20201121 TOTAL CONSECRATION OF MARY TO GOD
21 November, 2020, Saturday, 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.’
TOTAL CONSECRATION OF MARY TO GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ZECHARIAH 2:14-17; MT 12:46-50 ]
The memorial of the Presentation of our Lady was formerly celebrated before the liturgical reforms of Vatican II as the Presentation of our Lady at the Temple. But just before the reforms, the Roman Missal of 1962 simply referred to this feast as the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Nevertheless, in the collect of the mass, the mention of Mary being presented at the Temple was still made. “O God, who were pleased that on this day Blessed Mary ever Virgin, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, should be presented in the temple; grant, we beseech Thee, that through her prayers we may be found worthy to be presented in the temple of Thy glory.”
However, because this feast of Mary being presented in the Temple cannot be historically verified, it is now simply called the “Presentation of Mary” and the current collect also omit reference to the Temple as well. It had its origin from the Eastern Church which commemorated this feast since the 6th century but came to the West only in the 11th century, then disappeared and resurfaced in the 16thcentury before it became a feast of the universal Church. Indeed, the only historical records we have of this event is found in the apocryphal Gospel of St James which is not considered as inspired by the Church. Nevertheless, it holds some value in giving us a glimpse of the possible life of Mary and Jesus not otherwise recorded in the Canonical Gospels.
Whilst the Presentation of Mary in the Temple cannot be historically proven, it is not impossible. It is true that only the first-born male was required by law to be presented in the Temple just as Jesus was. (Ex 22:29-31) In other words, there was an official religious rite accompanying this presentation. But surely, this does not forbid devout Jewish parents to present their daughters to the Lord as well and get the blessing of the priests. The apocryphal Gospel of St James narrates the story of Joachim and Anna presenting Mary to the Lord when she was three years old. This was to fulfill the promise that Anna made to God when she was still childless mirroring the story of Hannah who gave birth to Samson and left him at the Temple with the prophet Samuel. (cf 1 Sm 1) Whilst this event is disputable, what is even more important is the significance of this memorial celebrating her presentation to the Lord, regardless whether it was at the Temple or otherwise.
This feast was commemorated in the context of the role of Mary in the salvation of mankind. She played a significant role in bringing Christ, the Saviour into the world. This feast accentuates the earlier feasts we celebrate in the liturgical calendar, namely, the Feasts of the Immaculate Conception, which celebrates her freedom from being tainted with original sin; and the feast of the Birth of Mary, which again is found only in the apocryphal Gospel of St James. The Presentation of Mary serves to underscore the implications of being immaculately conceived and how Mary throughout her life was dedicated to God for His service.
Her immaculate conception from the first moment of her existence through the work of the Holy Spirit empowered Mary to give herself to the Lord in self-oblation. As she grew in age and in wisdom, she became even more conscious of consecrating her heart and soul entirely to God alone. Moved by the grace of God Mary offered herself to the Lord early in her childhood and this continued through her life. She dedicated her life to the Lord, living a life of self-oblation and celibacy, as implied by her when the angel announced God’s will that she bears the child who would be the Savior of humanity. Her response was, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” (Lk 1:34) At this, the angel assured her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” (Lk 1:35)
From then on, we see the workings of grace more visibly in her life when she began to assume the role of the mother of the Savior. She became the first evangelizer because she brought the good news of joy to her cousin Elizabeth and the forerunner of the Messiah, John the Baptist. “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.'” (Lk 1:41-44)
Then at the Wedding Feast at Cana, Mary anticipated the disciples in confessing Jesus as the Saviour by asking Jesus to preempt His glory by changing water into wine. When the Lord replied, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” (Jn 2:4f) It was not so much the request of Mary that the Lord changed the water into wine but because Mary believed in Him. St John remarked, “Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” (Jn 2:11) This hour of glory is to be revealed only at His death and resurrection. (cf Jn 12:27-33; 19:27-30)
Of course, Mary was there with the Lord and His disciples at the resurrection and at Pentecost. She was exercising her motherly role conferred on her at the foot of the cross by our Lord when she was made the mother of the Church. “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.'” (Jn 19:26f) Giving support to the apostles, “all these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.” (Acts 1:14) Together with the apostles and disciples, she was clothed anew with the Holy Spirit who had overshadowed her since her conception, the day when she conceived Jesus in her womb and now consecrated to continue the mission of looking after the Church.
It is within this context that we can better appreciate the first reading which the liturgy takes from Zechariah. The prophet speaks about the renewal of God’s love for Israel. God would once again take possession of Israel. “Sing, rejoice, daughter of Zion; for I am coming to dwell in the middle of you – it is the Lord who speaks. 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.” So, too, this text is associated with Mary as the Daughter of Zion and the mother of the Church. God dwelt in her through the Holy Spirit and kept her faithful to her call to be a co-redemptress, though certainly not on the same level of our Lord. For through Israel, the Church and Mary, the prophet said, “Many nations will join the Lord, on that day; they will become his people.”
What is the secret of making ourselves the dwelling place of God for His Holy Spirit to work in our lives? Like Mary, we are called to house the Word of God. In the old liturgical rite celebrating Mary’s presentation at the Temple, it provided a link to the Word of God. The Temple housed the Law, the Jewish scriptures, just as Mary was the tabernacle of the Word of God, her Son, incarnated in her womb. But as St Augustine repeatedly reminds us in his commentary on today’s gospel, “Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven, he is my brother and sisters and mother”, he said, Mary’s true greatness lies not in her being the biological mother of our Lord but her spiritual motherhood. She conceived our Lord not only in her body but in faith, in her heart and mind.
We who celebrate this memorial of the Presentation of Mary, are also called to relive our baptismal commitments to the Lord and His Church, the Body of Christ. We are called to give ourselves to the Lord by being attentive to His word, through contemplation and meditation so that we too can put His word into action by living a life of charity and service. By consecrating our entire life to Him in faith we can offer ourselves to the Lord.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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