2 Feb – Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
This feast celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus. In the Roman Catholic Church, the Presentation is the fourth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, it is one of the twelve Great Feasts. In many Western liturgical churches, Vespers (or Compline) on the Feast of the Presentation marks the end of the Epiphany season.
This feast is also known by other traditional names including Candelmas, the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin, and the Meeting of the Lord. Prior to the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council, Candlemas marked the end of the Christmas and Epiphany season.
The Western term ‘Candlemas’ (or Candle Mass) referred to the practice whereby a priest on Feb 2 (forty days after Christmas) blessed beeswax candles with an aspergilium (liturgical implement used to sprinkle holy water) for use throughout the year, some of which were distributed to the faithful for use in the home.
Since the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council, this feast has been referred to as the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, with references to candles and the purification of Mary de-emphasized in favour of the Prophecy of Simeon the Righteous. Pope John Paul II connected the feast day with the renewal of religious vows.
- Wikipedia
Mal 3:1-4
Lk 2:22-40
“…because my eyes have seen the salvation…”
I recently shared with my SD, my concerns about how more and more people these days seem to be blind to hope. That however dire or desperate a situation one finds oneself in, God is always present and that He will ensure we are never harmed. In today’s gospel, Simeon declares after seeing the young Jesus that he can now ‘go in peace’. In our constant search for peace, where do we look?
Many these days find solace in all manner of platforms – especially online. I know of teenagers who ‘doomscroll’ for hours on end and when I travel on our trains/buses, it is extremely rare to find someone looking out a window or even reading/enjoying a book. Because most people adopt the ‘handphone hunch’ (come on, you know it too) – head tilted downwards at 60 to 75 degrees, shoulders slightly forward, the master hand holding onto a device and eyes intently transfixed onto its screen.
Granted, everyone feels the need to occupy any free time they can find with something other than work. And certainly back in the day, when things were simpler, it may have been a tad easier to find some light at the end of a dreary tunnel. But these days, thanks to the proliferation of social media, that tunnel can be pockmarked with all manner of ‘light’; hence, it is getting more and more difficult for us to recognise the true light that guides us.
With all the hoopla and ‘noise’ that surrounds us today, it is not surprising that more and more are being led astray. A colleague of mine recently shared about how his ailing father steadfastly follows a ‘healer’ and refuses to accept any other form of medical advice or treatment plan. All he can do, he says, is to pray for his dad. He certainly recognises and knows where hope can be found.
In today’s increasingly fractious world, even leaders are searching for some form of enlightenment and to anchor their policies on some manner of ‘rules-based’ order. Yet increasingly, established rules are being thrown out the door or blatantly disregarded. The same can be said for industry, where, depending on one’s perspective, the much vaunted/dreaded AI is certainly upending many established processes and ways of working. And while it may be ‘convenient’ for those who are struggling to make sense of things to point the finger at… perhaps the deeper question to ask ourselves is within the responsorial psalm. “Who is the king of glory?”
Brothers and sisters, do we, like Simeon, know where to fix our gaze in times of need?
(Today’s OXYGEN by Desmond Soon)
Prayer: We pray that Jesus, the light of the world, continues to shine brightly in all the darkest corners so that He can illuminate the lives of all those who are in need of hope.
Thanksgiving: Thank you Abba Father, for your unwavering presence and for always giving us hope, no matter how dire the situation.
OXYGEN 
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