, MO
- Church of the Presentation — Stockton, CA
- Monastery of the Presentation of the Virgin
- St. Mary of the Presentation — Geneva, IN
- Our Lady of the Presentation — Poolesville, MD
- St. Mary of the Presentation — Breckenridge, MN
- St. Mary of the Presentation — Suffolk, VA
- Our Lady of the Presentation — Overland, MO
- Shrine of the Presentation — Corona, CA
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