Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1908-01-31
PECULIAR CEREMONY
To be Observed the Feast of the
Purification of the Blessed
Virgin

Next Sunday ,here will be
peculiar ceremony observed at ST.
Mary's Church, 1.-THE Blessing
of the Candles"
The Candlemas Day began to
be generally observed about 500
years after Christ. The intention
of the Feast is to bring to our
minds the coming to the Temple
of the Blessed Virgin, there to
make the Offering required by the
Mosaic law. According to this
law every mother had to appear
in the Temple .thirty-three days
after she had given birth to son
or sixty-six days after the birth
of a daughter. She was required
to offer at this visit a three.year
old lamb for holocaust and a
young pigeon or turtle dove for
, sin Offering. IF too poor to
offer lamb she offered instead
pair of pigeons or turtle doves.
| According to another ordinance
of the Mosaic law, every first
! born son of Israel was to be dedi-
Gated to the service of the Altar
by seven shekels of silver. In
compliance with law Mary pre-
sented her Divine Son in the
Temple on this day, and thirty
years atterward she offered Him
on Mt. Calvary to His Heavenly
Father as a sacrifice fori the ran
som of mankind. This much
with regard to the connection
of Candlemas Day with the Puri-
fcation of the Blessed Virgin.
On this day the candles are
blessed and carried lighted in the
procession for the following rea.
sons:
First-To remind us that the
Incarnate Son of God is the true
tligkt-that came into the world te
enlighten all men, and that or
this day He was carried by Hi:
Virgin Mother to the temple anc
presented as an offering to Hi:
Hevenly Father.
Second-This ceremony re
minds us of that moment wheI
the aged Simeon folded the Di
vine Child in his arms and will
Joy exclaimed, "Now my eye
have seen the Light which is t.
enlighten all nations"
Third-The burning candle
which we hold in our hands re
Icall the words of the Savior
LET your light shine before al
men that they may see your goo
E wo. ks and glorify your Fathe
who is in Heaven.
All Christians must show
all men the light of good e,
, ample.
a Finally, the wax of the candle
G typi6es the immaculate flesh
e the humanity of Christ.
: The candles vii. be blesse
I next Sunday before the TO-:
i O'Clock mass, after which the
i, will be a procession through tt
i church.
i In the evening at 1890 the
j. will be Vespers, Instruction al
II Benediction. AS next Sunds
lie will be the first Sunday of tt
,e month the Sodalites will recei'
v. Holy Communion at the
" O'Clock mass.
,e Next Monday, the Feast OF
r Rlase, the ceremony of the bles
$. ing of the throats will take pla
er after the 8 O'Clock mass, also
% 1880 O'Clock and at 8 o'clo
e, in the evening. The blessing
In against diseases of the throat.
Sc our large cities thousands OF Cat
nv lies, and great many non-Ca'
lv olics crowd our churches to av
pc themselves of this blessing.
as the ceremony the priest pre-
n that the recipient ''be delive,
th through the intercession of
g, Blase, bishop and martyr, fir
.r- all diseases of the throat a
,ol from all evil. All, even bah
IS and little children may rece
h. the blessing.-Cont1ibuted.
c,r