Brothers and sisters, this weekend we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, marking the occasion when Mary and Joseph presented the infant Jesus in the Temple, in accordance with Jewish law (Luke 2:22-40). We celebrate this feast each year on February 2nd- exactly 40 days from our solemn celebration of Christmas. This feast invites us to reflect on the themes of light, fulfillment of promises, and the welcoming of God into the world. The celebration of today’s feast dates to the year 350 AD beginning in Jerusalem.
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Advent has ended and today we contemplate Jesus in the Temple. The yearly eighty-mile trip would take about three days as families were expected to travel each year to Jerusalem to participate in the feasts of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles.
Jesus is twelve years old. It was at this age Jesus, Mary and Joseph went up to the temple in Jerusalem for Jesus’ first Passover. At the age of twelve, Jewish boys were considered to be at the beginning of their adulthood. The Holy Family would travel to Jerusalem with family and friends. Typically, men traveled in one group and women in the other and together the group would be safe and comfortable. The older children would move about from one group to the next and were watched by all.
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