Over the past three Sundays the Gospels have presented Our Lord at his Baptism, his miracle at Cana and his preaching in Nazareth. It seems odd that today we are transported back to his infancy. The Church would have us recall when Mary and Joseph go to the Temple to fulfill the Mosaic Law that the first born male should be consecrated to God on the fortieth day after his birth and that his mother’s forty day confinement or ‘purification’ after giving birth is ended by offering a sacrifice. Mary needed no purification but she was obedient and presented what was required of the poor, a pair of turtle doves or young pigeons. The Holy Family would have blended easily—unnoticed—into the crowd but this belied the extraordinary event that was taking place. Only Simeon and Anna, representatives of faithful Israel, understood what was taking place. On this day, the Messiah enters the Temple, the place of encounter between God and his people. The Eastern Church refers to this day as the “Feast of Encounter.” Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Simeon and Anna are overcome with emotion. As soon as the elderly Simeon takes Jesus into his arms, the sting of death departs. “Now Master, you can let your servant go in peace.” Fulton Sheen wrote, “An old man at the sunset of his life spoke of the sunrise of the world, in the evening of life, he told of the promise of the new day.” Simeon, to the amazement of Mary and Joseph, also prophesied that Jesus would be a light of revelation to the Gentiles, a sign that would be contradicted, and that a sword of sorrow would pierce the heart of his Mother. For her part, Anna, the pious widow, and prophetess, gave thanks to God and spoke about the Infant Jesus to everyone she met. She must have repeated the words of Isaiah: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom, a light has shone.” (9:1) Are we not in the House of the Lord…the place of encounter with God? Here the Lord speaks to us to enlighten and guide us. Simeon was privileged to take Jesus into his arms. In every Communion, we are privileged to receive him into our body, heart, and soul. The Church Fathers tell us that we receive Jesus so that his light can illumine even the most hidden recesses of our lives to dispel whatever darkness lies hidden there. This light is not something to be kept to ourselves but something to be shared. Somehow we have allowed ourselves to be convinced that faith is wholly a private, concealed affair. At our baptism—the day we were presented in the temple—a lighted candle was presented to us and we were told that its light is to be kept burning brightly. How often we dim that light or even hide it under a bushel, in our desire to blend in, in our fear of being tagged as odd. On this “Candlemas Day” we ask ourselves: How bright does the light of Christ shine within us? Is it bright enough to identify us as a disciple of Christ? Lord Jesus, Light of the world, kindle your light within us that we may be lighted lamps, not hidden under a bushel but set on high, to illuminate the path of those around us. Give us the courage to live your Word openly, so that our words and actions may reflect your light and turn darkness into hope. May we not neglect your gifts but guard them so that they might bear fruit. Amen.