Saints + Scripture: Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

The Long Road Back, Part I of II | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Saturday, 2 February was the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (A.K.A. Candlemas): Presentation-link ūnus, Presentation-link duo, Presentation-link trēs, Wikipedia-link Presentation, & Wikipedia-link Candlemas.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:

An early episode in the life of Jesus, describing His presentation at the Temple in Jerusalem in order to officially induct Him into Judaism. In some religions, this episode was also reflected in the once-prevalent custom of churching new mothers forty days after the birth of a child.

Quoth Minute Meditations from the Popes:

Lord Jesus, Simeon & Anna greeted You when You were brought into the Temple as an infant by Mary Your Mother & Joseph Your foster father. May I be anxious to recognize Your Presence in our midst.

Scripture of That Day
Mass Readings—Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
The Book of Malachi, chapter three, verses one thru four;
Psalm Twenty-four, verses seven, eight, nine, & ten;
The Letter to the Hebrews, chapter two, verses fourteen thru eighteen;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter two, verses twenty-two thru forty
(or, the Gospel according to Luke, chapter two, verses twenty-two thru thirty-two).

Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):

Friends, today’s Gospel tells the story of the presentation of Jesus in the Temple. The Temple was, in practically a literal sense, the dwelling place of the Lord. In the Temple, divinity and humanity embraced, and the human race was brought back online with God.

But the sins of the nation had, according to the prophet Ezekiel, caused the glory of the Lord to depart from the Temple. Therefore, one of the deepest aspirations of Israel’s people was to reestablish the Temple as the place of right praise so that the glory of the Lord might return. When Joseph and Mary bring the infant Jesus into the Temple, therefore, we are meant to appreciate that the prophecy of Ezekiel is being fulfilled. The glory of Yahweh is returning to his favorite dwelling. And this is precisely what Simeon sees.

The old seer is a symbol of ancient Israel, watching and waiting for the coming of the Messiah. Simeon knew all of the old prophecies; he embodied the expectation of the nation; and the Holy Spirit had given him the revelation that he would not die until he had laid eyes on his Savior.

Video reflection by Marc DelMonico, Ph.D.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Scripture Study—Exodus 90: Day 13
The Book of Exodus, chapter five, verses twenty-two & twenty-three;
The Book of Exodus, chapter six, verses one thru thirteen.

Commentary: Bricks without Straw (concluded; Exodus, 5:22-6:1) & God Promises Deliverance (Exodus, 6:2-13).

The Imitation of Christ
Book I: Useful Admonitions for the Spiritual Life
Chapter 19: "On the Exercises of a Good Religious"

'Twas also the festival of Saint Laurence of Canterbury, Bishop, O.S.B. (died 619), a member of the Gregorian Mission: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Mission.

'Twas also the festival of Saint Bruno of Ebsdorf, Martyr (circa 830-880; also spelt Brun, Braun), Duke of Saxony; martyred in the Battle of Lüneburg Heath against the Great Heathen Army, one of the Martyrs of Ebsdorf: Martyr-link & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Lüneburg Heath, Wikipedia-link Great Heathen Army, Martyrs-link Ebsdorf, & Wikipedia-link Ebsdorf.

'Twas also the festival of Saint Catherine of Ricci, Religious, O.P. (1522-1590, A.K.A. Alessandra Lucrezia Romola de' Ricci), stigmatic: Saint-link & Wikipedia-link; Stigmata-link & Wikipedia-link Stigmata.

'Twas also the festival of Saint Nicola of Longobardi, Religious, O.M. (1650-1709, A.K.A. Giovanni Battista Clemente Saggio): Saint-link & Wikipedia-link.

Papal Quote o' That Day

"The origin, nature, destiny, & history of humanity are bound up in that Infant by the very fact of His birth among us. Without the knowledge of that history our human nature would remain an impenetrable enigma."
—Pope Venerable Pius XII (1876-1958)

Little Flower Quote o' That Day

"Charity gave me the key to my vocation. I realized that love includes all vocations, is in all things, & because it is eternal, embraces every time & place."
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)

Saint Quote o' That Day

"This silver crucifix that I wear, I wear in reparation. I was in a Jewish jewelry store one day in New York, where I had known the jeweler for twenty or twenty-five years. He said to me, 'I have some silver crucifixes for you.' And he gave me a bag of silver crucifixes, over a hundred of them. I said, 'Where did you get them?' 'Oh,' he said, 'from sisters, they brought them in. They told me, "We're not going to wear the crucifix anymore; it divides us from the world. How much will you give us for the silver?"' The jeweler said, 'I weighed them out thirty pieces of silver.' Then he said, 'What s wrong with your Church? I thought that meant something to you?' So I told him what was wrong. Three months later I received him into the Church."
—Venerable Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979)