For all practical purposes, our secular society in the United States and Canada celebrate February 2nd as Groundhog Day. It’s a day when a creature of Creation is honored with being a prognosticator of the winter season, causing people to clamor around a hole in a tree stump, stocks to rise or fall, and the media to poke fun at the whole event. But, February 2nd is really much more than all that.

There are wonderful loving people born on that day….I think we should celebrate that!

There are beautiful Sisters in the many Congregations that made their vows to be a bride of Christ…I think we should celebrate that! On this day in 1936, Babe Ruth was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame…I think we should celebrate that! But, we don’t.

In the Catholic Church this day is recognized and celebrated every year as a very important feast day….one that everyone can celebrate with meaning! February 2nd is designated as The Presentation of the Lord. From the Book of Luke we read:

And when the days of her purification were fulfilled according to the Law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord—as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord—and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “A pair of turtle doves of two young pigeons.”

And behold, there was in Jerusalem a man named Simeon, and this man was just and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. And he came by inspiration of the Spirit into the temple. And when his parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he also received him into his arms and blessed God, saying, “Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word, in peace; because my eyes have seen they salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples: a light of revelation to the Gentiles, and a glory for they people Israel.”

What a wonderful feast day in our lives to celebrate. Today in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem over 2,000 years ago, the proclamation that the Son of the Living God had indeed arrived on earth and Jesus’ foster father Joseph and His Mother Mary, obedient to God at all times, made their solemn presentation of the Christ Child into the house of God.

As Christians we can mark our calendars for February 2nd and offer thanks to God for the salvation that was given us through His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.

I think we should celebrate that!

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