The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Candlemas gathers several beautiful things into one feast. First comes the humility of Mary, who submits to the law of purification though she had no personal need of it. Then comes the presentation of Christ in the temple, where the child is recognized by Simeon and Anna and already spoken of in terms of light, redemption, contradiction, and sorrow.

The scene does not end there, because it also opens onto the Church's memory of the feast itself: the old Jerusalem observance, the carrying of candles, and the way East and West treasured this moment near the close of the Christmas cycle. Its shape is beautifully simple. Christ is brought, recognized, and offered; Mary is humble; Simeon rejoices; and the Church keeps lighting candles because she knows the child in the temple is the light of the world.