Feast of the Presentation

Good morning.  "When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him" (Luke 2: 22-40). There is no doubt that Mary and Joseph were the best of parents.  All of what they were about was in fulfilling the mission of their child—our Savior.  Because of the words of Simeon upon seeing the Christ Child in the temple, "a light to the revelation of the Gentiles" the Feast of the Presentation has come to be known as Candlemas Day and traditionally candles were blessed on this day.  The Holy Family serves as a model for all of us for how to best live our lives and for how to be good Christian parents.  The Church has always taught that parents are the primary teachers of the Faith.  As parents we are to make our homes, in the words of Saint John Chrysostom, a “Family Church.”  The best way we can imitate the Holy Family in our lives is through making Christ the center of our family’s life.  Ways of doing this are by praying together as a family and by attending Mass every Sunday.  Other ways are through imitating the actions of the Holy Family by simplifying our lives; are the activities away from home taking away from spending time with God and our family? Is there time in our busy lives to just be quiet and still? Are we sharing meals together?  How might we make Jesus the center of our lives, a light of revelation for our children?  May Christ be our light. Happy Candlemas Day! Make a great day!