The Festival of the Presentation of Our Lord-February 2

The Lord had instructed the Israelites that a woman who gave birth to a son had to wait 40 days to be purified from her bleeding. When the days of her purification were over, she was to bring to the temple a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon for a sin offering if she could afford it, but if not, two doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. The priest would then make atonement for her, and she would be ceremonially clean again (Lev 12:1-4,6-8).

The Lord also reserved the firstborn males of the Israelites for himself, since he had spared them when he struck down all the firstborn in Egypt. However, he set apart the tribe of Levi for himself in place of the firstborn males, and instead commanded that the Israelites redeem their firstborn sons, after they turned one month old, at the price of five shekels (about two ounces) of silver (Ex 13:2; Num 3:11-13; 18:14-16).

Probably in late 3 BC, Mary and Joseph went to the temple in Jerusalem to fulfill both of these requirements, forty days after Jesus was born (Lk 2:22-24). (This is why we celebrate the Presentation of Our Lord, or Purification of Mary, on this day; it falls 40 days after Christmas.) The Magi had not likely paid their visit yet, since Mary and Joseph offered the poorest offering (Lev 12:8; Lk 2:24), which they could not have done in good conscience if the Magi had already brought their expensive gifts.

In this present era, Kamagra UK brand has become a challenging medication for male erection discount viagra india issues. Impotence or erectile dysfunction has a great impact soft tadalafil on their sensual health. A large number of negative effects order cialis australia induced by it can lead to break-up in relationships. In conclusion, there would not be a real growth if man do not have the determination and tadalafil soft tabs persistence to make long lasting changes. Fast forward to the days of the early Christian Church, after the Church had settled on December 25 for the celebration of Christmas. There were festivals celebrating Roman goddesses at the beginning of February, which involved the carrying of lighted torches. In order to draw attention away from these pagan festivals, the Western Church eventually incorporated candles lighted to honor Mary into their Christian celebration. This custom was firmly established by the turn of the 2nd century AD.

Thus the Festival of the Presentation of our Lord or Purification of Mary also came to be called Candlemas or the Festival of Light(s). Eventually it became customary to dedicate on this day all the candles and tapers which would be used in churches throughout the year.

It was Martin Luther who put the emphasis of this festival back on Jesus and his saving work, where the focus remains among us today.

Sources: Andrew E. Steinmann, From Abraham to Paul: A Biblical Chronology (St. Louis: CPH, 2011), esp. p. 252-253 • Hermann L. Strack and Paul Billerbeck, Kommentar zum Neuen Testament aus Talmud und Midrasch (Munich: C. H. Beck’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1961), 2:119-124 • John M’Clintock and James Strong, eds., Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1891), 2:69-70 under “Candlemas”