Presentation of the Lord
On the fortieth day after Christmas the Church celebrates the Presentation of the Lord — the day Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem to fulfill the law of Moses. The aged prophet Simeon, having waited a lifetime for the consolation of Israel, took the child in his arms and sang the Nunc dimittis, hailing him as 'a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of your people Israel.' The prophetess Anna, eighty-four years a widow, came forward and spoke of him to all who looked for the redemption of Jerusalem. Candles are blessed on this day — Candlemas — and carried in procession in honor of Christ, the light of the world.