{"id":26029,"date":"2023-02-02T04:28:32","date_gmt":"2023-02-02T09:28:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/?p=26029"},"modified":"2023-02-02T13:11:09","modified_gmt":"2023-02-02T18:11:09","slug":"encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Encountering and Consecrating Ourselves to the Lord of Light and Glory, Feast of the Presentation, February 2, 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Fr. Roger J. Landry<br \/>\nColumbia Catholic Ministry, Notre Dame Church, Manhattan<br \/>\nFeast of the Presentation of the Lord<br \/>\nFebruary 2, 2023<br \/>\nMal 3:1-4, Ps 24, Heb 2:14-18, Lk 2:22-40<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>To listen to an audio recording of today\u2019s homily, please click below:<\/em><\/p>\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-26029-2\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/catholicpreaching\/2.2.23_Homily_1.mp3?_=2\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/catholicpreaching\/2.2.23_Homily_1.mp3\">https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/catholicpreaching\/2.2.23_Homily_1.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>The following points were attempted in the homily:\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Today we celebrate a great feast, one so central that we meditate upon at least two times a week in the fourth Joyful Mystery.\u00a0The point of the feast is summarized in the first reading and in the beautiful instructions and prayers that we pray at the beginning of Mass just before the procession, which describe the Presentation fundamentally as an encounter. The Prophet Malachi tells us, \u201cAnd suddenly there will come to the temple\u00a0the Lord whom you seek.\u201d The Lord comes to meet us. We emphasize this in the instruction as Mass begins before the procession of light. \u201cToday is the blessed day when Jesus was presented in the Temple by Mary and Joseph. Outwardly he was fulfilling the Law, but <i>in reality he was coming to meet his believing people<\/i>.\u201d After describing how Simeon and Anna met him in the Temple, we continue. \u201cSo let us also, gathered together by the Holy Spirit, proceed to the house of God <i>to encounter Christ<\/i>. There we shall <i>find him<\/i> and <i>recognize him<\/i> in the breaking of the Bread until he comes again, revealed in glory.\u201d The awareness of the Presentation as an encounter with Christ continues throughout the Mass. In the Eucharistic Preface, we will pray that \u201cwe, too, [will] go forth rejoicing <i>to encounter your salvation<\/i>.\u201d In the Collect, we implore that \u201cby your grace, we may be presented to you with minds made pure.\u201d At the end of Mass we will ask the Lord that \u201cwe, going forth to <i>meet the Lord<\/i>, [may] obtain the gift of eternal life.\u201d All of these prayers convey that Jesus is constantly being presented to us and we are supposed to be constantly presenting ourselves to him. The Christian life is meant to be a continuous mutual presentation, a lifetime encounter of love and life. The candles we bless today are supposed to symbolize our burning love for him. We ask God the Father to bless them precisely \u201cso that, treading the path of virtue, we may reach that light that never fails.\u201d Our encounter with the Lord here on this feast day and then throughout the mutual encounter of Christian life is meant to lead to an eternal encounter in the heavenly Temple.<\/li>\n<li>So that\u2019s what celebrating the Feast of the Presentation well intends to bring about in us. Concretely, however, this celebration also contains many practical applications to help us keep that continuous encounter throughout our life. I\u2019d like to focus on five elements we can learn from this feast about that encounter with the Lord and how it\u2019s meant to change us.<\/li>\n<li>The first thing we can ponder is the nature of consecration. St. Luke quotes the Mosaic Law in today\u2019s Gospel, saying, \u201cEvery male who opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord.\u201d The Lord told the Israelites through Moses \u201cEvery first-born son you must redeem,\u201d adding, \u201cIf your son should ask you later on, \u2018What does this mean?\u2019 you shall tell him, \u2018With a strong hand the Lord\u00a0brought us out of Egypt, that place of slavery. \u2026\u00a0That is why I sacrifice to the Lord everything of the male sex that opens the womb, and why I redeem every first-born of my sons.