The three Wise Men represent humanity searching for Jesus and the life giving message He offers. We celebrate the feast each year and we reflect upon the manifestation of Jesus as the truth and light for men, women and children of all times and places.

Candlemas (2nd February)

Candlemas, the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord, celebrates the day on which the infant Jesus was taken by His mother Mary, and St Joseph to the Temple in Jerusalem so that thanks could be offered to God, according to ancient Jewish custom (Luke 2: 22 - 40, Exodus 13: 2, 12, Leviticus 12: 6 - 8).

When Simeon (an elderly and devout man) saw them, he knew that this was the Child Who was the Messiah for which Israel and the world had been waiting. He took the Child in his arms and praised God and declared that this Child would be a light to all the world. The Canticle of Simeon (Luke 2: 29 - 33 - the Nunc Dimittis) is a hymn sung at Compline, the night office of the Church.

To commemorate what Simeon said, there are special candle services in churches on the 2nd of February, sometimes with a procession beforehand. The candles are blessed. This Feast is of equal status to Trinity Sunday, Corpus Christi and All Saints, but lesser than Christmas, Easter and Pentecost. Until the Reformation in England, this was an opportunity for one of the most elaborate processions of the liturgical year, with every parishioner joining in. "Candles blessed at Candlemas were lit during thunderstorms, to drive away the demons which were believed to be especially active when the air was thus agitated. They were placed near women in labour, and in the hands of the dying, to keep the Devil at bay." The Stripping of the Altars - Traditional Religion in England 1400 - 1580 Eamon Duffy

According to the legend of St Brendan, this is a day on which Judas is allowed out of Hell to ease his torment in the sea. There is an old saying - "Candlemas - candleless" which means that after Candlemas the days start getting longer and there is not such a need for artificial light.

St Blaise (3rd February)
St Blaise is the patron saint of throat sufferers. On this day, many churches hold a special ceremony in which candles are crossed beneath people's throats and a special blessing given invoking the aid of St Blaise.

St Blaise was a bishop and martyr. He was bishop of Sivas in Armenia in the fourth century. He is said to have miraculously healed a child who had a fish bone stuck in its throat.

The Lenten Journey
Our observance of Lent begins with the imposition of Ashes on Ash Wednesday. The little black smudge that the Ashes make on our foreheads leads us into the period of six weeks culminating in Holy Week and the celebration of the Paschal Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil. During that Triduum of three days, we solemnly enter into the great event of the Lord's Passion, Death and Resurrection and celebrate our sacramental incorporation into it through Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist, the three Sacraments of Christian Initiation. There are two themes which shape our "Lenten Journey".

The first is Christian Initiation and the journey towards it and after it! During Lent, those who are to be baptised or received into the Church at the Easter Vigil, enter a special time of prayer and spiritual preparation. That is why we are asked to pray for them at this time and why they have special mention in the Bidding Prayers. On the first Saturday of Lent, our Catechumens or Candidates as they are called, join all the others from the Diocese at the "Rite of Election" in the Cathedral. There, Bishop Crispian invites them to be baptised or received into the Church at the Vigil in their particular parishes. For the rest of Lent, they continue with their weekly sessions, and, supported by their sponsors, reflect upon what will happen to them at the Easter Vigil. The Candidates, those who have already been baptised into another Christian tradition, must have a private talk with a priest and celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation before they are received formally into the Church. For the Catechumens, those who have yet to be baptised, the Lenten process is more elaborate. At the Rite of Election, they become the "Elect" and on the third, fourth and fifth Sundays of Lent they will celebrate the "Scrutinies" with the community at Sunday Mass. These celebrations are meant "to uncover, then heal all that is weak, defective, or sinful in the hearts of the Elect". (RCIA 128) The prayers for each of these celebrations grow out of the Gospels of the Samaritan woman, the man born blind and the raising of Lazarus in which we see the healing power of God's Spirit driving out evil and bringing individuals to faith in Jesus. It follows that when someone is baptised in a parish the Readings of cycle A, which include these three Gospels, replace cycles B or C. After all the prayer and liturgy of Lent, the Catechumens and Candidates are baptised or received into the Church during the Easter Vigil. At the same ceremony, after the baptism and reception, all of us renew our Baptismal Promises having reflected upon the significance and implications of our Baptism during Lent. And so Baptism is an important Lenten focus for us all, those about to receive it and those who live in its power!

This leads us into the second Lenten theme. As we prepare to renew the promises and faith of Baptism, Lent brings an opportunity to grow in the life and work that Baptism brings. There are three traditional guidelines for this. The first is prayer and asks the question about how we might improve our prayer and the generosity and commitment with which we approach it on a daily basis. The second is self-denial and invites us to consider the ways in which our Christian life might be deepened by a limitation in the use of some of the world's gifts. The final guideline makes sense of the other two. It is love and works of charity. For us all, there must be ways in which we can improve the quality of our love for God, for those with whom we share our lives and for the poor at home and in the rest of the world.

Lent is an exciting time. As the Roman Missal says "Each year you give us this joyful season when we prepare to celebrate the paschal mystery with mind and heart renewed". (Preface of Lent 1) For us, it comes at a time of year when we can spot all kinds of new life in nature. The ground becomes warm, as does the wind and the rain, and new fertile life appears beneath eyes that would notice. In the same way, Lent brings us new life if we co-operate with the Spirit of God Who is poured into our hearts. Again, in one of the Lenten prefaces it says:
"In your boundless compassion
you give to your people this time of grace
in which the wonders of your mercy unfold before us;
so that through the Lenten observance
of prayer, fasting and works of love
we may receive those wonders with thanksgiving
and respond to them with hearts of faith".
(We Give You Thanks and Praise - The Ambrosian Eucharistic Prefaces, page 71)

Ordination
The Catechism says: "Deacons share in Christ's mission and grace in a special way. The Sacrament of Holy Orders marks them with an imprint ('character') which cannot be removed and which configures them to Christ, who made himself the 'deacon' or servant of all. Among other tasks, it is the task of Deacons to assist the Bishop and Priests in the celebration of the divine mysteries, above all the Eucharist, in the distribution of Holy Communion, in assisting at and blessing marriages, in the proclamation of the Gospel and preaching, in presiding over funerals, and in dedicating themselves to the various ministries of charity."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church: 1570)

Confirmation Our children are preparing to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation. They will receive the final Sacrament within the process of their initiation. In Confirmation, a person is "Sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit". The individual receives a share in the gift of the Holy Spirit given to the Church: the gift which empowers us to continue the work of Jesus by proclaiming his message in our lives of faith, hope and love.