The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Word for the day

“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!” Luke 11:28

Life

An ancient tradition, recorded in the second-century Protoevangelium of James, tells that Joachim and Anne brought their daughter Mary as a little child to the Temple in Jerusalem and offered her to God. The feast was celebrated in Jerusalem from the sixth century, linked to the dedication of the New Church of St Mary in 543, and spread through the East; in the West it became universal in the late sixteenth century.

The Gospels do not narrate this event, and the Church presents it as tradition. Its meaning, however, is firm: from her earliest years Mary belonged wholly to God, preparing to become the dwelling of his Son. In the Syro-Malankara Church it is kept as the Entry of Mary, Mother of God, into the Temple.

Lessons

A life given early

Mary's whole life was an offering; it is never too early to give our life to God.

Hearing and keeping the Word

Jesus called blessed those who hear God's word and keep it; Mary did this first.

Parents who give

Joachim and Anne model parents who offer their children to God.

Stories

The child on the Temple steps (legend)

The Protoevangelium says the little Mary went up the Temple steps without looking back. This is a pious tradition, not Gospel history.

Homily

1. Given to God

Like Hannah's Samuel, Mary was lent to the Lord. Our children too belong first to God.

2. Blessed who hear and keep

Mary is blessed not only as mother but as the perfect hearer of the Word (Luke 11:28).

3. A temple for God

The child offered in the Temple became the living temple of God.

Dear friends, today we celebrate an ancient tradition: little Mary brought by her parents to the Temple and given to God. The Gospels do not tell this story; it comes from tradition. But it expresses a truth the Gospels make clear: Mary belonged wholly to God from the beginning.

When a woman in the crowd praised Jesus' mother, he answered: blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it (Luke 11:28). Jesus was not lowering Mary; he was showing her true greatness. She heard God's word and kept it in her heart from childhood to the Cross.

The child offered in the Temple became the temple in which God's Son dwelt. Parents, offer your children to God; children, offer your day to God. And let all of us, like Mary, hear God's word and keep it. Amen.

Prayer

Lord God, you willed that the Blessed Virgin Mary should belong wholly to you from her childhood. Through her prayers, help us to offer our lives to you and to hear and keep your word. Amen.