The Presentation and Candlemas
February 2, 2021
Mary Most Pure, Pray for Us
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
“Candlemas Day is another name for the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Forty days after His birth, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple for the rites of purification and dedication as prescribed by the Torah. According to the Book of Leviticus (12:1-4), when a woman bore a male child, she was considered “unclean” for seven days. On the eighth day, the boy was circumcised. The mother continued to stay at home for 33 days for her blood to be purified. After the 40 days, the mother and the father came to the temple for the rite of purification, which included the offering of a sacrifice — a lamb for a holocaust (burnt offering) and a pigeon or turtledove for a sin offering, or for a poor couple who could not afford a lamb, two pigeons or two turtledoves. Note Joseph and Mary made the offering of the poor (Lk 2:24). Also, Joseph and Mary were obliged by the Torah to “redeem” their first born son: “The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘Consecrate to me every first-born that opens the womb among the Israelites, both of man and beast, for it belongs to me’” (Ex 13:1). The price for such a redemption was five shekels, which the parents paid to the priest. This “redemption” was a kind of payment for the Passover sacrifice, by which the Jews had been freed from slavery. However, St. Luke in the Gospel does not mention this redemption, but rather the presentation of Our Lord: “When the day came to purify them according to the law of Moses, the couple brought Him up to Jerusalem, so that He could be presented to the Lord, for it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every first-born male shall be consecrated to the Lord’” (Lk 2:22-23). So the focus is on Jesus’ consecration to God. The verb “to present” (paristanai) also means to “offer,” which evokes Jesus being presented as the priest who will offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice to free us from the slavery of sin, seal the new and eternal covenant with His blood, and open the gates to the true promised land of heaven. So the Presentation is a proclamation of Christ — Messiah and Priest, Lord and Savior. He is the light who came into this world to dispel sin and darkness. For this reason, traditionally at least since the seventh century, candles have been blessed at Mass this day that will be used throughout the year, hence coining the term “Candlemas.” Two other interesting tidbits highlight this day: First, in many Eastern European countries, the feast of the Presentation officially closes the celebration of Christmas. For this reason, St. John Paul II began the custom of keeping the Nativity scene in St. Peter’s square until Feb. 2. Second, Candlemas Day also was important in the lives of farmers. An old English song went as follows: “If Candlemas be fair and bright, / Come, Winter, have another flight. / If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, / Go, Winter, and come not again.” So if the bright sun “overshadows” the brightness of Candlemas Day, there will be more winter. However, if the light of Candlemas Day radiates through the gloom and darkness of the day, the end of winter is near. In America, Protestants decided we should replace Catholic Candlemas Day with Groundhog Day.” Excerpted from: www.catholicstraightanswers.com/candlemas
Announcements
Candlemas: Candles will be blessed at the 5:30 p.m. Mass on Tuesday, 2 February. You may bring candles from home to be blessed.
Fr. Wolfgang Seitz will be returning on Tuesday, February 16th, to perform the Consecration to our Holy Guardian Angels. He will offer the 5:30 pm Latin Mass and then perform the Consecration ceremony at 6:30 p.m. This ceremony will take about 30 - 40 minutes. Immediately following the Consecration, at 7:30 pm, our 40 Days for Life Kick-Off (no pot-luck) will take place outside where we have Mass. Please join us for prayers and updates!
Ash Wednesday: which falls on February 17 this year, begins Lent. To minimize any potential spread of coronavirus, the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issued a statement directing priests to sprinkle ashes on the heads of people on Ash Wednesday, rather than making a cross on the forehead of each person. Sprinkling ashes on the top of people’s heads, rather than marking foreheads with ashes, is the customary practice at the Vatican and in Italy. Given the spread of the coronavirus, the practice has the advantage of not requiring the priest to touch multiple people. Also, a traditional biblical practice was for people, as an expression of sorrow and penance for sin, to throw ashes over their own heads and don sackcloth.
Lenten Fish Fry: The Knights of Columbus will hold their annual Lenten Fish Fry at the Becker Center for “Drive Through” service on Friday, Feb. 19, from 5:00 - 7:00 pm. It will be Take-Out Only. For$16.00 enjoy fish, french fries, coleslaw & ice cream! Tickets are available in the Parish Office, M-F, 9-4 and at the Bookstore/Gift Shop.
2021 CHURCH CALENDARS have arrived and will be available after the Masses on Sunday. This year, there are two versions of the calendar, English and Spanish.
Gift Shop/Bookstore Special of the Month: The Book of the Month is: “Reclaiming Our Roman Catholic Birthright: The Genius and Timeliness of the Traditional Latin Mass,” by Peter Kwasnieswki. This book is 25% off and serves to remind us of the deep beauty and meaning of the Mass of the Ages.
Parish Finances in the Age of Covid
As you all know, these are hard times for all parishes in terms of finances. Even though we are “shut down,” the bills keep coming in and salaries have to be paid. For those of you who have been giving a little extra each week/month, I really appreciate your generosity. For those of you who are unable to come to Mass, please consider giving on-line or the good old-fashioned way, by mail. Thank you and God bless you. Learn more »
Fiscal Year to Date:
Income: $TBA
In the black: $TBA
Thank you for your generosity!!
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