20251121 CONSECRATING OUR LIFE FOR THE WORK OF GOD
21 November 2025, Friday, Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
First reading |
Zechariah 2:14-17 |
'I am coming', says the Lord
Sing, rejoice,
daughter of Zion;
for I am coming
to dwell in the middle of you
– it is the Lord who speaks.
Many nations will join the Lord,
on that day;
they will become his people.
But he will remain among you,
and you will know that the Lord of Hosts has sent me to you.
But the Lord will hold Judah
as his portion in the Holy Land,
and again make Jerusalem his very own.
Let all mankind be silent before the Lord!
For he is awaking and is coming from his holy dwelling.
Responsorial Psalm | Luke 1:46-55 |
The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name!
or
Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.
My soul glorifies the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour.
The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name!
or
Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.
He looks on his servant in her nothingness;
henceforth all ages will call me blessed.
The Almighty works marvels for me.
Holy his name!
The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name!
or
Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.
His mercy is from age to age,
on those who fear him.
He puts forth his arm in strength
and scatters the proud-hearted.
The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name!
or
Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.
He casts the mighty from their thrones
and raises the lowly.
He fills the starving with good things,
sends the rich away empty.
The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name!
or
Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.
He protects Israel, his servant,
remembering his mercy,
the mercy promised to our fathers,
to Abraham and his sons for ever.
The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name!
or
Blessed is the Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of the eternal Father.
Gospel Acclamation | Lk11:28 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Happy are those
who hear the word of God
and keep it.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 12:46-50 |
My mother and my brothers are anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven
Jesus was speaking to the crowds when his mother and his brothers appeared; they were standing outside and were anxious to have a word with him. But to the man who told him this Jesus replied, ‘Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?’ And stretching out his hand towards his disciples he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.’
CONSECRATING OUR LIFE FOR THE WORK OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ZECHARIAH 2:14-17; MT 12:46-50]
Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Tradition tells us that as a little girl, Mary was presented to the Lord in the Temple in Jerusalem. It was common for parents to consecrate their children to God. When Mary was about three years old, her parents, St Joachim and St Anne, brought her to the Temple to consecrate their only daughter to the Lord in thanksgiving for her birth. Echoing the Prophet Zechariah, Mary entered as the Daughter of Zion. Her coming to the Temple signalled that the time was at hand for God to be present to humanity in a new and unimaginable way through the Incarnation, when the second person of the Holy Trinity would take upon Himself our human nature in Mary’s womb. The Word would become flesh and dwell among us.
To highlight the importance of imitating Mary’s total dedication to God, many religious institutes have adopted this feast as a day to renew their commitment to the Lord, following Mary’s example. St John Paul II also designated this Marian celebration as a day of thanksgiving, solidarity and support for cloistered religious who spend their contemplative lives entirely to God in union with Jesus, interceding for the salvation of all, just like Mary did. This feast has implications not just for those in cloistered life but for seminarians, priests and religious, and all of us, regardless of our state of life.
In celebrating this feast, we are reminded to imitate Mary’s total self-dedication to God. This offering of herself prepared her for the moment when God called her to divine motherhood and to share in Christ’s mission in the great work of our redemption. She consecrated herself — soul, will, mind and body to God for His service. In today’s Gospel, Jesus reiterated the importance of doing God’s will. “To the man who told him this, Jesus replied, ‘Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?’ And stretching out his hand towards his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.'” For us, doing God’s will is more than just following our vocation, but to live each day seeking to do His will in all that we do. Our minds need to be focused on seeking His holy will in all things and not acting apart from Him. As St Paul reminds us, “Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ.” (Col 3:23f)
Truly, the only way we can ensure that God is with us is by allowing the Word of God to dwell in us. This is why no missionary activity can bear fruit unless it is grounded in a life of prayer and contemplation. We must bring the Lord into our lives if we are to be fruitful. In the first reading from the prophet Zechariah, he invites us, “Sing, rejoice, daughter of Zion; for I am coming to dwell in the middle of you — it is the Lord who speaks. Many nations will join the Lord on that day; they will become his people. But he will remain among you, and you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.” Those of us engaged in active ministry are often distracted in our prayers because of the many demands made on us. This is why we need the prayers of others, especially those in cloistered life, to support our ministry. Their ministry of prayer and contemplation is no less important than active ministry.
This is why we must learn from Mary her life of prayer, meditation and reflection on the Word of God. In contemplation, Mary became the Lord’s portion, as alluded by the prophet Zechariah, “But the Lord will hold Judah as his portion in the Holy Land, and again make Jerusalem his very own. Let all mankind be silent before the Lord! For he is awakening and is coming from his holy dwelling.” Even as she offered her daily tasks as a mother and spouse at home, she was always focused on the Lord and on the Word of God, for as Jesus said: “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!” (Lk 11:28).
Mary’s life was not prayer alone but a life of charity and service to others. We see her concern for her cousin Elizabeth, when in her old age, she conceived John the Baptist; Mary immediately reached out to her. At Cana, she was attentive to the needs of the embarrassed wedding couple when they ran out of wine. The depth of her prayer life was manifested in her quiet but unwavering support of Jesus’ ministry. She accompanied Him discreetly, giving Him the assurance that she was well and she was with Him in His ministry. Her greatest act of accompaniment was at the foot of the Cross, where she surrendered Him to the Father for the salvation of the world. She did so without anger, without harsh words of condemnation of her Son’s enemies, and without complaint of injustice to God. Her prayer life was not self-centred nor an escape from life and its sufferings. Rather, it was her way of participating more fully in the suffering of humanity and of our Lord. This is why we must never think that cloistered life is a withdrawal from the world, but rather a way of being more identified with the sufferings and sins of the world.
Consequently, the more we abandon ourselves to God through Mary, the more we can become effective in our mission. This explains why the Church invites us to come to Mary and imitate her faith and example. This is particularly true for those in cloistered life, as well as active religious and priests in ministry. When we dedicate ourselves not only to the mission but also to a life of prayer, we will be able to surrender our efforts to God and rely on His grace and divine providence in His work. In a special way, we need the prayers of those in cloistered life and, of course, the entire Church to support us in our ministry.
As we seek to be more effective in our pastoral ministry, we must learn from Mary how to be missionary disciples. Like her, we need to encounter the Lord and walk with others, leading them to Christ and to the Church. Mary leads us to Jesus. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, “What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what she believes about Christ and what she teaches about Mary illumines in turn her faith in Christ.” By devoting ourselves to Mary, the first evangelist and the Star of Evangelisation, let us rediscover how to bring God’s love in Christ into our everyday life. By meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, we learn from Mary how to worship in spirit and in truth. By following Mary’s example of love, we learn to live a life of charity.
We too can sing with Mary our song of thanksgiving when we see how the Lord works in and through us. In her Magnificat, Mary fully surrendered herself, understanding that she could do nothing on her own; it was the Lord, who worked marvels for her: “His mercy is from age to age, on those who fear him. He puts forth his arm in strength and scatters the proud-hearted. He casts the mighty from their thrones and raises the lowly. He fills the starving with good things, sends the rich away empty.” Such was Mary’s trust in the graciousness and power of God working in her because of her devotion to Him. Through our own devotion to Mary, we learn how to offer ourselves to God more completely. Truly, “The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy is his name!”
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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