The Presentation of Our Lord (Candlemass), 2 February 2014
The Purification of Our Lord, 2 February 2014 Malachi 3:1-4 Psalm 84 Or Psalm 24:7-10 Hebrews 2:14-18 St. Luke 2:22-40 Background: The Presentation of Our Lord This feast day used to be known to us as The Presentation of Our Lord and the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and in that name lies a history. The feast originated in the Eastern Church as a feast day that celebrated “The Meeting” ( Hypapante), although the Armenians call it “the coming of the Son of God into the Temple. It is known in Jerusalem in the fourth century and then was introduced to the Constantinopolitan churches by Justinian in 542 CE. It was first celebrated in the west in the seventh century, found in the sacramentaries of both Gelasius and of Gregory. The day, then, was called “The Purification of Mary,” and the associated procession with candles was in