\u2019\u201d (Ex 13:13-15). This right of \u201credemption\u201d of the first-born Son was a way to relive the Passover, to make it present, to allow every generation to enter into God\u2019s saving action. How much more beautiful still is it that in the Presentation Christ, the Redeemer, the New and Eternal Passover Incarnate, was himself being redeemed! He had come into our world precisely to lead us all through the true Passover in his blood from death to life, from sin to holiness, from this world to the new and eternal Jerusalem. In today\u2019s first reading, the Prophet Malachi tells us, \u201cAnd suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek. \u2026 He is like the refiner\u2019s fire or like the fuller\u2019s lye. \u2026 He will purify the sons of Levi, refining them like gold or like silver that they may offer due sacrifice to the Lord.\u201d Christ comes to purify us so that we might offer fitting sacrifice to the Lord. Today\u2019s Feast is traditionally referred to as well as the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary according to the ancient purification rites on the 40th day after a woman had given birth, but we know a deeper significance to this feast: She had already been purified at the first moment of her existence in St. Anne\u2019s womb by the graces of the One whom she would later gestate and give to the world. And that same Refiner wants to purify us, by incorporating us into his redemptive self-offering to the Father in the new and eternal Passover. This is the way we offer our\u00a0<em>logike latreia,\u00a0<\/em>the only sacrifice that makes sense, which is to offer ourselves whole and entire to God as a holy and acceptable sacrifice (Rom 12:1-2). We enter into his priesthood, what the Letter to the Hebrews in today\u2019s second reading describes as the work of the \u201cmerciful and faithful high priest before God\u00a0to expiate the sins of the people.\u201d\u00a0That expiatory offering for us takes place first in the consecration of our baptism, when we are presented in the Temple by our parents and godparents or, if we\u2019re baptized later in life, by the whole Church community.\u00a0To be consecrated means to be totally given to the Lord, to belong to God, to transfer the title of ownership of one\u2019s life over to God, to be cut off (<em>sacer<\/em>) from worldly things to be with (<em>con<\/em>) God. Jesus is the supreme consecrated one. He would say during the Last Supper that he consecrates himself for us so that we might be consecrated in truth (Jn 17:19). This is what happens to us on the feast of our presentation in baptism. This reality of Jesus&#8217; consecration and ours that we mark on this day is the reason why, since 1997, the Church\u00a0has observed on this feast the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life. St. John Paul II decided to have this world day of prayer for religious men and women, for consecrated hermits, virgins and widows, for members of secular institutes and societies of apostolic life and other forms of living publicly by the evangelical counsels on the Feast of the Lord\u2019s Presentation because, he said, \u201cthe Presentation of Jesus in the Temple is an eloquent icon of the total offering of one\u2019s life,\u201d something we see in those who lived in the consecrated state. \u00a0St. John Paul II wrote in <em>Vita Consecrata<\/em>\u00a0that the consecrated life \u201cis not something isolated and marginal, but a reality that affects the whole Church.\u201d Rather, \u00a0\u201cThe consecrated life is at the very heart of the Church as a decisive element for her mission, since it manifests the inner nature of the Christian calling and the striving of the whole Church as Bride towards union with her one Spouse.\u201d\u00a0The whole Church is able to learn through greater focus on consecrated men and women about the inner nature of our Christian vocation, how to live out our baptismal consecration, and how to strive for the eternal wedding banquet. Today we give God thanks for those\u00a0great graces and we ask him to bless in a special way all those across the world who likewise seek to live out this special form of belonging, that we may truly be consecrated in the truth of God\u2019s word and work.<\/li>\n<li>The second aspect of today\u2019s feast on which we can meditate is the whole meaning of light. The Feast of the Presentation is often called Candlemas.\u00a0We begin Mass with a procession with lit and blessed candles. This is a quasi-sacramental manifestation of what Simeon says about the 40-day old baby Jesus in today\u2019s Gospel, that he is a \u201clight of revelation to the Gentiles.\u201d We receive that light from him and are meant to burn with it. On the day of our baptismal consecration, our Godfathers went to the Paschal (Easter) Candle and lit from it our baptismal candle; the priest instructed us to receive the Light of Christ; and our parents and godparents were commanded to help us to keep that flame of faith alive in our hearts so that when Christ comes we may go out to meet him with all the saints in his heavenly kingdom. That was\u00a0an image of Jesus\u2019 parable about the five wise bridesmaids (Mt 25:1-13) who had plenty of oil in their lamp to keep their flame ignited for the Bridegroom\u2019s return.