The Feast of the Presentation (on Feb. 2) recounts the Divine Child’s presentation to God by the Virgin Mother and St. Joseph, as recorded in Luke 2:22–38. Traditional Catholics see this feast day as the end of the Christmas season, with many leaving their creches and other decorations up until then.
The Presentation
Luke’s account makes it clear that Joseph and Mary kept, out of reverent obedience, all the requirements of Mosaic law, including having Jesus circumcised eight days after His birth and offering Him in the Temple 40 days after His nativity.
Notable in the account are two prophets who come to the forefront during the Holy Family’s visit to the Temple. They confirm and validate the identity of the infant Jesus — as Christ and Lord! Both devout and righteous seniors, Simeon and Anna (despite their Redeemer being just an infant) nonetheless rejoice because humanity’s redemption is near at hand.
With the infant Jesus in his arms, the aged Simeon exclaims, “Now, Master, You may let Your servant go in peace, according to Your word, for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You prepared in the sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory for Your people Israel.”
Simeon, a devout Jew, confirms that the small, defenseless infant in his arms is mankind’s Savior and “a light for revelation to the Gentiles.” That Light, Who in the fullness of time restores all things would, upon His second coming, usher in a new creation in all its glory!
The feast of the Presentation is also referred to as Candlemas, the day when the Church blesses candles for use in churches and in the homes of the faithful. This feast celebrates how that Light (which is Christ) illuminates all dark corners of this fallen world and, in the fullness of time, will banish all darkness and evil forever.
If you look at the infancy narrative in Luke’s Gospel, you will find three prophetic utterances: the Canticle of Mary, the Canticle of Zechariah and the Canticle of Simeon. Clerics revisit these prophecies daily when reciting the Divine Office. The prophecies remind them of how, in the fullness of time, humanity’s Redeemer (Jesus Christ) restores all things.
As clerics recite the Liturgy of the Hours throughout the day, it reminds them that Christ, God’s Eternal Son, is the fulfillment of all things. And despite the vagaries and evils of day-to-day life, these prayerful reminders offer us a sure and certain hope of the world’s redemption in Christ.
As a man in my 60s, I am now more like Simeon than I care to admit. The arthritis in my knees is a painful reminder that my youth, filled with running and jumping, is now just a memory. It’s a further reminder that, as an older man with just a couple of decades left to live (if I am so blessed), I will probably not see the resolution of all the evils playing out in our world and in the Church.
The Holy Family and Simeon, holding Jesus
But, as I revisit Simeon’s prophecy tonight while saying the Night Prayer (or Compline), I can go to my slumber knowing that God has it all in hand. In the Father’s Eternal Son, God’s timeless plan is unfolding. Yet, God’s promise to restore all things in His Son, from God’s immutable point of view, is already completed outside of time and space.
All those centuries ago, the old Simeon foresaw in the baby Jesus humanity’s redemption fully accomplished in eternity. By faith, I know the days of this fallen world are indeed numbered and that, despite all the evils seemingly winning the day, God ultimately wins the war.
God’s Divine Son was sent into the world to redeem it. The Divine Babe is the Light to the nations, and in Him we have the victory! It just takes one candle to illuminate the darkness. But, in Christ, all darkness is dispelled. This is why we celebrate with such joy the feast of the Presentation — because our hope is real and certain. May that Light, which is Christ, shine into all hearts and dispel all darkness.
