Candlemas is the celebration and blessing of candles associated with the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. The Feast of the Presentation marks the moment Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple as an offering to God, their first born son. This is the moment in Luke’s Gospel when Simeon proclaims, “Lord, you now have set your servant free to go in peace as you have promised; For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, whom you have prepared for all the world to see: a Light to enlighten the nations, and the Glory of your people Israel (Luke 2:29-32).”
Saint Anselm (1033-1109), Archbishop of Canterbury, speaking about the mystery of the Feast of the Presentation, invites us to consider three aspects of the blessed candles. He says, “The wax of the candles signifies the virginal flesh of the Divine Infant, the wick figures His soul, and the flame His divinity.”
The following is an abbreviated form for blessing the candles:
V: Our help is in the name of the Lord;
R: The maker of heaven and earth.
V: The Lord be with you;
R: And also with you.
Celebrant: Let us pray.
O Gracious Father, almighty and eternal God, you created all things out of nothing, and by your command caused the labor of bees to be revealed in the perfection of wax. You commanded your servant Moses to keep lamps continually burning before you. Bless and sanctify these candles that their light may be for us a visible reminder of the true light who enlightens everyone coming into the world. As these candles, kindled with a visible flame, scatter the darkness of night, so also may our hearts be enlightened by the invisible fire of the Holy Spirit that we might avoid the darkness of sin, see your salvation, and attain to the Light that never fades away. All this we ask through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
(For the Feast of the Presentation, 2025)