The Presentation of the Lord: Christ, the Light Offered to the Father
Forty days after Christmas, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, a mystery that draws together Christmas and Lent, joy and sacrifice, promise and prophecy. Though the infant Christ is still carried in His Mother’s arms, the shadow of the Cross already stretches across this feast.
In obedience to the Law of Moses, Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem. The Law required that every firstborn male be consecrated to the Lord and that a sacrifice be offered for purification. Yet the irony of this moment is striking: the One for whom the Temple exists is brought into it as an offering. The Eternal Son submits Himself to the Law He Himself authored.
Here, the hidden life of Nazareth opens briefly to reveal Christ’s mission.
A Light Revealed
In the Temple, Simeon—righteous and devout—takes the Child into his arms and proclaims Him to be “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” In this moment, salvation is no longer a promise deferred; it is a Person present.
For this reason, the Church traditionally blesses candles on this feast. Christ is not merely a teacher or example—He is Light itself, illuminating every human heart and exposing the truth of the world. To encounter Him is never neutral. Light reveals, comforts, and also judges.
Simeon’s prophecy makes this clear: “This child is destined for the fall and rise of many… and you yourself a sword will pierce.” Joy and suffering are inseparable in the mystery of redemption.
An Offering Accepted
The Presentation is not only about revelation; it is about offering. Jesus is offered to the Father in the Temple, prefiguring the total offering of Himself on the Cross. Mary, too, makes her offering—not only of her Son, but of her own heart, already consenting to the suffering that will come.
This feast reminds us that authentic worship always involves sacrifice. Christ is not brought to the Temple to be admired, but to be given. Likewise, faith is not merely something we observe; it is something we live through self-gift.
Waiting Faithfully
Alongside Simeon stands the prophetess Anna, who spent years in fasting and prayer, waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. Her presence reminds us that God’s promises unfold in time, and that faithful perseverance prepares the heart to recognize Him when He comes.
In an age that demands immediacy, Anna and Simeon teach us the holiness of patient hope.
Meeting the Lord
The Feast of the Presentation is sometimes called Candlemas, but its deeper meaning is captured in an ancient Christian phrase: the meeting of the Lord. God comes to His Temple—and those who are watching recognize Him.
Each Mass is such a meeting. Christ enters His Temple again, not as an infant, but sacramentally present on the altar. The question this feast quietly asks is the same one posed to Simeon and Anna: Are we watching? Are we ready to receive Him—not on our terms, but on His?
On this day, the Church lifts her candles high—not to celebrate sentiment, but to proclaim a truth:
The Light has come into the world, and He offers Himself fully to the Father for our salvation.
In Christ,
Fr. Joe Connelly