Feast of Presentation of Christ

Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple. The Holy Family was Jewish and they kept the Torah to present the first born male to God to remember how God delivered the Israelites from Egypt.
And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord" (Exodus 13:12)
and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." (Leviticus 12:8)(Luke 2:22-24)
Until the early twentieth century, the Catholic Church celebrated this feast as the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Leviticus 12:8). Probably, after Vatican Council II, the Catholic Church has become more Christocentric and returned the focus back to Christ. It was the first time the Son of God returned to his own house, the Temple. There, he met Simeon who foretold his future in Israel to the Blessed Virgin Mary. No wonder the Catholic Church had dedicated the feast to Mary.
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in
Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against
(and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed." (Luke 2:34-35)
Fifteen years ago, the United Nations declared 1994 the International Year of the Family. The late Pope John Paul II wrote Letter to Families on the Feast of the Presentation of Christ to reaffirm the importance of marriage and family and behind them love. He contrasted the "civilization of love" with the "civilization of technology" which is characterized by agnosticism in theory, utilitarianism in practice and in ethics, pro-choice and safe-sex in action etc. Unbeknownst to Pope John Paul II, same-sex marriages are on the rise and threaten to blur the concepts of marriage and family. Therefore, it is high time we reflected and fostered the true meaning of family.

Dear Lord, You were born in a human family to consecrate it. You also returned to Your house, the Temple to worship the Holy Father. May our families bring us closer to our true family in heaven. Sweet Jesus, be the Lord of my family. Amen.

Appendix:
you shall set apart to the LORD all that first opens the womb. All the firstlings of your cattle that are males shall be the LORD's.
Every firstling of an ass you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every first-born of man among your sons you shall redeem.
And when in time to come your son asks you, 'What does this mean?' you shall say to him, 'By strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD slew all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man and the first-born of cattle. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all the males that first open the womb; but all the first-born of my sons I redeem.'
It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes; for by a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt (Exodus 13:12-16).
Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lordπᾶν ἄρσεν διανοῖγον μήτραν ἅγιον τῷ κυρίῳ κληθήσεται, (Luke 2:23)
you shall set apart to the LORD all that first opens the womb. All the firstlings of your cattle that are males shall be the LORD's.
καὶ ἀφελεῖς πᾶν διανοῖγον μήτραν, τὰ ἀρσενικά, τῷ κυρίῳ, πᾶν διανοῖγον μήτραν ἐκ τῶν βουκολίων ἢ ἐν τοῖς κτήνεσίν σου, ὅσα ἐὰν γένηταί σοι, τὰ ἀρσενικά, ἁγιάσεις τῷ κυρίῳ. (Exodus 13:12)
Everything that opens the womb of all flesh, whether man or beast, which they offer to the LORD, shall be yours; nevertheless the first-born of man you shall redeem, and the firstling of unclean beasts you shall redeem.καὶ πᾶν διανοῖγον μήτραν ἀπὸ πάσης σαρκός, ἃ προσφέρουσιν κυρίῳ ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπου ἕως κτήνους, σοὶ ἔσται, ἀλλ̓ ἢ λύτροις λυτρωθήσεται τὰ πρωτότοκα τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ τὰ πρωτότοκα τῶν κτηνῶν τῶν ἀκαθάρτων λυτρώσῃ (Numbers 18:15).