<\/li>\n<li>The third characteristic of the Feast of the Presentation is what we can glimpse in this great mystery in the temple about the evangelical counsels that distinguish the consecrated life. We see all three evangelical counsels on display.\u00a0We see poverty in Mary\u2019s and Joseph\u2019s presenting a pair of pigeons. Normally if a family were of means, it would redeem a newborn male with a lamb, but Joseph and Mary were too poor to purchase a Lamb with which to redeem or \u201cbuy back\u201d the infant Lamb of God.\u00a0We also clearly see featured Joseph\u2019s and Mary\u2019s holy obedience. Three times St. Luke describes it, that they were dutifully and lovingly obeying what \u201cis written in the law of the Lord,\u201d doing so \u201cin accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord,\u201d and seeking to \u201cfulfill all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord.\u201d This was the fulfillment of a lifetime in which Mary consistently said, \u201cLet it be done to me according to your Word\u201d and Joseph was so docile that he would promptly obey what the Lord said even in dreams.\u00a0We also see a beautiful witness of chastity not just in the lives of the Virgin Castissima and in her \u201cmost chaste spouse\u201d but in the example of Anna who, since she was widowed very early in life \u2014 probably in her very early 20s, since Jewish women normally married in their young teens \u2014 \u00a0spent the next five or six decades, until we meet her at 84, never leaving the temple but worshipping God day and night with fasting and prayer. After the death of her husband, God became the focus of all her love, and she served him more faithfully than any wife a man. In professing the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience, consecrated men and women show\u00a0the world what true wealth, true freedom and true love are all about, and encourage us all, no matter our state of life, to imitate Mary and Joseph, Simeon and Anna.<\/li>\n<li>The fourth\u00a0aspect of today&#8217;s Feast concerns Simeon\u2019s prophecy that Jesus\u00a0was \u201cdestined\u00a0for the fall and rise of many in Israel,\u00a0and to be a sign that will be contradicted \u2026\u00a0so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.\u201d\u00a0Jesus would be a cause literally of \u201cruin\u201d or \u201cresurrection\u201d for many, provoking by his own life and words the manifestation of what was truly in their hearts. Even though Jesus came as Light, many preferred darkness; even though he came as Savior, many didn\u2019t wish to be rescued; even though he came as the refulgence of God\u2019s glory, many preferred to seek their\u00a0own glory. And the great sign of Jesus\u2019 contradiction is the Cross, where the vertical bar of divine worship contradicted the horizontal bar of worldliness. Every Christian is meant to be a contradiction of the things of the world, to proclaim something radically different from the world\u2019s values, namely Christ\u2019s values.<\/li>\n<li>The final aspect we learn from today\u2019s readings is about how this encounter with the Lord is meant to be dynamic, to transform us, ultimately to guide us. Pope Francis preached several years ago that the Blessed Mother\u00a0\u201centers the Temple holding the Child in her arms. The Mother walks, yet it is the Child who\u00a0<i>goes before her<\/i>. She carries him, yet\u00a0<i>he is leading her<\/i>\u00a0along the path of the God who comes to us so that we might go to him.\u201d Later about Simeon, he states, \u201cAs with Mary, the elderly man holds the Child, but in fact it is the Child who guides the elderly man. The liturgy of First Vespers of today\u2019s feast puts this clearly and beautifully: \u2018<i>senex puerum portabat, puer autem\u00a0senecem\u00a0regebat.\u2019<\/i>\u00a0Mary, the young mother, and Simeon, the kindly old man, hold the Child in their arms, yet it is the Child himself who guides them<b>\u00a0<\/b>both.\u201d And he concluded, \u201cToday we, too, like Mary and Simeon, want to take Jesus into our arms, to bring him to his people. Surely we will be able to do so if we enter into the mystery in which Jesus himself is our guide. Let us bring others to Jesus, but let us also allow ourselves to be led by him. This is what we should be: guides who themselves are guided.