February 2^nd – Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ

today, on the feast of the of the presentation of our lord jesus christ conclude the festive circle of christmas or christmastide. Today's feast of the presentation of our lord, or the purification of the blessed virgin mary or candlemas day, these are different names for the same feast just under a particular aspect, commemorates the events of the fourth of the joyful mysteries of the most holy rosary.

Today, we would like to look at the mystery of the presentation of our lord from the prospective of saint joseph. Indeed, today's mystery is one of saint joseph's seven joys and sorrows. The presentation of our lord is the fourth sorrow and fourth joy of saint joseph, The sorrow consisted in the prophecy of simeon and the joy in the effects of the redemption which also was prophesied by simeon.

The holy family were leaving bethlehem, consecrated by so many hallowed memories-memories which, in future ages, until the day of doom, were to attract thousands of pilgrims of every race and clime to come to pay their tribute of homage and love to him who had descended from his lofty throne in the heavens to become the lowliest among the sons of men. Forty days had passed since that glorious midnight when angelic hosts had proclaimed the birth of jesus. After the shepherds the magi had come and offered their mystic gifts, and mary, with maternal tenderness, had held out the tiny hands of her son to bless those kings who had left their homes, their friends, their family and their county to follow the guidance of the star that led them to bethlehem. All this had been sweetest joy to saint joseph; but joy, in the lives of those dearest and most devoted to god, is like the fitful sunbeam appearing through the storm driven cloud. The heritage of the saints is a heritage of suffering, for they walk in the blood-stained footsteps of the crucified.

Their few preparations made, mary and joseph directed their steps towards jerusalem, where our immaculate mother was, like jesus, to submit to a law that did not bind her-the law of purification. A remnant of this purification is kept by the roman catholic church in her church service of church of the mother – the blessing for the mother after childbirth.

Mary's submission to this law was in itself inexpressibly painful to saint joseph. She-his peerless spouse, the the mother of god, to be ranked with ordinary women! He looked at her as she walked beside him with the infant jesus in her arms; he knew that numberless angels were worshiping that infant and paying homage to their queen; yet she was going to pass for a sinful daughter of eve. Many modernists and even antipope francis make us believe this. He must not proclaim the dignity of mother or son. He was the shadow of the eternal father veiling sublimest mysteries of mother and son. His presence, he may have thought, robbed them the honor due to them. Yet, crushing as these feelings were, still more grievous pangs were yet to rend his heart.

They approached the holy city-that city sanctified by such great manifestations of god's wondrous love and mercy. Let us accompany them on their way. As saint joseph draws near to the temple, how vividly he recalls the happy day on which his rod, budding forth lilies, revealed god's will that he should be mary's spouse. Now she comes back to that temple with him, a spotless lily-a virgin, yet a mother. They ascend the steps, and enter the precints of the edifice, where simeon, led by the holy ghost, receives them. Mary places the infant in the arms of the holy old man, whose face glows with the fire of inspiration as he sings his death song, Nunc Dimittis: “now thou dost dismiss thy servant, o lord, according to thy word, in peace: because my eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples; a light to the revelation of the gentils and the glory of thy people israel.”

saint joseph hangs spell-bound on every word from the lips of simeon, exquisite rapture is filling his soul as the sounds die away, and the prophet returns the child to his mother-but listen ! Simeon is about to speak again, not in accents of jubilant praise, but in saddest tones of darkest prophecy: “behold this child is set for the fall and for the resurrection of many in israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted. And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that out of many hearts thoughts may be revealed.”

these aweful words sound as a death-knell. Saint joseph looks into mary's face; her eyes meet his, their mute eloquence revealing her anguish whilst her lips murmur another fiat-a fiat to the sentence which has wounded her heart.he has heard that the sufferings of jesus would be useless for many; he can afford no consolation to the beautiful sorrow-stricken mother who loves her treasure as her son and her god, and who feels-as mother and creature-all the woe and sacrilege that prophecy foreshadows. That sad prophecy embittered the soul of mary and was to her a continual martyrdom, which the tender soul of saint joseph shard, though his eyes were to be closed in death before its accomplishment began to manifest itself in the hatred and hostility of the jews against our lord. Indeed, it must have been a source of additional grief to his generous and loving heart to know-as he may have known before his death-that when this prophecy was to be fully verified he, the protector of jesus and mary, would not be there to defend and console them.

Yet neither was this sorrow unalloyed. For with it came the thought of all the countless souls that this same child would win for god and heaven above. The suffering and the sorrows of the man-god and of his blessed mother were the prize of the redemption of the human race. And joy and heavenly sweetness at the thought of heaven, peopled for eternity with souls redeemed, struggled with his sorrow in the breast of saint joseph.