At the end of the fourth century, a woman named Etheria (or Egeria) made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and observed many of the Christian liturgical rites which had already developed. She wrote about these in her journal which was discovered in 1887. Among the many liturgies she described is the observance of Jesus’ birth on Epiphany (January 6), and the gala procession in honor of his Presentation in the Temple 40 days later (February 15). Why was the Presentation celebrated 40 days later?
St. Luke begins today’s gospel passage saying, “When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, Mary and Jospeh took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord” (Luke 2:22). The purification mentioned here was not for Jesus but for Mary. According to ancient Israeli law, the birth of a male child disqualified a woman from touching any holy object or from approaching the Temple for 40 days, after which time she must offer sacrifice in Jerusalem (Leviticus 12: 1-8). In conjunction with this ceremony, Mary and Joseph took this opportunity to present and consecrate Jesus to the Lord in accordance with the dictate in the Law (cf. Luke 2:23; Numbers 18: 15-16.) This explains why the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord is celebrated 40 days after Epiphany. But why do we celebrate it this weekend?
Because in the fourth century, the Western (Roman Catholic) Church began to celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas, December 25, thereby “baptizing” the current celebration of the winter solstice. So 40 days after December 25 is February 2. At the end of the eighth century, Pope Sergius inaugurated a candlelight procession on the Feast of the Presentation. By the end of the same century the blessing and distribution of candles became part of the celebration, giving the feast its popular name: Candlemas.
So why does this feast emphasize candles with a procession going back to the ancient Church? Because when Jesus was presented in the temple 40 days after his birth, a righteous and devout man named Simeon rejoiced in the Spirit. Luke tells us he was “awaiting the consolation of Israel and the Holy Spirit was upon him “ When Simeon say the child Jesus he took him in his arms and blessed God saying, “… My eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all peoples: a light of revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” Simeon recognized the divine light in Jesus and knew that his light was meant for more than the people of Israel; he was a light of revelation to the Gentiles (all non-Jews). And St. John tells us, “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).
So the Church has a long-standing custom of blessing candles, lighting them and carrying them in procession on this Feast of the Presentation of our Lord, or Candlemas. This procession expresses our identity as the Body of Christ carrying his light into the shadows of our world. Jesus even says that we “are the light of the world” and to “let your light before all people” (Matthew 5:14, 16). That’s why the Roman Missal invites us to have a candlelight procession at the beginning of Mass this weekend.
However, this feast day snuck up on me this year (It’s usually on a weekday.) And I have trouble imagining how our parishioners could participate in this procession today. It’s hard enough to have a candlelight procession at the Easter Vigil which is one Mass in the Spring. So after consulting with the other clergy, we have come up with this adaptation: Everyone is invited to bring candles from their homes to church this weekend. The clergy and servers will process into the sanctuary and pray a blessing over the church candles and your own candles. Then you can pass your candles to the ends of the pews and we will process through the aisles to sprinkle your candles with Holy Water while we sing the Gloria. I admit that this is not as profound as the processions of the early church and Etheria (Egeria) would probably be disappointed; but… it’s practical. The point, anyway, is to take your candles out of the church and let them shine in the world. I hope you can forgive us for this minimalist approach. And please help me to plan ahead for an awesome Candlemas procession the next time it occurs on a Sunday, in the year 2031!