Today the church celebrates The Feast of the Presentation, a feast that had its origin in the 4th Century in Jerusalem, and was celebrated in Rome by the 5th Century. It was originally called, in Greek, “The Feast of the Meeting,” and is also known as Candlemas because today is the day on which all the candles that will be used throughout the year in a church are blessed.

This feast reminds me that everything we have is a gift. And so, the parents of Jesus, according to the Mosaic Law, come to Jerusalem to present a gift to God for the gift of their Son Jesus. It’s quite a touching, beautiful meeting.