February 2. Presentation of the Lord. Mapitso explained that this feast formally ends the 40 days of the Christmas. season. It is also known as Candlemas to remind us again that Jesus is the Light of the World.  Simeon and Anna who met them in the temple prophesied about the future role of Jesus. It feast also commemorates the ritual purification that was Jewish tradition for a woman and a family after childbirth. As in African cultures there was reverence for blood as a seat of life but bleeding also makes a woman ritually impure.   

Reflect, share, Scripture:  When the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, the parents of Jesus brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. From Luke 2:22-40.  Pope Francis.   The concept of culture is valuable for grasping the various expressions of the Christian life in God’s people. It has to do with the lifestyle of a given society, the specific way in which its members relate to one another, to other creatures and to God.  EG115  Pray: for a growing understanding of culture, our own and that of others around in our modern world Choose an appropriate action.