The Presentation of the Lord

"My eyes have seen the salvation" The feast of the Presentation of the Lord always had a special place in my heart; for it is celebrated on my birthday :) It is when looking up this day, February 2nd, that I found out more about this feast which is also a mystery in the Joyful Mysteries of the rosary.

"And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, 'Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord' and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, 'a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons', in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord". (Luke 2: 22)

This feast always brings to mind two things for me: purification and consecration. The rite of purification of Our Lady who is immaculate, reminds me of our ongoing purification in life; through suffering and prayer (Malachi 3:1-4) until the moment when the Creator sees in us a pure reflection of Himself. This particular mystery has always struck me as POD because it reminds me that Jesus begins His life on earth with a Consecration. His consecration did not happen at a mature age—Mary & Joseph kept God's Law and consecrated the Child—and in fact only Simeon and Anna saw Him for who He is! The message for me this year—I felt—is that now is as good as any time to start consciously consecrating my life.