Feast of Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Feast day : 21 November

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the temple. According to tradition, the Blessed Virgin Mary was solemnly offered to God in her infancy by her parents Saint Joachim and Saint Anne and in fulfilment of this vow, was presented in the temple at the young age of three. From thereon, concealed from the world, she lived in holy retirement, serving in the temple, learning the Scriptures and growing in virtues and graces, in preparation for her role in the salvation of mankind.

Tradition:

According to Scripture and tradition, among the Jews there was a practice of consecrating their children in their infancy to God. Such consecrated children were presented in the temple and lived in the temple under the care of elders and priests. They assisted in the sacred ministry of the priests, spent their time in learning the Scriptures and growing in their interior life. In the Scriptures we read about young Samuel (Book of Samuel) who was consecrated to the Lord and presented in the temple at a young age and lived to serve the Lord till his death.

Similarly, Saint Joachim and Saint Anne were a childless couple for many years and on the birth of their daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, they promised to consecrate her to God. In fulfilment of this vow, the Blessed Virgin was presented in the temple at the young age of three. From thereon, concealed from the world, she remained in holy retirement, learning the Scriptures, serving in the temple, growing in virtues and graces in preparation for her role designed by God in the salvation of mankind. As Saint Ambrose wrote, “She who had the good company of holy thoughts, did not desire the conversation of other virgins; but then she was least alone, when she was alone: for, how can it be said that she was alone who had with her so many devout books, so many archangels, so many prophets.”

In this holy retirement, completely disengaged from the world, God the Father wrought in her tender soul the most precious graces befitting her role as the Mother of God and making her ‘full of grace’. Her holiness was unique and by God’s grace she remained free from every personal sin throughout her whole life. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person “in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” and chose her “in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love.” CCC 492

History of the Celebration of the Feast :

The account of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple is principally based on the Protoevangelium of James, which has been dated by historians prior to the year 200 AD. The feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary came to be celebrated from the year 543 on the dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary the New which was built by the Byzantines under Emperor Justinian I. This Basilica was destroyed during the siege of Jerusalem in 614. However the feast of the presentation continued to be celebrated throughout the East and was formally introduced by Pope Gregory XI in 1372 in Avignon. The feast was included in the Roman Missal in 1472 but was later suppressed by Pope Pius V in 1568. It was reintroduced into the Roman Calendar in 1585 by Pope Sixtus V.