Posted at 12:05 AM on 2/2/2012 | Permalink
The Presentation in the Temple: Simeon (holding Jesus) and Anna (on the right); Mary with the two turtle doves and Joseph. (I've been unable to locate the source of the image.)
February 2, is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. On the pre-Conciliar liturgical calendar it was the Feast of the Presentation that ended the Christmas season and in the Archdiocese of Boston this date was, years ago, often the date of ordination to the priesthood. (Ad multos annos to those celebrating anniversaries!)
Luke is the gospel source for this event in the life of the Holy Family. When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord just as it is written in the law of the Lord... and to offer the sacrifice of "a pair of turtledoves..." Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Messiah of the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: "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 sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel." ...There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.
This feast is sometimes called Candlemas Day because on this day there may be a blessing of candles and a procession. There's a tie between the candles and the phrase, a light for revelation to the Gentiles in Simeon's canticle in Luke's gospel.
The image above includes Mary and Joseph with Simeon, the holy man, and Anna, the prophet. Here's a quilted image of Anna where she seems ready to run from the temple to invite others to Come, Listen and Rejoice for salvation has come for all!
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Among Women - noreply@blogger.com (Pat Gohn)
Posted at 9:41 PM on 2/1/2012 | Permalink
Among Women 123 features ideas about being a practicing Catholic... and to get that done I "interview" St. Margaret Mary, and converse with The Practicing Catholic blogger herself, Lisa Schmidt. Together we talk about the joys of living in sync with the Universal Church and the graces God brings to us through his Word and his healing touch in our lives. You'll benefit about Lisa's stories about faith, marriage, John Paul II, healing from miscarriage, Mary's house, and more!
Join us for the coffee and conversation! Oh, did I mention I'm also talking about coffee on this episode?
One more thing: think about how you might contribute to an upcoming Special Edition of Among Women. Send me your favorite and most meaningful Lenten practices at amongwomenpodcast@me.com! Or call your ideas in to our voice mail: 206-203-2024.
Posted at 5:06 PM on 2/1/2012 | Permalink
The Catholic Herald reports:
A card communicating that its carrier is a baptised Catholic will be distributed nationally on behalf of the bishops of England and Wales.
The Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales is distributing one million cards to 24 dioceses including the Bishopric of the Forces and the ordinariate in order to cultivate evangelisation among Catholics.
The credit-card-size resource features on one side a clear statement that the carrier is a Catholic and a list of six things that Catholics are called to do.
There is also a sentence that reads: “In the event of an emergency, please contact a Catholic priest.”
The other side of the card has a quote from Blessed John Henry Newman, focusing on the call to serve and affirming that everyone has a mission.
Bishop Kieran Conry of Arundel and Brighton, chairman of the bishops’ Department for Evangelisation and Catechesis, said: “We all carry a variety of cards in our purses and wallets which reflect something of our identity and the things that are important to us. The faith card for Catholics aims to offer a daily reminder of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. We can’t summarise the whole of our faith in bullet points, but we hope that the card simply inspires people to do, read and learn more.”
The bishop added: “The card is also designed to give Catholics confidence to share their faith – often people need help knowing what to say. Faith is a not a private matter... We hope that Catholics will use it to witness to their faith. If someone asks a question about Catholicism, a starting point could be to show the card and to take it from there.”
The front of the card is above, the reverse side below.
What do you think?
I know that every Lent my parish offers all its members a small token (a button, Cross, key chain) with a similar purpose: that bearers remember their faith and that others who see the token might be reminded as well. The card to be distributed in the UK is a perennial, not a seasonal effort.
Would you carry such a card?
Comments?
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Salt + Light Blog - Salt + Light
Posted at 5:00 PM on 2/1/2012 | Permalink
Tonight on Perspectives: a look at Pope Benedict’s weekly general audience, we remember Cardinal Anthony Bevilaqua of Philadelphia who passed away last night and give you a sneak peak at our latest film “Across the Divide” about Bethlehem University.
CatholicMom - Susan Terbay
Posted at 2:00 PM on 2/1/2012 | Permalink
How often in our lives have we heard the phrase ‘sick and tired’ either from the mouth of our mothers or from our own mouths for our children? I remember a comedy routine by Bill Cosby when he was referencing ... Keep reading