Antiphon for Candlemas

Before the glow of this great Feast recedes, there is just one more post I would like to devote to it. The following is a beautiful processional antiphon for today's Feast of the Presentation of the Lord which I believe is by St John Damascene and borrowed from the Greek liturgy. Let us reflect upon it, pray it and contemplate its meaning:

"Adorn your bridal chamber, O Sion, and receive Christ the King. Embrace Mary, who is the gate of heaven, for she bears the King of Glory. The Virgin stands in a cloud of light, bearing her Son in her hands, begotten before the dawn. Simeon takes him in his arms, and proclaims to the people that He is the Lord of life and death, the Saviour of the world."


Right: The Presentation of the Lord as depicted by Fra Angelico. St Peter Martyr, the proto-martyr of the Order of Preachers kneels on the left contemplating the scene with another Dominican saint on the right.