\u201d That\u2019s the essence of the Christian life and the consecrated life within the consecration of baptism: allowing ourselves to be guided by him who is the Way, by the Good Shepherd who leads us even in the valleys, by the Holy Spirit he sends to be our helper and guide, showing us the path into all truth and helping us to walk by the Spirit.<\/li>\n<li>Today as we come to this temple to present ourselves anew to God on the Feast of the Presentation, we consecrate ourselves\u00a0to him once again within\u00a0the Lord\u2019s own consecration during the Last Supper made present for us on the holy altar. We ask him to fill us with his holy light as we prepare to receive him in Holy Communion so that we may take the warmth of his love and the light of his truth out to illumine those who walk in darkness and the shadow of death. We ask him to help us always to recognize\u00a0in him in the Eucharist our treasure, our liberating truth, our great love, and the help we need to proclaim his Gospel in and out of season, especially in those areas in which it calls the world to conversion. The same Jesus whom Simeon held in us arms we\u2019re about to receive within.\u00a0As we do, we thank the Lord for the gift of the consecrated life and we pray for all our consecrated brothers and sisters, that on this World Day of Prayer and beyond, they may continue to grow to belong more and more to the Poor, Chaste and Obedient Consecrated One, the purifying fire, our faithful and merciful high priest, the light of revelation to the gentiles, the glory of his people Israel, our\u00a0Savior. And we ask him to let us, his servants, depart in his peace and bring that peace to the world!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>The readings for today\u2019s Mass were:\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"bibleReadingsWrapper\">\n<h4>Reading 1\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/malachi\/3:1\">MAL 3:1-4<\/a><\/h4>\n<div class=\"poetry\">Thus says the Lord God:<br \/>\nLo, I am sending my messenger<br \/>\nto prepare the way before me;<br \/>\nAnd suddenly there will come to the temple<br \/>\nthe LORD whom you seek,<br \/>\nAnd the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.<br \/>\nYes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.<br \/>\nBut who will endure the day of his coming?<br \/>\nAnd who can stand when he appears?<br \/>\nFor he is like the refiner\u2019s fire,<br \/>\nor like the fuller\u2019s lye.<br \/>\nHe will sit refining and purifying silver,<br \/>\nand he will purify the sons of Levi,<br \/>\nRefining them like gold or like silver<br \/>\nthat they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD.<br \/>\nThen the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem<br \/>\nwill please the LORD,<br \/>\nas in the days of old, as in years gone by.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bibleReadingsWrapper\">\n<h4>Responsorial Psalm\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/psalms\/24:7\">PS 24:7, 8, 9, 10<\/a><\/h4>\n<div class=\"poetry\">R. (8)\u00a0Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!<br \/>\nLift up, O gates, your lintels;<br \/>\nreach up, you ancient portals,<br \/>\nthat the king of glory may come in!<br \/>\nR.\u00a0Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!<br \/>\nWho is this king of glory?<br \/>\nThe LORD, strong and mighty,<br \/>\nthe LORD, mighty in battle.<br \/>\nR.\u00a0Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!<br \/>\nLift up, O gates, your lintels;<br \/>\nreach up, you ancient portals,<br \/>\nthat the king of glory may come in!<br \/>\nR.\u00a0Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!<br \/>\nWho is this king of glory?<br \/>\nThe LORD of hosts; he is the king of glory.<br \/>\nR.\u00a0Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bibleReadingsWrapper\">\n<h4>Reading 2\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/hebrews\/2:14\">HEB 2:14-18<\/a><\/h4>\n<div class=\"poetry\">Since the children share in blood and flesh,<br \/>\nJesus likewise shared in them,<br \/>\nthat through death he might destroy the one<br \/>\nwho has the power of death, that is, the Devil,<br \/>\nand free those who through fear of death<br \/>\nhad been subject to slavery all their life.<br \/>\nSurely he did not help angels<br \/>\nbut rather the descendants of Abraham;<br \/>\ntherefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters<br \/>\nin every way,<br \/>\nthat he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God<br \/>\nto expiate the sins of the people.<br \/>\nBecause he himself was tested through what he suffered,<br \/>\nhe is able to help those who are being tested.<\/p>\n<h4>Alleluia\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/luke\/2:32\">LK 2:32<\/a><\/h4>\n<p>R.\u00a0Alleluia, alleluia.<br \/>\nA light of revelation to the Gentiles,<br \/>\nand glory for your people Israel.<br \/>\nR.