Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/457

 all at  once  every  thing  was  changed. Holy Simeon  had  seen  the Saviour, and  was  now  ready  to  die  joyfully. In fact,  he  did  die  very soon after;  a pious  tradition  even  goes  so  far  as  to  say  that  he  died before he  left  the  Temple. He was  thus  the  first  to  take  the  joyful  news to Limbo  that  the  Saviour  was  born  and  the  day  of  salvation  at  hand.

Humility and  obedience  of  Mary.  Mary  was  without  sin,  therefore she needed  no  purification. Nevertheless she  remained  excluded  from the Temple  for  forty  days  just  as  if  she  were  an  ordinary,  sinful  mother, and submitted  to  the  law  of  purification  which  in  no  way  applied  to the  most  pure  Mother  of  God. Her humility  made  her  wish  to  appear in the  eyes  of  the  world  as  an  ordinary,  sinful  woman. She wished, moreover, to  give  an  example  of  obedience  to  the  precepts  of  the  law, her love  of  her  fellow-creatures  making  her  shrink  from  being  a cause of offence  and  giving  scandal  by  any  neglect  of  the  legal  purification.

The Feast  of  our  Lady's  Purification, or  Candlemas. We keep  a feast  on  the  2nd  of  February,  forty  days  after  Christmas,  in  memory  of our  Lord’s  Presentation  in  the  Temple. This feast  has  several  names. First, it  is  known  as  the  Feast  of  the  Presentation  of  our  Lord  Jesus. Secondly, it  is  called  the  Feast  of  the  Purification  of  the  Blessed  Virgin Mary. But the  usual  and  popular  name  for  this  Feast  is  Candlemas-day, because on  this  day  candles  are  blessed  before  Mass,  and  there  takes place a procession  with  lighted  candles. Candles are  blessed  and  lighted on this  particular  feast,  because  on  it  Simeon  acknowledged  and  confessed Christ  to  be  “the  Light  of  the  world”.

The dolours  of  Mary.  Mary  is,  as  the  Holy  Ghost  foretold  by  the mouth of  Simeon,  the  Mother  of  sorrows,  feeling  in  her  own  heart  all the sufferings  of  her  Divine  Son. The dolours  of  Mary  are  usually enumerated as  follows:  i.  the  prophecy  of  Simeon,  2. the flight  into Egypt, 3. the loss  of  the  Child  Jesus  for  three  days  when  He  was  twelve years old,  4. the meeting  with  Jesus,  carrying  His  Cross,  5. the Crucifixion and death  of  Jesus,  6. the taking  down  from  the  Cross,  7. the Burial  of Jesus. Mary suffered  for  a longer  time  and  more  acutely  than  any  of the  holy  martyrs,  and  therefore  she  is  called  the  Queen  of  martyrs.

The “Contradiction”  of  Jesus. In  what  way  has  Simeon’s  prophecy that our  Lord  should  be  a “sign  of  contradiction”  been  fulfilled? Even when He  was  an  Infant,  He  was  persecuted  by  Herod,  and  had  to  flee. When He  began  His  public  life,  He  met  with  the  greatest  opposition, especially from  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees. The inhabitants  of  Nazareth thrust Him  out  of  their  city  (chapter  XVII). The Pharisees  slandered Him and  said  He  was  in  league  with  the  devil  (chapter  XXVII);  and, on the  Feast  of  the  Dedication  of  the  Temple,  the  Jews  wished  to  stone Him as  a blasphemer  (chapter  LIII). He was  accused  before  Pilate  of being  a seducer  of  the  people  &amp;c.; and  His  enemies  never  rested till He  was  nailed  upon  the  Cross. Even after  His  Resurrection  the opposition to  His  doctrine  and  His  Church  continued. “Christ crucified,