Feast of the Presentation of Mary

THE Roman Catholic Church celebrates the Presentation of Mary on November 21. The presentation was first celebrated in Jerusalem in the sixth century and church was built there. Although the feast at times disappeared from the church calendar, it became a feast of the universal Church in the 16th century.

The Protoevangelium of James tells us that Anna and Joachim offered Mary to God in the Temple when she was three years old. This was to carry out a promise made to God when Anna was still childless. The feast of Mary’s presentation has an important theological purpose. It continues the impact of the feasts of the Immaculate Conception and of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This feast emphasizes that the holiness conferred on Mary from the beginning of her life on earth continued through her early childhood and beyond.

Mary was introduced to the synagogue, the institution in charge of keeping this promise. Unknowingly, our Lady began to prepare herself to become the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. In an atmosphere of grace in the Temple, she was set apart from everyone in order to serve God. She increased her love of God until she formed the ardent desire for the imminent coming of the Messiah, and asked God if she might have the honor to be the servant of His Mother. She did not know that she was the one chosen for this honor. That is why she was perplexed when the Archangel Gabriel greeted her to ask her permission for the Incarnation.

Her preparation to be the Mother of Jesus Christ began with her Presentation in the Temple, a feast the Church celebrated yesterday. We should present ourselves before her, asking to assist us in taking up the task of sanctification, as the Holy Spirit did with her in the Temple of Jerusalem.

We are all invited to make the choice to surrender our lives to the one who created us. Parents are reminded of their solemn responsibility to present their children through the Sacrament of Baptism. We are all challenged to bring this feast to life in our age, and thereby continue to participate in God’s plan for the whole human race. May God graciously bless us in every way!