How to Discern Our Calling (5th Sunday - Cycle C)

Each of the Scripture readings for today contains a call narrative. In the Bible, call narratives are what the name suggests, an account of how God calls a person for a specific mission and how that person responds. In the first reading, Isaiah sees a vision of God's holiness. He realizes his own unworthiness and yet God still sends him forth to deliver his message.

As the saying goes, God does not call the equipped. He equips the called. We are not expected to be perfect before we can respond to God's call in our lives. We need to respond wherever we are in our spiritual journey. Then, if we fully submit to God's will, he will give us the graces we need to carry out what he wants us to do.

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The Rich Heritage of February 2 (Presentation of the Lord - Cycle C)

February 2 is a feast with a rich heritage in the Catholic Church, involving a wide variety of local cultural customs, including special foods and celebrations. As the Gospel reading for today indicates, the feast commemorates the day when St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary took the baby Jesus to Jerusalem to be presented at the Temple 40 days after his birth. Today, February 2 is known as the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Historically, the day has also been called the Purification of the Virgin Mary, the Feast of the Holy Encounter, and Candlemas - each name emphasizing a different aspect of the same biblical event.

Traditionally, February 2 has also been the end of the Christmas cycle. Families would keep their Christmas decorations up until this feast. A vestige of this tradition continues in the custom of keeping the Nativity scene out until February 2, which is observed especially in Eastern Europe and at the Vatican.

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