The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple (c. 1304-1306)
Giotto di Bondone (1266-1336)—Scrovegni Chapel, Padua

Jesus, the Light of the World is presented in the Temple

The mystery of today’s ceremony has frequently been explained by liturgists, dating from the 7th century.

According to St. Ivo of Chartres, the wax —which is formed from the juice of flowers by the bee, (which has always been considered as the emblem of virginity)— signifies the virginal flesh of the Divine Infant, who diminished not, either by his conception or his birth, the spotless purity of his Blessed Mother. The same holy Bishop would have us see, in the flame of our Candle, a symbol of Jesus, who came to enlighten our darkness.

St. Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, speaking on the same mystery, bids us consider three things in the blest candle: the wax, the wick, and the flame. The wax, he says, which is the production of the virginal bee, is the flesh of our Lord; the wick, which is within, is his soul; the flame, which burns on the top, is his divinity.

The Church blesses candles today, not only to be carried in procession, which forms part of the ceremony, but, also, for the use of the faithful, inasmuch as they draw, upon such as use them with respect, whether on sea or on land, for special blessings from heaven. These blest candles ought, also, to be lit near the bed of the dying Christian, as a symbol of the immortality merited for us by Christ, and of the protection of our Blessed Mother. –Dom Prosper Gueranger, The Liturgical Year

Personnel

We are asked to keep in prayer Father Leo Papineau, who recently underwent surgery in Kapuskasing.

CCCB Commitment to Fund Indigenous Reconciliation

Our InterPAR this weekend and next will report on the structures being set up to raise and distribute $30 million in the next five years in healing and support programs arranged with indigenous communities. The amount set for each diocese is dependent on their financial circumstances over the past three years. Our commitment is to raise $14,000 per year for five years for a total amount of $70,000.

My agenda

February 2-18: Working in Ottawa at a distance from the Diocese, hoping to keep safe from Covid.

Saturday, February 19: Travel from Ottawa to Timmins via Toronto-Pearson.

We renew our commitment to pray for one another as we serve God’s people here in Hearst-Moosonee.

✠Terrence