PRESENTATION OF JESUS IN THE TEMPLE
* FEAST OF THE PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD IN THE TEMPLE * M a l a ch i 3 : 1 - 4 ; P sa l m 24 : 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ; H e b re w s 2 : 14 - 1 8 ; L u k e 2 : 22 - 4 0 Jesus is the light of revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for God’s people. Today is Consecrated Life Day , when we pray for all consecrated vocations in the Church. Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Presentation of the Lord which occurs forty days after the birth of Jesus and is also known as Candlemas day, since the blessing and procession of candles is included in today's liturgy. Before the revision of the General Roman Calendar this marked the end of the Christmas season. The feast was first observed in the Eastern Church as "The Encounter." In the sixth century, it began to be observed in the West: in Rome with a more penitential character and in Gaul (France) with solemn blessings and processions of candles, popularly known as "Candlemas." The Presentation of the ...