The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary
And the churching of a woman.
Today’s feast of Candlemas, or the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, was once known as the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Though Our Lady was sinless, and the birth of her Divine Son did not take away her virginity, the Blessed Virgin humbly submitted to the dictates of the Law and underwent the ritual of purification for mothers. I believe it is likely few contemporary Catholics are aware that the Catholic Church has a similar rite.
The blessing of women after childbirth.
“This blessing is often referred to as the churching of women,
but the Roman Ritual more appropriately calls it simply the
blessing of a woman after childbirth. The practice of “churching
a woman” developed out of a related practice in the Old Testament
(cf. Lev 12.1-8). According to the Mosaic Law a woman incurred
legal uncleanness in childbirth and remained unclean until her
legal purification. This view, that a woman incurs some kind of
defilement in childbirth, persisted even in Christian times,
especially in the East, but in the West too, despite the
opposition of Pope Gregory the Great (d. 604). The sufferings of
childbirth were looked upon as part of the penalty imposed on Eve
and on all her daughters. Yet it must be understood clearly that
the Jews did not say there was actually any stain of sin on the
mother in consequence of giving birth to a child, but merely a
restriction imposed by law. With Christ’s coming womankind was
elevated and ennobled, and motherhood too was more clearly seen
as something honorable, deserving a blessing rather than a
purification. The exact time of origin of this sacramental is not
known, except that it is very ancient, and dates possibly from
the first half of the fourth century.” - Roman Ritual
Today is also the feast of the Virgen de la Candelaria, patroness of the Canary Islands and venerated in many Hispanic countries. It is also the feast of Our Lady of Good Success of Quito, whose image is shown above.
