Today we celebrate the close of the Christmas with a festival of light. Candles are blessed and they are carried in procession to welcome Christ, the Light to enlighten the Gentiles and the glory of His people. Until the year 1969, the feast, which is of Eastern origin, was known in the West as the feast of the Purification of Our Lady and also as Candlemas. Now we prefer to refer to it as the Presentation of the Lord.
Today’s feast brings to an end a whole period which resonates with a sense of light. Christmas itself, taking place just after the winter solstice, is the celebration of the end of the darkness of winter and the coming of light into the world, especially the Light of the World. Twelve days later there is the feast of the Epiphany when the light of a star guides the Gentile outsiders to pay homage to the Light of the World. Then today, we bring the celebration to a close with this feast of light. It has long been a day for processions as we remember the Lord’s entry into the Temple, the house of his Father, for the first time. These processions originally replaced pagan celebrations. Later, it was identified with the blessing of candles carried in procession in honour of Christ, “the light to enlighten the Gentiles” .
Prayers and IntercessionsLet us worship our Saviour, presented in the temple, and bring our petitions to Him:
- Lord, may our eyes see Your salvation.
Jesus Christ, by Your own will You obeyed the Father’s law and were presented in the temple:
teach us to offer ourselves alongside You in the sacrifice of the Church.
You are the consolation of Israel, recognised by the righteous man Simeon when he saw You in the temple:
make us recognise You in our brethren.
You are the Hope of the nations, preached by the prophetess Anna to all who looked for the redemption of Israel:
teach us to speak properly of you.
You are the Cornerstone of the Kingdom of God, placed as a sign of contradiction:
make men, through faith and love, receive their resurrection from You.
Our Father, who art in Heaven,
hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Almighty and eternal God, we bring our petitions before Your throne.
Your only-begotten Son was presented to You in the temple today,
incarnate in our flesh.
Purify our minds
so that we may be presented to You.Amen
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.
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