Saint of the day November 21, 2024

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “This feast commemorates the dedication of the church of St. Mary, built in Jerusalem near the site of the Temple. Additionally, with Christians of the East, the Latin Church also remembers on this day the tradition according to which Mary as a small child, was presented to the Lord by her parents in the Temple” (The Liturgy of the Hours, Volume IV, p. 1572).

In a sense, we celebrate a particular and essential beginning to each of our salvations as brought about by Mary’s parents, Ann and Joachim’s united action. As a married and faith-filled couple, Ann and Joachim chose to offer their precious daughter to the Lord. In faith, they were returning to God, the unexpected source of joy they had received from God back to Him.

There’s a beautiful parallel between Ann and Joachim’s offering of Mary to God in His service and the widow’s offering in today’s gospel. Jesus points out that the widow gave all that she had, in contrast to the wealthy, who only gave from their surplus. Likewise, when Mary’s parents brought her to the Temple, they offered their only child to God, knowing they would have no other children.

Hearing these stories of total self-giving makes most people wonder, how did they do it? How do they have the faith to offer everything to God…not knowing what will happen next?

We hear in scripture that God rewards the generous giver, even that God’s generosity will never be outdone. And yet, at times, we wonder and sometimes worry if we can have that much trust in God.

Without the grace of God, that’s where we remain, wondering and worrying. Both the poor widow and the parents of Mary’s lives were touched and changed by the grace of God, and they responded as examples for us in their piety and generosity to God.

I believe there is a reminder for all parents and extended family in today’s feast to present the children in our families to God both in prayer and, most importantly, in the sacrament of Baptism. For it’s in Baptism that we publicly, within the Body of Christ, the church, offer our children to God, and through the Holy Spirit, they become sons and daughters of God.

We offer them totally to God, and in return, through the Holy Spirit, they enter into the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. There’s no greater gift that we could give to God and no greater gift that our children could receive. In addition, they will begin a life that, like us in which, God’s grace will prompt them to offer in big and small ways their lives in the service of God.

Let us give thanks for the examples of Joachim and Ann and the poor widow in their full and fruitful generosity toward God. May we grow through cooperating with God’s grace in how we bring our children to God, through Baptism, and in the sharing of our talents, treasure, and service, beginning with our families and spreading outward, especially to those most in need.

Reflection

As we celebrate the liturgical memorial of the Presentation of Mary in the Temple, we especially honor the fact that, regardless of the lack of certainty of the historical details, the Blessed Virgin Mary lived a life of profound prayer and contemplation from her earliest years and continued to do so throughout her life. She always has been, and continues to be, the Immaculate One, the sinless Spouse of the Holy Spirit, the first contemplative, and one who dedicated her whole life to the service of the will of God. Even if the account of her presentation and childhood service in the Temple is not accurately represented in these early sources, the spiritual reality of her total dedication to the will of God throughout her life is an indisputable dogma of our faith.
As we ponder the early life and dedication of the Blessed Virgin Mary to God’s will today, reflect upon the fact that every child is capable of a profound faith and commitment to God’s will. For those who are entrusted with the guardianship and raising of children, allow your prayerful reflection on the holy life of Blessed Mary as a child to inspire you to help all young people imitate her profound faith and holiness.