by Father Alonzo Cox
Since I was a kid, I have always had issues with my eyesight. I remember sitting in class struggling to read the blackboard. My teachers noticed me squinting when reading books or other texts. As I grew older, eyeglasses were very much a part of my life. They were able to help me see much more clearly.
A few years before my ordination, I had to have a minor procedure done on my eyes. I was instructed to wear dark sunglasses and not expose my eyes to direct light for at least 24 hours. For the next full day, I sat in a dark room with the window shades drawn and dark sunglasses on my face. It was an opportunity for me to acknowledge how important light is to the human person. Light truly strengthens us, it motivates us, and it empowers us. Light gets us up to fulfill the tasks of the day. But, for those 24 hours, I sat in darkness, yearning to see and once again experience light.
Today, we celebrate the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Forty days after his birth, Mary and Joseph fulfilled the law of Moses by bringing Jesus to the temple to be presented before the Lord. It is here that the Holy Family encounters Simeon. Simeon is this faithful Jew who was awaiting the revelation of the Messiah. As he gazes upon the face of Jesus, he boldly proclaims him as a light to the nations!
This was the light that both Simeon and Anna were awaiting. This was the light that would dispel the darkness of the world. As they gaze upon this child, they see the salvation of Israel, the Messiah who has come to redeem the world. It is on this feast of the Presentation that we bless candles. We begin this liturgical celebration by blessing candles used both in the liturgy and
at home.
The faithful are invited to bring their candles to church to be blessed at this Mass. The light of these candles signifies the very light of Christ, who illuminates our hearts. Jesus is truly the light of the world. It is rare that we get to celebrate this feast day on a Sunday. Today’s liturgy offers us an opportunity to process into church with our lit candles. What a beautiful image for us to reflect upon as we prepare to receive Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
We must continue to carry the light of Jesus Christ within our very selves. There is so much in our world that wants to extinguish the light of Christ. Jesus is that great high priest, who, as we hear in today’s second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews, “was tested through what he suffered, and he is able to help those who are being tested.”
The Lord strengthens, empowers, and motivates us every day by the power of his love and mercy. We must give witness to the light of Christ in our lives. It is from that light that others will encounter the light of the nations, who is Jesus Christ. As
children of our Heavenly Father, we are called to bear the light of Christ to all our brothers and sisters. May the king of glory come to illumine the minds and hearts of all God’s holy and faithful people.
Readings for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
Malachi 3:1-4
Hebrews 2:14-18
Luke 2:22-40 or 2:22-32
Father Alonzo Cox is pastor of St. Martin de Porres Parish, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and coordinator for the Vicariate of Black Catholic Concerns for the Diocese of Brooklyn.