The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple / Das Fest der Darstellung des Herrn

Today we went to the ugly church for a special family service (a Familiengottesdienst which is a regular mass but aimed to include/instruct the children in attendance) to celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. This feast marks the 40th day after the birth of Jesus, the day on which he was required by Jewish law to be presented at the temple. It is the fourth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary. As Nikolas has been singing about bread and wine at home all week (a hymn they were learning in school for this service), we knew that we had to go so that he could take part.

Nikolas' kindergarten was providing much of the entertainment and performing not just the bread and wine hymn, but a total of three hymns. We were, again, astounded at the children's behavior, which was just about perfect. They were perched on the steps by the altar facing the congregation. It was cold in the church (though modern, they didn't invest in heating), and while each child had a little rug scrap to sit on, the cement building was chilly enough that you could see your breath. There were 45 children or so, ages three to six, sitting there, keeping their hands to themselves, paying attention to what was going on, standing when it was time to stand, sitting when it was time to sit, and singing when it was time to sing, for just under an hour.

It was touching to watch Nikolas standing there in the front row belting out the refrain for 'Jesus, Mein Freund' ('Jesus, My Friend' You can hear a sound bite of the song here if you select the title from the little blue list on the left.), thinking about all he has been through since August - adjusting to a new home, making new friends, learning a second language - and coming through it all well enough to be standing there proudly with his classmates.

The priest could be the stunt double for the Captain in the movie Wall-E. At one point he settled down on a bench, microphone in hand, addressing the congregation, and I could imagine him announcing that he was guiding his spaceship back to Earth. Instead, he invited the children to make a circle around him after they finished singing the infamous song about bread and wine, and it was in the middle of this circle, with the children surrounding the altar that he prepared the Eucharist for Communion. And when it was all over, just like the Captain on the Axiom, the priest led the masses out into the light of the sun outside.