Candlemas. Saint Of The Day 2 February: Jesus, Light, Shines Upon Us
The presentation of Jesus in the temple, an emblem of following in holiness.A testimony of faith in different lifestyles, Candlemas
2 February is an important date for all of us Christians, invested with the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit since the Sacrament of Baptism.
In the calendar of the Catholic liturgy, 2 February is celebrated as Candlemas.
WHAT IS CANDLEMAS?
It is the day of light, the day when all of us holding a candle, the symbol of light, await the descent of the life-giving blessing.
Christ is the light of the Gentiles.
A symbolic meaning that must be witnessed with our presence as a seal and renewal of our baptismal presence.
The blessing of the candles on the aforementioned day of Candlemas has this significance for us.
THE STORY OF SALVATION EMBODIED IN EVERY CHRISTIAN
Every baptised Christian, as well as those whom a part of post-conciliar theology calls the “anonymous Christians” live the story that Jesus lived (which is history, ahead of Christ!) with different depths and realities.
One wonders if there is still the emotion of Simeon and Anna who recognise in the little ones, that Jesus of ours, the epoch-making bearer of our salvation.
As well as whether it is possible to find in this disillusioned humanity the parental figures of Mary and Joseph who present Jesus to the temple, or at least….. it is he himself who, unbeknownst to his own, rushes for an even too great mission into the temple of adults.
And during Candlemas we experience precisely these moments of divine humanity that we are called to meditate on, each in our own existential embroidery.
WE ARE THAT CHILD
Here is the dictate of prophecy descending on a devastating scenario like that of Abel and Cain, like that of the two opposing cities in St Augustine’s ‘De Civitate Dei’ .
This admirable thinker observes and sees the Church ‘between the persecutions of men and the consolations of God’.
The Pilgrim Church is nourished by eschatological hope (according to St Augustine portrayed by the city of Abel) but seeks to heal, by radiating with the light of Christ, this retreat of ours to earth.
We are wrecks of humanity that look up to heaven and work wonders under the auspices of the Holy Spirit who inflames and burns in every heart.
The renewal of the evangelical counsels: an occasion for every Candlemas
This coming together of men and women religious in renewing their choice of consecration according to a precise way of life helps us to take a closer look at the luminescent mosaic that becomes life.
Since the Second Vatican Council, the value of the evangelical counsels (chastity, poverty and obedience) has been recognised for every Christian in the specific style of life that is part of a humanity that is called to live its vocation or calling distinctly. Here is our gift of holiness.
We could be those saints of the day, just by believing it. Let us participate in this Candlemas feast with a lively spirit.
Sister Ines Daughters of Mary Missionaries
2 February is an important date for all of us Christians, invested with the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit since the Sacrament of Baptism.
In the calendar of the Catholic liturgy, 2 February is celebrated as Candlemas.
WHAT IS CANDLEMAS?
It is the day of light, the day when all of us holding a candle, the symbol of light, await the descent of the life-giving blessing.
Christ is the light of the Gentiles.
A symbolic meaning that must be witnessed with our presence as a seal and renewal of our baptismal presence.
The blessing of the candles on the aforementioned day of Candlemas has this significance for us.
THE STORY OF SALVATION EMBODIED IN EVERY CHRISTIAN
Every baptised Christian, as well as those whom a part of post-conciliar theology calls the “anonymous Christians” live the story that Jesus lived (which is history, ahead of Christ!) with different depths and realities.
One wonders if there is still the emotion of Simeon and Anna who recognise in the little ones, that Jesus of ours, the epoch-making bearer of our salvation.
As well as whether it is possible to find in this disillusioned humanity the parental figures of Mary and Joseph who present Jesus to the temple, or at least….. it is he himself who, unbeknownst to his own, rushes for an even too great mission into the temple of adults.
And during Candlemas we experience precisely these moments of divine humanity that we are called to meditate on, each in our own existential embroidery.
WE ARE THAT CHILD
Here is the dictate of prophecy descending on a devastating scenario like that of Abel and Cain, like that of the two opposing cities in St Augustine’s ‘De Civitate Dei’ .
This admirable thinker observes and sees the Church ‘between the persecutions of men and the consolations of God’.
The Pilgrim Church is nourished by eschatological hope (according to St Augustine portrayed by the city of Abel) but seeks to heal, by radiating with the light of Christ, this retreat of ours to earth.
We are wrecks of humanity that look up to heaven and work wonders under the auspices of the Holy Spirit who inflames and burns in every heart.
The renewal of the evangelical counsels: an occasion for every Candlemas
This coming together of men and women religious in renewing their choice of consecration according to a precise way of life helps us to take a closer look at the luminescent mosaic that becomes life.
Since the Second Vatican Council, the value of the evangelical counsels (chastity, poverty and obedience) has been recognised for every Christian in the specific style of life that is part of a humanity that is called to live its vocation or calling distinctly. Here is our gift of holiness.
We could be those saints of the day, just by believing it. Let us participate in this Candlemas feast with a lively spirit.
Sister Ines Daughters of Mary Missionaries
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