Doves On Distant Oaks

Last week was Groundhog Day, one of my favorite Christian holidays.

What?

Most everyone knows that February 2nd is a day celebrated in Canada and the United States as Groundhog Day. What most people don't realize is that it started as a Christian holiday called Candlemas, which celebrated an important day in Christ's life—the day that he, as a baby, was brought to the Temple to be dedicated to the Lord.

How do we know the exact date? It's because of Jewish cleanliness rites. After a Jewish child is born, the mother must wait a period of time to be cleansed before she can bring a child to the Temple. This differed if she gave birth to a male or a female child. For a female child, 14 days of uncleanliness was followed by 66 days during which the mother could not touch anything holy. For a male child, the equivalent times were 7 days followed by 33 days. Joseph and Mary were devout Jews "and when the days for their purification according to the Law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord" (Luke 2:22).

In Roman Catholicism prior to the Vatican II (1962-65), the day was called "the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin.” Today it's known as “the Presentation of the Lord,” and has been celebrated since the 4th century in Jerusalem. By the 14th century, Roman Catholic celebrations throughout the world included a rite where candles were blessed—know as the "Candle Mass." It represented Jesus as the light of the world. Eventually Candle Mass became Candlemas.

At the same time, farmers needed to know the length of winter so they knew when ewes would begin producing milk (about 80-100 days after lambing). It always seemed that if the days were sunny, winter would go on another six weeks. Out of that observation, a myth grew. There was even a rhyme they used:


In Germany, hibernating hedgehogs came out of their burrows at about the same time of year. Perhaps they had some intrinsic ability to know when winter was ending. Or, more likely, they just got hungry in the middle of a long winter. Regardless, a myth grew that hedgehogs could predict if winter was ending around the time of Candlemas.

An ancient German proverb spoke to how sunny the skies were at Candlemas:


When Germans immigrated to the New World, especially to Pennsylvania, there were no hedgehogs to be found. However, groundhogs abounded. And so, Groundhog Day was born.

Yet there is much more to celebrate on Groundhog Day/Candlemas than just a simple ground rodent. Jesus represents hope. He is the embodiment of hope. When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple, he hadn't done anything yet—he was a mere babe of only 40 days. And yet, hope arrived by his mere presence.

Why do I say this? Joseph and Mary were met at the Temple by two people. The first was Simon, to whom the Holy Spirit had revealed he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. He saw the baby Jesus, took him in his arms and blessed him, calling Jesus, "A light for revelation for the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel” (Luke 2:32).

Also at the Temple was Anna, a widow 84 years old, who had fasted and prayed for countless days and nights. When she saw Jesus she "began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak about Him to all those who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem" (Luke 2:38).

No, Jesus didn't actually do anything until he reached the age of 30 when his ministry began. And yet, simply by coming into the world, he brought a light into the darkness. It was at his arrival that "the soul felt it's worth" in the words of the Christmas song O Holy Night. We know how much value God placed on our souls when Jesus was presented that day in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem. It was Satan who saw his shadow in the bright light of our Lord ... and crawled back into his hole.


Keywords: Dedication, Jesus, Light, Messiah


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