Candlemas: The True End of Christmas and the Beginning of Christ’s Ministry
Readings and Virtual Homily for February 2, 2025, Feast of the Presentation of the Lord; Retreat Season at O'Dowd; Seems it Never Rains in Southern California; The Acacias and the Tulip Trees Are Making Me Smile; February Schedule
Readings for Mass this Sunday
Malachi 3:1-4
Psalm 24:7-10
Hebrews 2:14-18
Luke 2:22-40
Dear Friends and Family,
We are celebrating the Feast of the Presentation this Sunday. This feast, also known as Candlemas, is the traditional (in Fr. Jim's view, the REAL) end to the Christmas season. Though the Presentation is an event from Jesus' infancy, the readings look to his ministry and beyond; they describe the future Messiah.
The passage from Malachi is actually one of the Old Testament prophecies of John the Baptist, as well as of Jesus. Malachi predicts the "messenger" who will precede the Messiah, and describes John and his ministry in terms with which we are familiar. "I am sending my messenger -- he will prepare the way before me" (vs. 1).
Malachi goes on to describe the Messiah with stark and powerful imagery. "Who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand firm when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire, like fullers' lye" (vs. 2). Though Malachi directly connects this imagery with the purification of the priesthood and the Messiah's earthly mission, it might also be related to end-times images of Jesus, such as some of those found in the Book of Revelation: Jesus as Judge.
Psalm 24 hails the Messiah in majestic and military terms. "Lift up your heads, O gates, be lifted, you ancient portals, that the king of glory may enter" (vs 7). "The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in war...the Lord of hosts, he is the king of glory" (vss. 8, 10). This striking imagery might be understood to depict Jesus in his heavenly glory. It is, at the least, post-Resurrection imagery; it is imagery of Christ victorious, Christ triumphant, Christ the conquering king.
And while the passage from the Letter to the Hebrews fully and very deliberately assures us of Jesus' humanity, it at the same time reminds us of Jesus' cosmic powers. Jesus is described as the one who enters into death precisely to destroy death itself, to gain victory over the powers of hell and so liberate the human race (vss. 14).
The Gospel scene of the Presentation itself is, as I say, a part of Luke's infancy narrative, this event happens when Jesus is forty days old. But here, too, the emphasis is on the future saving work, the ministry of the Messiah. Both of the elderly prophets Luke identifies speak of the baby Jesus in terms of future glory. Simeon describes Jesus as "a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory for your people Israel" (vs. 32). Simeon continues, "this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted" (vs. 34). The prophetess Anna, too, "gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem" (vs. 38).
Powerful images of Jesus, as Judge, as King, as Conqueror, as Messiah, in today's readings, when we celebrate the Presentation of the baby Jesus in the Temple.
I am wrapping this homily up on Wednesday, because Thursday and Friday I am away at San Damiano in Danville, with the first (of two) sophomore retreats. This is the second retreat we have had since the start of the semester, just over three weeks ago. The first, last week, was the first (of two) senior class retreats. Both the senior and the sophomore retreats are overnight, two full days for all of us on the retreat, away from campus. A major fan of San Damiano (if you have not visited it, and you live in the Bay Area, I can and do recommend it highly as a retreat venue) and still being a youth minister at heart, I have zero problem, with back-to-back retreats this month, with our seniors and our sophomores.
It does complicate lesson plans, of course, as I have to figure out what to give the students that they can do on their own, under the supervision of a substitute teacher (quite often one of our own faculty, whom the students know). And this business has only grown in complexity over the decade that I have been at the high school. I mentioned that each of this month's retreats was the first of two. Time was, before COVID, when we offered just one sophomore and one senior retreat. Plus three Kairos (junior year, and three-day) retreats.
Over the last several years our retreat program has expanded to include two each, sophomore and senior retreats, and four Kairos retreats, two in the fall and two in the spring. Do the math on the days that I am away from my students in class and it becomes...challenging.
I am aided this semester in that I am practically team teaching with a colleague, given that I have a brand new class this semester (Marriage and Family, rather than my typical Christian Scriptures). I am also assisted by the maturity of my students this semester. As I mentioned an e-mail or two back, I am accustomed to teaching sophomores; this semester I have an upper division class (all three of my sections are Marriage and Family) and so am teaching juniors and seniors, many of whom had me as their sophomore Christian Scriptures teacher. There has been an easy bond between me and my students these first few weeks of class; that has also helped. In any event, so far so good, holding the two sets of responsibilities, retreat work and classroom teaching, in balance.
Well, as of course you are aware, the rains came to southern California, just as predicted, and thank and praise the Lord, the fires have been vanquished. I am still a little at a loss to know where this precipitation came from, as we got precious little of it here in the Bay Area, even as it was pouring, at times, in LA. In the end, who cares? The rain came, the fires are out, there appears to have been minimal mudslide activity...God be praised.
I am seeing rain in the north state forecast, once again, this weekend and next week, and glad of it. This has been one bone-dry January. Hoping the predicted storms bring a lot of snow to the Sierra; we are in need of same, after such a dry mid-to-late winter.
On the subject of late winter...I had the morning Mass here in the parish, last Saturday, January 25, my birthday. As I was crossing through the rectory garden after Mass I happened to look up and see, beyond our gate, a stand of mimosa (acacia) trees that I have loved since first arriving here in Hayward, in 2015. The trees were, all of a sudden, it seemed, in bright, in eye-popping yellow bloom. I took it as a birthday grace, and remembering my homily of a couple weeks ago, about how graces are flowing in abundance in our day, I gave thanks and praise to the Lord for the unexpected beauty that morning.
Driving in to campus each morning I am seeing all kinds of blossoming trees, some the white-flowering species I mentioned a couple weeks ago, some pink, and some -- like the tulip trees -- a combination of both colors. There is a veritable corridor of acacias just before I reach campus -- they are already bright with blooms but will be brilliant, by mid-February, a cascade of shimmering yellow. I smile, when I see them; that is, I smile each morning, as I near campus. That's a grace, as well.
Important, I think, to give thanks now and then, for every-day blessings. California's winter-flowering trees make that list, in my book!
Take care and God bless.
Fr. Brawn
Mass Schedule for February:
Saturday, Feb. 8
5 PM (English)
Sunday, Feb. 9
620 PM (English)
CATHOLIC COMMUNITY OF PLEASANTON/Seton Campus
11 AM (English)
Sunday, February 16
8 AM, 1115 AM (both English)Saturday, February 22
5 PM (English)Sunday, February 23
630 PM (English)
Weekday Masses (English except where noted)
Mon, Feb. 3, 8 AM; Tue, Feb. 4, 8 AM; Fri, Feb 7, 8 AM;
Fri. Feb. 7, 7 PM (Spanish); Mon, Feb. 10, 8 AM; Tue, Feb. 11, 8 AM;
Tue, Feb. 11, 7 PM; Fri, Feb. 14, 8 AM; Mon, Feb. 17, 8 AM;
Sat, Feb. 22, 8 AM; Mon, Feb. 24, 8 AM; Tue, Feb. 25, 8 AM;
Sat., March 1, 8 AM