Candlemas

Before It Was Groundhog Day…

Our first reading this weekend is from the prophet Malachi, written about 100 years after the Babylonian exile, around 400 years before the birth of Christ. The excerpt we hear proclaimed today begins, “Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me,” (Malachi 3:1). In light of the New Testament, this messenger we know as John the Baptist, born 6 months before Jesus. The verse continues with, “and suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek, and the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.” This passage is fulfilled in the feast we celebrate today, the Presentation of the Lord, as Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem in proper observance of Mosaic law. As we hear further in the Gospel reading, there are two prophets in the temple who recognize the 6 week-old baby Jesus as the promised Messiah; Anna, a prophetess who spent her days praying in the Temple, and Simeon who was led to the Temple by the Holy Spirit that day. We hear Simeon’s glorious prayer of rejoicing as he holds baby Jesus in his arms. These two elderly prophets announce Jesus as the Messiah that has come into the world! Can you imagine being in the temple witnessing this? This feast has been observed from the early church to the present day by incorporating a blessing of lighted candles followed by a procession which symbolizes Simeon’s words, “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people, Israel.” (Lk. 2:32) Hence, the name “Candlemas” became synonymous with the Presentation.

What connection does this have with Groundhog day? Long before the days of weather.com, a tradition of weather prediction developed around the day of Candlemas because it is halfway between the first day of winter and the first day of spring. Douglas D. Anderson, author of “The Hymns and Carols of Christmas” gives the lyrics to an old English song:

If Candlemas Day be fair and bright,
Winter will have another flight;
But if it be dark with clouds and rain,
Winter is gone, and will not come again.

In northern European countries, different animals such as hedgehogs or bears seeing their shadow symbolized the coming of more light as winter moves toward spring. In 1887, the editor of the Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania newspaper created a media event with the local Groundhog hunters club, and established February 2 as “Groundhog Day” in the United States. For Christians, we bless candles which symbolize looking to Christ our Light who scatters the darkness in our lives. Christ is the light that illumines the path to holiness. He is the light that can never be extinguished!

Happy Candlemas Day! Carol Fedewa