20141121 LIVING OUT THE GRACE GIVEN TO US AT OUR BAPTISM
First
reading
Zechariah
2:14-17 ©
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.
Canticle 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 ©
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.’
LIVING
OUT THE GRACE GIVEN TO US AT OUR BAPTISM
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: Zech 2:14-17; Mt 12:46-50
Today,
we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of our Lady. From the outset,
it is significant to note that before the liturgical reforms of Vatican II, the
name of the feast was then called the “Presentation of the Blessed
Virgin Mary in the Temple.” What is the reason for the omission of the
reference to the temple? It springs from an undue fear that the event was
only referred to in the apocryphal gospel of St James, which we know was
written around AD 200. The historical accuracy of Joachim and Anne
presenting Mary to God in the temple when she was three years old could not be
substantiated.
That
being the case, why does the Church continue this tradition of honouring
Mary with this Feast? Is it too incredulous that Mary could have offered
herself to God in self-oblation at such a tender age? Consequently, we
cannot be restricted by the historicity of the event, but look towards the
theological significance of this event. Pope Paul VI in his Apostolic
Exhortation Marialis Cultus on Marian liturgical commemorations reminded us
that although apocryphal scriptures are not guaranteed in their historical content,
they nevertheless “present lofty and exemplary values and carry on venerable
traditions having their origin especially in the East.”
So how
does the commemoration of the Presentation of Mary serve the Church’s
faith? Indeed, though unhistorical, Mary’s presentation has an
important theological purpose. To appreciate this feast which we are
celebrating, we must grasp the variant meanings of the word “presentation”.
When we speak of Mary’s presentation to the Lord, it would include all
the different nuances. What does it mean to present oneself? It
means coming before someone. But we do not come before someone without
giving or offering something. One can give many things but the greatest
present anyone possibly can give is not things extraneous to him, but to hand
himself over as the gift to another. In other words, the greatest gift is
nothing less than to give oneself as a living sacrifice to another.
To
express this giving of oneself in relation to God, we often adopt sacred words
such as consecration and sanctification. To consecrate
oneself is make ourselves totally dedicated to another. Consecration of
oneself would mean that whatever we do, think or say will be done for the
person, and always with the person in mind. Expressed differently, this
would also mean sanctification. The way to consecrate ourselves to God
would be to sanctify each moment of the day, be it our thoughts, words or
deeds. Sanctification of ourselves entails sanctifying the whole day, and
in all our activities we conduct them for the glory and honour of God and in
accordance to His holy will, not ours.
Hence,
in celebrating this feast, we want to underscore Mary’s holiness and total
dedication to God. Of course, this Feast is a further drawing out of the
Feasts of the Immaculate Conception and of the birth of Mary. The
presentation of Mary to the Lord was the consequence of the Immaculate
Conception. This doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is rooted in the
Church’s reflection on the life of Mary and her holiness in her role in the
salvation of humanity. If the Church could come to conclude that Mary was
immaculately conceived, it was because of the way she lived her life in total
consecration to God. Mary’s presentation to the Lord at a tender age was
demonstrated throughout her entire life, from the Annunciation to the public
ministry of Jesus, and to her Son’s passion at the cross and the
resurrection. Saying “yes” to the incarnation was more than just
consenting to be the Mother of God. It also includes all the “yes-es”
that she would have to ratify throughout the rest of her life. She had to
bear the “sad news” from Simeon that a sword would pierce her heart (Lk
2:35). She had to learn to embrace God’s will that her child would be
born in a manger or a cave and later be persecuted by King Herod, forcing her
to take refuge in Egypt. She had to come to terms at the Temple that her
Son belongs to the Father and not to her as Jesus told her, “I must be about in
my Father’s business.” (Lk 2:49) She had to recognize that she must
be in the shadow when her Son began His ministry in public. When her Son
was regarded as mad by her relatives or misunderstood by the people whom He
served, her son’s pain was also hers. Most of all, at His passion when He
was mercilessly and publicly scourged, humiliated, scorned and crucified,
Mary’s anguish and pain in her heart could be compared to a physical sword that
pierces a human heart.
