& World Day for Consecrated Life

The feast of the Presentation of the Lord occurs forty days after the birth of Jesus.  In 1997, Pope Saint John Paul II instituted a day of prayer for women and men in consecrated life. This celebration is attached to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2nd. This Feast is also known as Candlemas Day; the day on which candles are blessed symbolizing Christ who is the light of the world. So too, those in consecrated life are called to reflect the light of Jesus Christ to all peoples.

The liturgy begins in our large parlour with the blessing of candles and the procession to our chapel.  The Gloria is then sung and the Mass continues as usual. The first reading from the prophet Malachi (3:1-4) proclaims “the Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple.”  The second reading from the letter to the Hebrews (2:14-18) reminds us that Christ is truly one of us “it was not the angels he took to himself; he took descent from Abraham. It was essential that he should in this way become completely like his brothers so that he could be a compassionate and trustworthy high priest of God’s religion, able to atone for human sins.”  In the Gospel from Luke (2:22-40) we hear the story of the Presentation in the Temple and hear Simeon’s words “my eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared for all the nations to see.”