Every year on February 2, we celebrate the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. We read about this event in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 2, recounting how Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the Temple to offer two turtledoves to God in accordance with the Jewish law, 40 days after Christ’s birth. In the Gospel account, we meet the elderly prophet Simeon, who had been told by God that he would not die before he had seen the long-awaaited Messiah of Israel that was to come. Upon seeing Jesus, Simeon blessed the child and prayed, “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 glory for your people Israel.” Simeon’s words are prayed as part of the Liturgy of the Hours every night at Compline, the final hour of prayer before we go to sleep. As we recite his words as our own, we offer the work of our day in thanksgiving to God and acknowledge that Jesus is the light of our lives. This feast is also known as Candlemas, highlighting Simeon’s prophecy that Jesus is “a light for revelation.” For many years, the tradition on this feast has been for families to bring their candles to the church to be blessed. Some of these blessed candles are used in a distinctive Catholic devotion on the feast of St. Blaise on February 3, commemorating the fourth century bishop and former physician who is credited with the miracle of healing a child who was choking on a fishbone. In the blessing, as the priest holds two crossed candles near each supplicant’s throat, he prays, “Through the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness.” As a podcaster who relies on my voice to make a living, I take great consolation in receiving the saint’s intercession each year on his feast. Candles play a prominent role in our Catholic sacramental life. Perhaps the most important is the Paschal candle, which we inscribe with the sign of the cross, the alpha and the omega, and the year, and bless at the very beginning of the Easter Vigil. This impressively tall candle is lit from a fire prepared outside and is then carried in procession into the darkened church as we sing, “Christ our Light. Thanks be to God!” Each member of the congregation will then light their own smaller candle from the Paschal candle, the one flame passing from person to person until the entire building is brilliantly lit. In the great sung prayer called the Exsultet that follows, we are taught that the Paschal candle represents the pillar of fire that led the Israelites out of slavery to sin in Egypt to the freedom of the Promised Land. The prayer celebrates that in the middle of the night on the first Easter, Jesus Christ rose from the dead to burst forth from the darkness of the tomb, and that when He returns in glory, there will be no need for sun nor moon, for Jesus shall be the light of the world. Later during the Easter Vigil, the Paschal candle is dunked into the baptismal font as the water is blessed, the priest calling down the Holy Spirit as the water becomes the source of life for those about to be baptized. After their baptism, each neophyte is presented with their own candle, newly lit from the Paschal candle along with the words, “Receive the light of Christ.” The priest then solemnly charges each to “keep the flame of faith alive in your heart.” One of my friends who became Catholic as an adult has the beautiful practice of lighting his candle each year on the anniversary of his baptism while offering prayers of thanksgiving for the gift of faith that he received. Alongside the Paschal candle that is lit throughout the Easter season and at solemn celebrations such as baptisms, ordinations, and funerals, in every church you will also see another candle permanently burning near the tabernacle to symbolize that Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament. I find this little glowing red light to be a great consolation when walking into unfamiliar churches during my various travels, reminding me that Christ is always present and waiting no matter how far from home I may be. Many churches and chapels also feature a rack of votive candles, often placed near the statue of a saint or a holy icon. Many of the faithful will light one of these candles as they offer and beg prayers of intercession, the candle symbolizing their particular intention. The Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes on the campus of the University of Notre Dame where I work is well-known for its racks upon racks of candles lit by students, visitors, and pilgrims – and not just for another win on the football field or as a last-ditch effort in their exams. It is incredibly inspiring to walk by the grotto on a dark winter evening and see the hundreds of candles flickering brightly as the snow falls and the wind howls beneath the loving gaze of the statue of Our Lady. In the Northern Hemisphere, the days are steadily growing longer, and the darkness is receding. It is in these darkest days that we can recall, as John wrote in his Gospel, “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Christ, be our light! The post A Celebration of Christ Our Light appeared first on Today's Catholic. ...read more read less