\u00a0Alleluia, alleluia.<\/p>\n<h4>Gospel\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/luke\/2:22\">LK 2:22-40<\/a><\/h4>\n<p>When the days were completed for their purification<br \/>\naccording to the law of Moses,<br \/>\nMary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem<br \/>\nto present him to the Lord,<br \/>\njust as it is written in the law of the Lord,<br \/>\n<em>Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,<\/em><br \/>\nand to offer the sacrifice of<br \/>\n<em>a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,<\/em><br \/>\nin accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.<\/p>\n<p>Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.<br \/>\nThis man was righteous and devout,<br \/>\nawaiting the consolation of Israel,<br \/>\nand the Holy Spirit was upon him.<br \/>\nIt had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit<br \/>\nthat he should not see death<br \/>\nbefore he had seen the Christ of the Lord.<br \/>\nHe came in the Spirit into the temple;<br \/>\nand when the parents brought in the child Jesus<br \/>\nto perform the custom of the law in regard to him,<br \/>\nhe took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow, Master, you may let your servant go<br \/>\nin peace, according to your word,<br \/>\nfor my eyes have seen your salvation,<br \/>\nwhich you prepared in the sight of all the peoples:<br \/>\na light for revelation to the Gentiles,<br \/>\nand glory for your people Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The child\u2019s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;<br \/>\nand Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,<br \/>\n\u201cBehold, this child is destined<br \/>\nfor the fall and rise of many in Israel,<br \/>\nand to be a sign that will be contradicted<br \/>\n\u2014and you yourself a sword will pierce\u2014<br \/>\nso that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.\u201d<br \/>\nThere was also a prophetess, Anna,<br \/>\nthe daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.<br \/>\nShe was advanced in years,<br \/>\nhaving lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,<br \/>\nand then as a widow until she was eighty-four.<br \/>\nShe never left the temple,<br \/>\nbut worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.<br \/>\nAnd coming forward at that very time,<br \/>\nshe gave thanks to God and spoke about the child<br \/>\nto all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.<\/p>\n<p>When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions<br \/>\nof the law of the Lord,<br \/>\nthey returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.<br \/>\nThe child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;<br \/>\nand the favor of God was upon him.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Screen-Shot-2016-02-01-at-5.27.25-PM.png.webp?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-26031\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Screen-Shot-2016-02-01-at-5.27.25-PM.png.webp?resize=230%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"230\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_6457\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-26029-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/catholicpreaching\/2.2.23_Homily_1.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/catholicpreaching\/2.2.23_Homily_1.mp3\">https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/catholicpreaching\/2.2.23_Homily_1.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/catholicpreaching\/2.2.23_Homily_1.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/?powerpress_pinw=26029-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/catholicpreaching\/2.2.23_Homily_1.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"2.2.23_Homily_1.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fr. Roger J. Landry Columbia Catholic Ministry, Notre Dame Church, Manhattan Feast of the Presentation of the Lord February 2, 2023 Mal 3:1-4, Ps 24, Heb 2:14-18, Lk 2:22-40 &nbsp; To listen to an audio recording of today\u2019s homily, please click below: https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/catholicpreaching\/2.2.23_Homily_1.mp3 &nbsp; The following points were attempted in the homily:\u00a0 Today we celebrate [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[13365,1063,3,12314,5],"tags":[4038,242,3855,4274,4524,1717,7797,2170,455,4525,609,3971,610,608,4526,2050,1700,2049,7418,3219,4533,7796,7795,4037,5574],"class_list":["post-26029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2022-2023-year-i","category-audio-homily","category-homily","category-podcast","category-year-i","tag-anna","tag-baptism","tag-baptismal-candle","tag-baptismal-garment","tag-candlemas","tag-chastity","tag-consecrated-men-and-women","tag-consecration","tag-feast-of-the-presentation","tag-fourth-joyful-mystery","tag-heb-214-18","tag-light","tag-lk-222-40","tag-mal-31-4","tag-nunc-dimittis","tag-obedience","tag-pope-francis","tag-poverty","tag-presentation","tag-ps-24","tag-renewing-our-consecration","tag-ruin-and-resurrection-of-many-in-israel","tag-sign-of-contradiction","tag-simeon","tag-st-john-paul-ii"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Encountering and Consecrating Ourselves to the Lord of Light and Glory, Feast of the Presentation, February 2, 2023 - Catholic Preaching<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Encountering and Consecrating Ourselves to the Lord of Light and Glory, Feast of the Presentation, February 2, 2023 - Catholic Preaching\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Fr. Roger J. Landry Columbia Catholic Ministry, Notre Dame Church, Manhattan Feast of the Presentation of the Lord February 2, 2023 Mal 3:1-4, Ps 24, Heb 2:14-18, Lk 2:22-40 &nbsp; To listen to an audio recording of today\u2019s homily, please click below: https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/catholicpreaching\/2.2.23_Homily_1.mp3 &nbsp; The following points were attempted in the homily:\u00a0 Today we celebrate [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Catholic Preaching\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-02-02T09:28:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-02-02T18:11:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Screen-Shot-2016-02-01-at-5.27.25-PM.png.webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Fr. Roger Landry\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Fr. Roger Landry\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"15 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Fr. Roger Landry\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c062c14deafab54923b0b04c0da88827\"},\"headline\":\"Encountering and Consecrating Ourselves to the Lord of Light and Glory, Feast of the Presentation, February 2, 2023\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-02-02T09:28:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-02-02T18:11:09+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":3379,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/Screen-Shot-2016-02-01-at-5.27.25-PM.png.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Anna\",\"Baptism\",\"Baptismal Candle\",\"Baptismal Garment\",\"Candlemas\",\"Chastity\",\"Consecrated Men and Women\",\"Consecration\",\"Feast of the Presentation\",\"Fourth Joyful Mystery\",\"Heb 2:14-18\",\"Light\",\"Lk 2:22-40\",\"Mal 3:1-4\",\"Nunc Dimittis\",\"Obedience\",\"Pope Francis\",\"Poverty\",\"Presentation\",\"Ps 24\",\"Renewing our Consecration\",\"Ruin and Resurrection of Many in Israel\",\"Sign of Contradiction\",\"Simeon\",\"St. John Paul II\"],\"articleSection\":[\"2022-2023\",\"Audio Homily\",\"Homily\",\"Podcast\",\"Year I\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\\\/\",\"name\":\"Encountering and Consecrating Ourselves to the Lord of Light and Glory, Feast of the Presentation, February 2, 2023 - Catholic Preaching\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/Screen-Shot-2016-02-01-at-5.27.25-PM.png.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-02-02T09:28:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-02-02T18:11:09+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c062c14deafab54923b0b04c0da88827\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/Screen-Shot-2016-02-01-at-5.27.25-PM.png.webp?fit=230%2C300&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/Screen-Shot-2016-02-01-at-5.27.25-PM.png.webp?fit=230%2C300&ssl=1\",\"width\":230,\"height\":300},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Encountering and Consecrating Ourselves to the Lord of Light and Glory, Feast of the Presentation, February 2, 2023\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/\",\"name\":\"Catholic Preaching\",\"description\":\"Msgr. Roger J. Landry, Diocese of Fall River\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c062c14deafab54923b0b04c0da88827\",\"name\":\"Fr. Roger Landry\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/fddee06b798df6a84a99054c8290cca6a5d59ace9a7e086a9a1d1f23aa09ad3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/fddee06b798df6a84a99054c8290cca6a5d59ace9a7e086a9a1d1f23aa09ad3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/fddee06b798df6a84a99054c8290cca6a5d59ace9a7e086a9a1d1f23aa09ad3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Fr. Roger Landry\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/catholicpreaching.com\\\/wp\\\/author\\\/fr-roger-landry\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Encountering and