On the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, February 2, the Church remembers an important event in the earthly life of Jesus Christ.
Mary and Joseph, in fulfillment of the Law, brought Jesus to the Temple on the fortieth day after his birth to offer a sacrifice for the firstborn and dedicate him to God. The old man Simeon, who met them and who had been foretold that he would not die until he saw the Savior, received the child with the words, "Today you let your servant go, O Lord, according to your word, in peace; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all nations, a light to enlighten the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel" (Luke 2:29-32).
The feast originated already in the early Church, and from the 6th century it began to be celebrated with special solemnity. The Song of Simeon, which quickly spread as an evening prayer, was included in the Roman breviary in the 8th century.
The name of the feast comes from two Greek terms: Hypa-pante and Heorte ton Kataroin, meaning "meeting" and "cleansing." Both of these feasts were deeply rooted in the tradition of the Old Testament.
Since February 2, 1997, the Universal Church has observed the Day of Prayer established by John Paul II for those who have dedicated their lives to the service of God and men in innumerable monastic orders and congregations or individually following the evangelical counsels of chastity, unction and obedience. Let us remember them in our prayers today.
Request for a monastic vocation by Pope Pius XII
O Lord, Jesus Christ, the Supreme Exemplar of all perfection! Again and again You choose Your people and send them the desire for a perfect life. Through Your exalted example and Your effective grace You make them able to follow You on this mountainous path. We ask You that many may realize how much greatness there is in the vocation of the Order. May they undertake the labor of following Your invitation, so that in the monastic life they may know Your special care for them and Your trust.
Grant that there may never be a lack of messengers of Your Love anywhere. Let them present You day and night at the cradle of the orphan, at the bedside of the afflicted, at the side of the old and the sick, who have no one else to give them a helping hand. Make it possible that, from the public schools to the university, a doctrine be proclaimed which, in full conformity with Your words, shows everyone the way to heaven and makes clear to everyone his debts.
Send the gospel message to the farthest and most inhospitable countries to call all nations into Your kingdom. Increase the number of those who are committed to You with a love so fervent that it can be kindled in the world, increase the number of souls in whom the pure purity of Your Church shines radiantly. Let communities of chosen souls everywhere be reborn, who by prayer and penance atone for the guilt of men and invoke Thy mercy. May the ideal of the children of God, which You wanted to manifest to us through Your earthly life, appear in their tireless sacrificial life, in the untainted purity of their way of thinking, in the nobility of their virtues.
Grant to this host of Thy disciples and pupils many and good vocations, so that the young people who have made a firm decision may prove worthy of the great grace of Thy invitation and of the monastic family they have chosen, through persistent prayer, steadfast mortification of the flesh, and perfect renunciation of their will for Thy sake.
Illumine, O Lord, many exalted souls with the fire of the Holy Spirit, which is real and eternal Love, and through the powerful intercession of your beloved Mother Mary, kindle and sustain in them the fire of your love for the glory of the Father and the Holy Spirit, who with you live and reign forever and ever. Amen.
