Pastor’s Letter | The Presentation of the Lord

Posted on January 31, 2025 View all Pastor's Letter

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus:

As every week, I am pleased to greet you and continue to encourage you to continue building the kingdom of God together, living the challenges of each day with joy and holiness, always keeping in mind that each challenge is an opportunity to get closer to heaven, which is the goal of every Christian.

This Sunday is a little different from the others because, within ordinary time, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Today’s feast is celebrated in our Church forty days after Christmas, the day Mary and Joseph would have taken Jesus to the Temple. Although Mary was pure and free of sin from the moment of her conception, and although the Son of God did not need to be redeemed, Mary and Joseph fulfilled these ritual obligations. This feast is also known as ‘Candlemass’ because, in the 5th century, the custom of celebrating this feast with lit candles had already been developed. The lit candles symbolized Simeon’s prophecy that Jesus would be “a light for revelation to the Gentiles.” Finally, this feast has been called the “Feast of the Holy Encounter” because God, in the Person of Jesus, met Simeon and Anna in the Temple. As we celebrate the purification ritual of Mary and the redemption ritual of Jesus, we must see them as acts in which we are called to participate. First, we are unworthy to enter the true Temple of the Lord in Heaven. However, we are invited to enter that Temple in union with Mary, our Blessed Mother. Her consent to God’s will opened the door of God’s grace for all of us, allowing us to spiritually become the “mother” of Jesus by allowing him to be born in our hearts by grace. With her, we can present ourselves before God, purified and holy in his sight. 

Changing the subject, I would like to congratulate the children of our religious education program and our school because, on February 8th, they will make their first confession. It is a special occasion for them. They will encounter the grace of God for the first time. I invite you to pray with me for all these boys and girls who will have access to this beautiful sacrament for the first time. I congratulate you and thank the catechists who I know have made an effort to prepare them very well so that they can make and enjoy this day.

Let us not forget that we are currently amid a Jubilee Year, a time that calls us to live in hope. Jubilee years present a unique opportunity for spiritual growth, shining a spotlight on the abundant mercy of God and the call to live a renewed life of faith and service. During this Jubilee Year, we are encouraged to make pilgrimages to holy places designated by our bishop, to cross the Holy Doors symbolizing entry into God’s mercy, to perform acts of penance and charity, and to receive special indulgences through specific spiritual acts and prayers. This is a time of great significance and promise.

Finally, I invite you to add me to your prayers. This week, I will be doing my silent retreat with other priests; I count on your prayers and am assured that they will be in mine.

Happy week.

Fr. Diaz