Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
(Revelation 4:1-11; Luke 19:11-28)
Celebrating today’s feast may seem like engaging in historical fiction. After all, there is no authoritative account of Mary’s infancy. But liturgists assure that its purpose has significant weight.
The feast was originally associated with the dedication of the basilica of St. Mary the New in Jerusalem. As such, it celebrates Mary as the temple of the Lord, and this in two ways. First, Mary bears the unborn Jesus in her womb. Second, Mary meditates on the Word of God in her heart. St. Augustine actually taught that the second form of gestation is more important than the first because Jesus gives it preference in this same gospel of Luke (11:28).
We too can take the Word of God into our hearts, meditate upon it, and allow it to bear fruit in our actions. Diligently doing so makes us like gothic cathedrals rising to heaven.
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