Lord, now let your servant depart in peace according to your word, from my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared before the face of all people, to be a light to light in the Gentiles and to be the glory of your people Israel. A celebration many of us know and love. It's the day of the blessing of the Candles families will burn throughout the coming year. This is also the day we celebrate the purification of the Blessed Virgin and the presentation of Christ in the temple. But why do we celebrate the three together? What do candles have to do with purification and presentation? The purification of the Blessed Virgin and the feast of the presentation of Christ in the temple have their roots in the Old Testament. In the book of Lovidicus, Moses wrote that after giving birth to a son, a woman was to wait 40 days before entering the temple. She was then to bring an offering of a lamb, or if she could not afford one, a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons to receive a prayer of cleansing. The book of numbers states that all firstborn males were to be brought to the temple to be offered unto the Lord. The Blessed Virgin Mary, being a Jew, did as was commanded by Mosaic Law. She waited 40 days to receive cleansing and to present Jesus, her firstborn son to the temple. But this visit was much more profound than that of any mother before or after her. Mary may not have been able to bring a lamb to be offered for her cleansing, but she brought the lamb that would be offered for the cleansing of the world. The Nativity quietly brought the light of salvation to a few Jews. A piphany brought this light to the Gentiles through the Magi. The presentation of the temple brought Christ's light to the core of the Jewish center. This light that began its earthly journey in the small village of Bethlehem now grew for all of Jerusalem to see. We celebrate Candlemas as a reminder that the light of Christ is among us, no matter how dark, remote or impoverished our condition. His light is able to penetrate even the darkest heart.