Why Do Catholics ...?
Why do Catholics celebrate the feast of the Presentation of the Lord?
On Feb. 2, the Church celebrates this feast to honor Christ as the light of all the nations. The account is found in the Gospel of Luke (2:22-40). The Gospel account of the obedience of Joseph and Mary to the Law of the Lord, the poverty of the holy spouses and the virginity of Our Lady also mark this day as a special feast for those in consecrated life, as World Day of Consecrated Life. This year, it also marks the end of the Year of Consecrated Life.
This feast has a focus both on Christ and Mary: “[T]his feast should be ‘considered [...] a joint memorial of Son and Mother.’ … The candles kept by the faithful in their homes should be seen as a sign of Christ, ‘the Light of the world’ and an expression of faith” (Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy).
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