𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟏 • 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐲

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𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐲: 𝐀 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟏 • 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐲

𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐒𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐓

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.

As with Mary’s birth, we read of Mary’s presentation in the temple only in apocryphal literature. In what is recognized as an unhistorical account, the Protoevangelium of James tells us that Anna and Joachim offered Mary to God in the Temple when she was 3 years old. This was to carry out a promise made to God when Anna was still childless.

Though it cannot be proven historically, 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.

𝐏𝐑𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐑

𝘈𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘝𝘪𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘺, 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺, 𝘖 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦, 𝘵𝘰𝘰, 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘚𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵, 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳.