This week, believers from every major branch of the Christian faith and from the majority of traditional religious Orders celebrated the festival of Candlemas, 40 days after Christmas. I was fortunate enough to be in Bath Abbey in the west of England, which meant that I got to enjoy it in particularly beautiful surroundings.
Candlemas remembers the visit of Mary and Joseph to the temple to dedicate the infant Jesus to God, and the stunning messianic prayers of Simeon and Anna which greeted them (Luke 2:22-38). It has traditionally been of particular importance to members of religious Orders, because in Jesus’ dedication to God they find strong resonance with their own vows of consecration and commitment. For some Orders this is a moment of renewing vows, for others a time to reflect on them and apply them afresh to a new year and new circumstances.
If you enjoyed the ‘O antiphons’ series in lectio 365, you’ll be pleased to know that there is one for Candlemas too: “Lumen ad revelationem gentium et gloriam plebis tuae Israel” (“A light to the revelation of the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel”). If latin isn’t really your thing, you may prefer to reflect on the experience of Simeon and Anna, who had been coming to the temple literally for decades, waiting faithfully in anticipation of promise. The Scripture says that Simeon came into the temple (again) that day at the leading of the Holy Spirit. How easy would it have been to skip the familiar call after so many apparently fruitless visits? Or not to notice the poor couple with their offering of pigeons, surrounded presumably by richer and more regal families with fattened lambs and fancy dedication robes?
Candlemas also falls close to date of the (re)founding of our own Order, on 11th February 2005. It makes a great opportunity to reflect on the light and life that God brings through your OMS vows. And if you are waiting on a long-held promise, to listen afresh to the leading of the Spirit: will today be the day?
(image: via www.bathabbey.org/visiting/praying)