In
light of her total consecration to God, it is only right that the Church could,
on hindsight, celebrate Mary’s presentation, since that first presentation is
the basis for all her other actions and sacrifices that she made for God, her
Son and the world. In the final analysis, it is insignificant whether Mary did
commit herself in a specific and formal manner at the temple in offering
herself to the Father historically. What is more important is that like
Jesus, Mary became more and more conscious of her call to be at the service
of God and in the work of salvation through the grace of God. Because
of the special grace from God, Mary lived most intimately with God, thereby
enabling her to respond generously to the will of God, especially at the
Incarnation and at the death of her only Son. Mary was so united to God
that she was accustomed to living the life of grace in union with her Son in
the work of salvation. Of course, this total self-offering of Mary was
made possible with the grace of the Holy Spirit and His influence on Mary by
virtue of her immaculate conception.
Indeed,
on account of Mary’s desire to give herself entirely to the Lord, Mary is
praised for her fidelity to the Word. Jesus affirmed that His
relationship with His mother is based not simply on the relationship of
physical motherhood, but spiritual motherhood. Mary is worthy to
be called the Mother of Jesus because of her faith. Through faith, she
conceived Jesus in the flesh and through faith, she believed in the promises of
the Lord. Through faith, she was completely obedient to the Word of God.
The gospels of Luke and John made it clear that Mary was docile to the
Word throughout her life, and she was always pondering on the Word of God and
instructing the disciples of Jesus to do whatever He told them. In the
gospel, Jesus gave the highest honour to Mary when He remarked, ‘”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.”’
Of
course, this would not be possible without the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Unless the Holy Spirit sanctified her, Mary could not cooperate with God easily
in responding to His will. If Mary has been graced since the first moments of
her existence, then this holiness which was conferred on Mary should have
implications on her entire life, including her childhood and beyond.
Hence,
behind the colourful apocryphal account of the Feast of the Presentation is the
all-important truth that the heart of Mary was ever and totally dedicated
to God alone. Through God’s grace, she became the temple of the Holy
Spirit. This is implied by the first reading when the Lord spoke through
the prophet, “Daughter of Zion, I am coming to dwell in the middle of you … he
will remain among you, the Lord will hold Judah as his portion in the Holy
Land, and again make Jerusalem his very own.” So the object of this
memorial celebration is to affirm that because of the movement of the Holy
Spirit in Mary’s life, she was given the grace to consecrate her life to God, a
consecration that was complete, total and efficacious throughout her life of
faith.
Of
course, this Feast has implications for all of us, in whichever state of
life we are in. We too have received the same grace at baptism that Mary
received when she was conceived. We too have also consecrated ourselves
to God when we presented ourselves at baptism. We are called to offer
ourselves as a living sacrifice to God and to humanity. Like Christ, we
are called to make ourselves a gift to others even when they are ungrateful to
us. Every day, we are called to die to our own needs and desires so that others
might have theirs. It is always others before self. So parents are called
to offer themselves as gifts to their children, not just giving them gifts but
time, attention and love; spouses are called to sacrifice for each other even
when love is fading and might not even exist at all; children are called to be
obedient to their parents even when they are unreasonable and demanding.
Such a
life calls for a lot of letting go of ourselves. This is the most
difficult part and therefore very challenging. To let go of our children
and give them independence when they grow up; to let go of the hurts and
betrayals of our spouse, to let go of our security in order to give others
security, to let go of our pride requires more than just human will but total
unconditional love. That is why, without the grace that comes from God,
we are powerless in love. Unless we have the same devoted love that Mary
has for the Lord, we will not be able to join Jesus in the act of kenosis, of
self-emptying for others. So, let us all learn from Mary that unless we
dedicate ourselves totally to God, we cannot be used by God to be His
collaborator in the work of redemption. If we surrender ourselves to God
through Mary, then the Lord will use us for His work of redemption.
Indeed, let us use this Feast to renew our commitment to the Lord, in imitation
of Mary and under her patronage.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV
WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP
OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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