The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Christian feast celebrated on 21st November, which should not be confused with the feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple celebrated on 2nd February.
Tradition teaches us that Anne and Joachim, Mary’s parents, presented her in the temple at the age of three to consecrate her to God. This episode of Mary’s life is not found in the four Gospels, but in an apocryphal book, the “Protoevangelium of St. James”. The spiritual message that we should take from this event is that Mary’s heart has always been wholly and solely dedicated to God.
On 21st November 2014, Pope Francis said, “Today the liturgy celebrates the presentation of the Blessed Virgin in the temple: a young girl.”
When Bernadette Soubirous recounted the first of the 18 apparitions of the Virgin, she said that she heard “a noise like a gust of wind”. When she looked towards the Grotto she saw “a light and in this light: a young lady just like her” …
A young girl who beckoned her to approach… A young girl like her! When heaven comes down to the earth, it comes within our reach, at our height, to ask us to approach the house of the Lord.
May Mary teach us to receive with love those who come to our churches.
