Gospel in Art: Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Candlemass Day, by Marianne Stokes, 1901 © Tate Britain, Londonpel-readi

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 2 February 2026
Luke 2:22-32

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 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, 'Every male who first 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, or two young pigeons.'

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting 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 would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the Temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

'Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.'

Reflection on the painting

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. According to Old Testament law, two ritual acts needed to take place for a firstborn son. First, the mother of a newborn son was ritually unclean for seven days, and then she was to "spend thirty-three more days in a state of blood purity" (see Leviticus 12). During these forty days the mother was not to "touch anything sacred nor enter the sanctuary till the days of her purification are fulfilled." For this reason, today's feast has at times been called the "Purification of Mary." Note how today is celebrated in our Church exactly forty days after Christmas.

Secondly, the father of the firstborn son was to "redeem" the child by making an offering to the priest of five shekels so that the priest would then present the child to the Lord (see Numbers 18:16) Remember also that the firstborn male of all the Egyptians, animals and children, were killed during the tenth plague, but the firstborn males of the Israelites were spared. Thus, this offering made for the firstborn son in the Temple was a way of ritually redeeming them in commemoration of that plague.

Another name traditionally given for today's feast is 'Candlemass'. As early as in the fifth century, the custom of celebrating this feast with lighted candles developed. The lit candle symbolised Simeon's prophecy that Jesus would be 'a light to enlighten the pagans', as per our gospel reading today. The Austrian artist Marianne Stokes was based in Britain in 1901 when she painted this work. Candlemas Day was made after working in Holland and we can feel the tangible influence of Johannes Vermeer and Dutch painting. Yet, she was also highly influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites, and she became part of the revival of medieval egg tempera painting where paint would be applied in tiny strokes (you can see this when you zoom in on our painting). We see an intimate portrayal of a woman holding a bible and rosary. The candle, bible and rosary are set against a different background to the lady, thus clustering the three objects into their own narrative.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-2-22-32-2026/