On February 2, we'll be
celebrating the Meeting (Presentation) of the Lord in the Temple.
This day is also sometimes referred to as Candlemas (which I love)
because on this day prayer candles are blessed during the liturgy. This feast day seems to me to be the somewhat
forgotten feast of the major feasts of the Lord. We've just finished celebrating Christmas,
which took so much time and energy, followed by Theophany. It is so easy to want to "take a
break" and forget this feast.
However, this is an important
and beautiful feast, and it is one we should commemorate with great joy.
According
to Jewish custom, and still today in some Orthodox churches, mother and child
are kept away from the temple/church for 40 days after childbirth. Thus, after 40 days after His birth, Mary and
Joseph took Jesus to the Temple
in Jerusalem to
complete Mary's ritual purification and to perform the redemption of the
firstborn, in obedience to the Law of Moses.
(Take note that we celebrate this feast 40 days after Christmas.) It was at the Presentation that the Prophetess
Anna and St. Symeon met the Lord. St. Symeon recognized Him as the Messiah, praying:
Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant
depart in peace, according to Thy word,
for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people: a light to lighten
the gentiles and to be the glory of Thy people Israel
(Luke 2:29-32).
This meeting marks a transition
between the Old Testament and the New Testament fulfilled in Christ the Lord. So, while the rest of the world has left the
Christmas feast and forgotten about the baby Jesus, let us remember Him today
and remember the promise and hope for salvation that His birth and presentation
set in motion.
Since candles will be blessed on this
day, we'll be making candle crafts to celebrate it. Below you'll find two activities, one for
older children and one for younger children.
After you make your candle, have it blessed. Then, light the candle for a family meal or
at family prayer time and allow your child to say the blessing or a special
prayer.
Votive Holder
Supplies:
Glass jar or votive holder
Tissue paper, cut into 1 inch
squares (or so)
Decoupage glue
Scissors or paper cutter
Packing Tape (optional)
Blue transparent paint (optional)
Sequins, gems, etc (optional)
Directions:
1. Glue tissue paper to glass.
2. Cut out icon and glue over the
tissue paper. If the ink runs, start
again and cover in packing tape.* Repeat
with prayers.
3. Glue icon to the glass and
glue prayers opposite icon.
4. Paint any gaps and extra
decorations of choice. (Optional)
* In the past, I have had trouble
with homemade prints running when using the decoupage glue. However, as Bumble Bee and I made the
instructional video, I found that putting tape on both sides of the icon made
it fall off the votive holder. After
making the video, I noticed that over the next 24 hours the blue from the
tissue paper seemed to soak through when I covered only the front of the
icon. We did do one more test and found
that our icon was okay with no protective covering this time. It may be something about the particular
glue, so try what feels best, and be prepared to alter course if need be.
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