Consecrating Ourselves to the Lord of Light and Glory, Feast of the Presentation, February 2, 2023 - Catholic Preaching","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Encountering and Consecrating Ourselves to the Lord of Light and Glory, Feast of the Presentation, February 2, 2023 - Catholic Preaching","og_description":"Fr. Roger J. Landry Columbia Catholic Ministry, Notre Dame Church, Manhattan Feast of the Presentation of the Lord February 2, 2023 Mal 3:1-4, Ps 24, Heb 2:14-18, Lk 2:22-40 &nbsp; To listen to an audio recording of today\u2019s homily, please click below: https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/catholicpreaching\/2.2.23_Homily_1.mp3 &nbsp; The following points were attempted in the homily:\u00a0 Today we celebrate [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\/","og_site_name":"Catholic Preaching","article_published_time":"2023-02-02T09:28:32+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-02-02T18:11:09+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Screen-Shot-2016-02-01-at-5.27.25-PM.png.webp","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Fr. Roger Landry","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Fr. Roger Landry","Est. reading time":"15 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\/"},"author":{"name":"Fr. Roger Landry","@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/#\/schema\/person\/c062c14deafab54923b0b04c0da88827"},"headline":"Encountering and Consecrating Ourselves to the Lord of Light and Glory, Feast of the Presentation, February 2, 2023","datePublished":"2023-02-02T09:28:32+00:00","dateModified":"2023-02-02T18:11:09+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\/"},"wordCount":3379,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Screen-Shot-2016-02-01-at-5.27.25-PM.png.webp","keywords":["Anna","Baptism","Baptismal Candle","Baptismal Garment","Candlemas","Chastity","Consecrated Men and Women","Consecration","Feast of the Presentation","Fourth Joyful Mystery","Heb 2:14-18","Light","Lk 2:22-40","Mal 3:1-4","Nunc Dimittis","Obedience","Pope Francis","Poverty","Presentation","Ps 24","Renewing our Consecration","Ruin and Resurrection of Many in Israel","Sign of Contradiction","Simeon","St. John Paul II"],"articleSection":["2022-2023","Audio Homily","Homily","Podcast","Year I"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\/","url":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\/","name":"Encountering and Consecrating Ourselves to the Lord of Light and Glory, Feast of the Presentation, February 2, 2023 - Catholic Preaching","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Screen-Shot-2016-02-01-at-5.27.25-PM.png.webp","datePublished":"2023-02-02T09:28:32+00:00","dateModified":"2023-02-02T18:11:09+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/#\/schema\/person\/c062c14deafab54923b0b04c0da88827"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Screen-Shot-2016-02-01-at-5.27.25-PM.png.webp?fit=230%2C300&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Screen-Shot-2016-02-01-at-5.27.25-PM.png.webp?fit=230%2C300&ssl=1","width":230,"height":300},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/encountering-and-consecrating-ourselves-to-the-lord-of-light-and-glory-feast-of-the-presentation-february-2-2023\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Encountering and Consecrating Ourselves to the Lord of Light and Glory, Feast of the Presentation, February 2, 2023"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/#website","url":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/","name":"Catholic Preaching","description":"Msgr. Roger J. Landry, Diocese of Fall River","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/#\/schema\/person\/c062c14deafab54923b0b04c0da88827","name":"Fr. Roger Landry","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fddee06b798df6a84a99054c8290cca6a5d59ace9a7e086a9a1d1f23aa09ad3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fddee06b798df6a84a99054c8290cca6a5d59ace9a7e086a9a1d1f23aa09ad3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fddee06b798df6a84a99054c8290cca6a5d59ace9a7e086a9a1d1f23aa09ad3e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Fr. Roger Landry"},"url":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/author\/fr-roger-landry\/"}]}},"views":2220,"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6XGcd-6LP","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26029"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26029\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26039,"href":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26029\/revisions\/26039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catholicpreaching.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}