Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
First Reading: Revelation 14:1-3, 4B-5
I, John, looked and there was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion,
and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand
who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.
I heard a sound from heaven
like the sound of rushing water or a loud peal of thunder.
The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps.
They were singing what seemed to be a new hymn before the throne,
before the four living creatures and the elders.
No one could learn this hymn except the hundred and forty-four thousand
who had been ransomed from the earth.
These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes.
They have been ransomed as the first fruits
of the human race for God and the Lamb.
On their lips no deceit has been found; they are unblemished.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 24:1BC-2, 3-4AB, 5-6
R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Gospel: Luke 21:1-4
When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people
putting their offerings into the treasury
and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.
He said, “I tell you truly,
this poor widow put in more than all the rest;
for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.”
NAB
Today we celebrate the feast day of the Presentation of Mary. Although it is not recorded in canonical Scripture, Church tradition holds that Anne and Joachim, Mary’ parents, were childless for many years. They were filled with such gratitude for the gift of Mary’s life that at the age of three they brought Mary to the Jewish temple and dedicated her to the service of the Temple. There she lived, served, and studied until she was betrothed to Joseph.
From her earliest years, Mary's whole life was dedicated to serving God and doing His will. What can we learn from this example?
I believe today God is asking for our own Presentation—the presentation of ourselves.
Imagine God looking at you, looking deep within your eyes and lovingly saying, I’ve chosen you. What comes to mind? What is He asking of you? Does He want you to be the leader of those impressionable teens? Does He want you to be the light of Christ to your coworkers? Does He want you to be the friend that people can count on? Does He want you to be the wife that leads her husband to holiness? Does He want you to be the mom that will guide her children to Heaven? What is He asking of you?
Like the widow, He is not asking for your surplus, he wants your whole livelihood—He wants you. That means all of you—the good and the bad. You may be thinking about all your failures, your weaknesses, your lack of talent. There may be days when you cry, “I can’t do this anymore, Lord!” You may feel like the widow in the Gospel, poor and with little to spare.
It’s okay. God can take what little we have and bless it abundantly. There is no one else who can do your mission the same way you can. Don’t be afraid to present yourself to the Lord without reserve. Trust where He will take you.
Ask Our Lady to pray for you. Ask her to help you have a humble and obedient spirit that does not hesitate to surrender and trust in God your Father.
Bobbi Rol is a wife, a mama of four and a blogger learning to love God in the midst of dishes, laundry and swinging light sabers. You can find out more about her here.
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