February 2, 2026 // Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Malachi 3:1-4
Reflect on the Word //
The sky was crystal clear, and the stars were the brightest I’d ever seen. The full moon illuminated our path through the field. I was among a hundred young women gazing up at the heavens, asking, seeking— some even begging—to know the Lord’s will.
Raising my eyes toward “Our Lady’s Window,” as the vocation director called the moon, I prayed deep within, Blessed Mother, what does your Son want for me?
Suddenly, I was on the ground, flat on my back, looking up at the stars; and I knew.
The Lord does not always answer prayers in such a disorienting—and in my case, literal—way, but He often comes suddenly (see Malachi 3:1). He prepares the way, leads us, guides us, and before we know it, there He is, revealing the answer to our deepest questions and fulfilling the deepest desires of our hearts. It can seem sudden, jarring even.
For centuries the Lord slowly, deliberately, prepared the way for His Son to enter the story of humanity. He refined, purified, perfected, and molded His chosen people (see Malachi 3:3). Throughout the covenant promises to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David, He readied the world to receive the ultimate promise, His Son, “the messenger of the covenant whom [they desired]” (Malachi 3:1).
Today the Church celebrates the fulfilment of those covenant promises; Jesus is presented in the temple, and due sacrifice is offered to the Lord as Mary hands her infant to the prophet Simeon. A greater sacrifice is foretold, and Mary’s fiat is renewed. Yes, He comes suddenly, but the Lord does not leave us unprepared for His coming.
In our seeking we recognize He is coming to us. It may seem sudden in the moment, but since then He has sought us and drawn us to Himself, purifying, refining, and preparing us to offer the due sacrifice of ourselves to Him, wherever He may call us.
I will caution you, though, if you ask for a sign, it may come suddenly, and you might just find yourself on your back, with a shockingly certain knowledge of your vocation!*
*To learn more about Sister’s vocation story and her love for Confession, take a listen to The Gathering Place bonus episode.
Relate to the Lord // Make Sister’s prayer your own today: Blessed Mother, what does your Son want for me?
Sister Maria Fatima grew up in Rhode Island and entered the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in 2005. She holds a MA in Theology from the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity. Sister is in her eleventh year of enlightening middle school minds and drawing hearts to Jesus while teaching religion and history. She currently resides at the motherhouse in Ann Arbor, MI, having previously taught in Texas, Florida, and Ohio. She is a contributing author to our Lent devotional All She Had.
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