The Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated annually on November 21st. This feast commemorates the presentation of the Blessed Virgin as a child by her parents in the Temple in Jerusalem. Before Mary’s birth, her parents Anne and Joachim received a message from God that they would bear a child. In thanksgiving for the God’s gift of Mary’s birth, they brought her to the Temple to consecrate their only daughter to God. The celebration of the Feast is first documented in the 11th century within the Byzantine Catholic Church. It was introduced into the Roman Catholic Church in the 15th century by Pope Gregory XI, then removed from the calendar by Pope Pius V in the mid16th century. Pope Sixtus V later reestablished the feast in 1585, and it is still celebrated today, commemorating the faith of her parents, Joachim and Anne and the purity of Mary.
The significance of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary’s presentation was celebrated in Jerusalem in the sixth century. A church was built there in honor of this mystery. The Eastern Church was more interested in the feast, but it does appear in the West in the 11th century. Although the feast at times disappeared from the calendar, in the 16th century it became a feast of the universal Church.
The Church wants to emphasize not so much the historical event in itself, of which there is no trace in the Gospels, but the total gift that Mary made of herself, by listening: “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and observe it” (Lk. 11:28). This experience prepared the young girl from Nazareth to become the “temple of the Son of God”. For the Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the liturgy proposes the passage from Matthew that speaks about how we are “related” to Jesus.
“While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother”. (Mt. 12:46-50)
The Gospel passage shows that our relationship with God is not formed by blood, but by imitation. “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother”. To become a member of “Gods family”, we must do so not by blood or belonging to a particular religion. Rather, it is our free and personal choice that translates into a commitment to do the will of the Father.
Mary was Jesus’ first disciple. Jesus once again said “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” responding to a woman who was praising His Mother saying ‘Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.’ Mary becomes Jesus’ first disciple, becoming the woman who knows how to listen and who knows how to contemplate. Mary is the One who never abandoned her Son Jesus, not even along the way of the Cross. She “stood” under the Cross when Jesus was crucified and she is a disciple who never abandons the Lord Jesus.
Thus, Mary’s presentation has an important theological purpose. It continues the impact of the feasts of the Immaculate Conception and of the birth of Mary. It emphasizes that the holiness conferred on Mary from the beginning of her life on earth continued through her early childhood and beyond.
