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Presentation of the Lord

Presentation of the Lord: Feast Day Feb. 2nd 

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of The Presentation of the Lord. This is the day that Saint Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary took the infant Jesus to the temple to consecrate Him to the Lord. I recently learned from the book, Theology of the Body for Beginners, by Christopher West, something even more insightful about Jesus’ presentation at the temple. Besides just fulfilling Jewish law, the presentation was the day that the Lord returned to the temple as the Bridegroom. How amazing is that to think about?! 

As Christians, we can draw a connection to Jesus’ dedication to the Lord in our lives by reflecting upon our Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. Most of us were baptized as infants—set apart as children of God—like Jesus was consecrated to the Father as an infant. As teens, we then took a personal ownership of our Baptismal vows by reaffirming them to the Lord and then receiving His gift of being sealed by The Holy Spirit. So, as you celebrate today’s feast day with your family, ponder your Baptismal vows, your reaffirmation of them at your Confirmation, and the beautiful reality that you are set apart and claimed as a Child of God destined for the ultimate Sacrament of the Wedding Feast of the Lamb! 

Celebrating Through Food:

Since Saint Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary offered “the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons” (Luke 2:24) when they presented Jesus to the Lord at the temple, make homemade “turtle” candies and pair them with “Dove” chocolates to make a “pair of turtledoves.” These delicious Rolo, pretzel, and pecan turtle treats are one of my favorite easy to make candy treats I remember making as a kid, and chocolate is just plain awesome. Here is a recipe for Rolo Turtles from “Food.com.” 

Celebrating Through a Craft:

Make paper turtledoves and hang them up somewhere in your home. The website, Far Out City, has an easy paper turtledove craft you can create. You can also print out the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary coloring pages, from the website, “The Catholic Kid,” and use them as visuals to help young children pray the Rosary.

Celebrating Through Prayer:

Say the Rosary together as a family focusing on the Joyful Mysteries: (1) The Annunciation, (2) The Visitation, (3) The Nativity of the Lord, (4) The Presentation of the Infant Christ, and (5) The Finding of the Christ Child at the Temple. RosaryCenter.org explains how to pray the Rosary, if you need a refresher, as well as ways to pray the Rosary without distractions. 

Here also is a prayer I wrote that you and your family can say together today if you’re unable to say the Rosary: 

Dear Lord, as you were brought into the temple and presented to the Lord, help me to reflect upon your humility and your desire to always do the will of the Father. Help me to to be humble, and help me to seek to do the will of the Father to glorify His holy name. Help me also to remember, that through my Baptism, I have been claimed in Christ and set apart as a Child of God; and help me to live my life in a way that is always pleasing in your eyes. Amen.

Additional Information:

Here is a great article, from “Franciscan Media,” with additional information about the Presentation of the Lord you and your family can read. 

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