This is the fourth part of a series
that will follow the
biblical story of Mary
To honor her during her month, we are diving deeper
into the mysteries of the Rosary that mention
Mary in the corresponding Scripture passage—thereby reflecting
on the
Blessed Mother’s role through the Gospels.
Need to catch up?
You can find the other parts of the series here:
Part One: The Annunciation,
Part Two : The Visitation,
Part Three: The Nativity.
The Presentation
In
the fourth Joyful Mystery
we see how Mary
is
a beautiful example of faithfulness.
In the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple,
we see her
faithfully fulfilling
all the necessary steps of a Jewish woman after
giving birth to her first born son.
The Law of Moses prescribed that the firstborn male needed to be redeemed by a sacrifice. This harkened to the time of the first Passover, when the angel of death passed over the houses of the Israelites who had blood from a sacrificed lamb over their doorways. Subsequently, from the time of Moses onward, the tradition of
redeeming the firstborn son continued as a
perpetual reminder of the
saving grace
of God.
How fitting that Mary and Joseph brought God
the
Deliverer of Israel to the
Temple
to fulfill all righteousness.
Just as Jesus would later be baptized by John in the Jordan, though he needed no salvation, Jesus was redeemed in the Temple as the first born son. Mary’s faithfulness to obey God’s command did not go unnoticed by Simeon and Anna, who were waiting for Mary to bring Jesus to the Temple. They knew the Temple would be the first stop for the Messiah to appear on his mission to redeem the world. Perhaps Mary entered the Temple with great anticipation. Maybe she was expecting a sign of confirmation from God during this significant ritual. She was met by two prophets, who recognized the gift she brought to the Temple and ultimately brought to the world.
But this sign would also be mingled with grief. St. John Paul II mentioned the significance of Simeon’s prophecy to Mary that “a sword will pierce through your own soul also” (Luke 2:35):
Simeon’s words seem like a second Annunciation to Mary,
for they tell her of the actual historical situation in which
the Son is to accomplish his mission, namely,
in misunderstanding and sorrow.
While this announcement on the one hand
confirms her faith
in the accomplishment of the divine promises of salvation,
on the other hand
it also reveals to her that she will have to
live her obedience of faith
in suffering,
at the side of the suffering Savior,
and that her motherhood will
be
mysterious and sorrowful.
— St. John Paul II, Redemptioris Mater, 16
When we go to Mass we receive this amazing
gift Mary has given to us.
Let us go anticipating what we can receive
through the reading of the Word, prayers, and the Eucharist.
Do we present our souls to the Eucharist with the
same reverence that
Mary presented Jesus in the Temple?
that will follow the
biblical story of Mary
To honor her during her month, we are diving deeper
into the mysteries of the Rosary that mention
Mary in the corresponding Scripture passage—thereby reflecting
on the
Blessed Mother’s role through the Gospels.
Need to catch up?
You can find the other parts of the series here:
Part One: The Annunciation,
Part Two : The Visitation,
Part Three: The Nativity.
The Presentation
In
the fourth Joyful Mystery
we see how Mary
is
a beautiful example of faithfulness.
In the Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple,
we see her
faithfully fulfilling
all the necessary steps of a Jewish woman after
giving birth to her first born son.
The Law of Moses prescribed that the firstborn male needed to be redeemed by a sacrifice. This harkened to the time of the first Passover, when the angel of death passed over the houses of the Israelites who had blood from a sacrificed lamb over their doorways. Subsequently, from the time of Moses onward, the tradition of
redeeming the firstborn son continued as a
perpetual reminder of the
saving grace
of God.
How fitting that Mary and Joseph brought God
the
Deliverer of Israel to the
Temple
to fulfill all righteousness.
Just as Jesus would later be baptized by John in the Jordan, though he needed no salvation, Jesus was redeemed in the Temple as the first born son. Mary’s faithfulness to obey God’s command did not go unnoticed by Simeon and Anna, who were waiting for Mary to bring Jesus to the Temple. They knew the Temple would be the first stop for the Messiah to appear on his mission to redeem the world. Perhaps Mary entered the Temple with great anticipation. Maybe she was expecting a sign of confirmation from God during this significant ritual. She was met by two prophets, who recognized the gift she brought to the Temple and ultimately brought to the world.
But this sign would also be mingled with grief. St. John Paul II mentioned the significance of Simeon’s prophecy to Mary that “a sword will pierce through your own soul also” (Luke 2:35):
Simeon’s words seem like a second Annunciation to Mary,
for they tell her of the actual historical situation in which
the Son is to accomplish his mission, namely,
in misunderstanding and sorrow.
While this announcement on the one hand
confirms her faith
in the accomplishment of the divine promises of salvation,
on the other hand
it also reveals to her that she will have to
live her obedience of faith
in suffering,
at the side of the suffering Savior,
and that her motherhood will
be
mysterious and sorrowful.
— St. John Paul II, Redemptioris Mater, 16
When we go to Mass we receive this amazing
gift Mary has given to us.
Let us go anticipating what we can receive
through the reading of the Word, prayers, and the Eucharist.
Do we present our souls to the Eucharist with the
same reverence that
Mary presented Jesus in the Temple?