Today, we celebrate the feast of Candlemas, also known as the Presentation of the Lord or the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is the day when we commemorate the event recorded in the Gospel of Luke, when Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem, forty days after his birth. There, they encountered two holy people, Simeon and Anna, who recognized Jesus as the Messiah and the Light of the World
On this day, we also bless the candles that we will use in our worship throughout the year. Candles are a symbol of Christ, who said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) By lighting candles, we express our faith in Christ and our desire to follow him. We also remember that we are called to be the light of the world ourselves, by sharing the love and joy of Christ with others