The Presentation of Our Lady in the Temple 21st November
“Jesus said ’Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Za.2,14-17 Ps.44 11-16 Mt. 12,46-50
“As Jesus was still speaking to the crowds his mother and brother were suddenly standing outside and were anxious to have a word with him.”
Mary was around three years old when she was presented in the Temple of Jerusalem, according to Tradition. The Immaculate One was bought by Christ before all ages. She has this unique privilege of being the Mother of God’s Only Son, the Word of the Father who became flesh.
In the Gospel given to us to celebrate this feast, there is such a big crowd around Jesus that his mother Mary and his brothers are unable to get to him.
This is a sign for us to keep seeking Jesus. Today the Church is happy to present herself to the Lord Jesus in the light of the presentation of Mary in the Temple of Jerusalem. She is also consacrated by baptism, Confirmation and participation in the Eucharsist. Mary, like a mother, like a teacher, asks us to fall silent so as to hear the Word and she helps us to open up our hearts to the Father’s attraction.
Mary heard a call in silence, she is situated in the Will of God’s Love, she is in the attracton of the Father : ’No one comes to the Father but through me.’
This attraction will be even stronger for her at the Cross : ’When I shall be lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all people to myself’ says Jesus.
When we eat the body of Christ, when we drink His Blood,
we are truely one Spirit, one Flesh in Him, the Consacrated One, the Anointed One, the One Sent from the Father : ’I shall live amongst you on that day, numerous nations shall attach themselves to the Lord.’At the wedding feast of Cana, when Mary was present along with her brothers, she uneveils the lack of wine, and Jesus says to her ’Woman, what is there between you and me?’ The word ’Woman’ in this way might seem harsh for us to hear today, but at the time of Jesus, it was quite common to use this term of ’woman’. Jesus sees his mother as the most excellent of apostles and he answers her request.
On this day the Church is happy to present itself to the Lord, in memory of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the temple of Jerusalem. There is such a crowd around Jesus that Mary and ’her brothers’ can’t reach him. She is the woman of the Apocalypse who is in the pangs of child birth, giving birth to a new People. Like a mother,and teacher Mary asks us to be silent so as to hear the Word and she helps us to open up our hearts to be drawn to the Father. Mary will be drawn even stronger at the Cross to the Father : ’When I shall be raised up I shall draw all men to myself“, said Jesus. The Church presents herself to the Lord in the light of the Presentation of Mary, she too is consecrated by Baptism, Confirmation and participation in the Eucharist. When we eat the Body of the Lord, when we eat his Blood, we are truely one spirit and one flesh with Him, thye Consacrated One, the Anointed One, the One sent from the Father : ’I shall dwell amongst you; on that day many nations will attach themselves to the Lord.”
“Jesus replied ’Who is my mother? Who are my brothers? And stretching out his hand to his discoples said, ’Here are my mother and my brothers.’”
Jesus says again the deepest msytery of Our Lady : ’It is those who do the Will of my Heaenly Father.’ Jesus hides at the same time Mary’s mystery and he also manifests the mystery of the New Creation he came to establish. It is admirable to see how much, as far as Jesus is concerned, we are for him a mother, brother, a sister.-At his Passion, Jesus says to Mary his mother,faced with the beloved disciple ’Behold your son’ and to the disciple he says ’Behold your mother’ ; from that moment on, Mary becomes the mother of the disciple. Now, to go up to Jerusalem mans to go to Jesus’ death. His brothers didn’t believe in Him and yet Jesus saves us. We wish to be situated in the Attraction for the Father, and with Mary we reply ’yes’ to the Holy Spirit, singing ’Sing, rejoice, daughter of Sion for I shall dwell amongst you, declares the Lord.’ Mary heard the call in silence, she is situated in God’s will of Love, she is attracted by the Father : ’Nobody comes to me unless the Father draws them.“”In fact, anyone who does the Will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.“Jesus took flesh of the Virgin Mary, He is the Saviour of the world and he comes to inaugurate a new People. we become ’the mother, the brother, the sister of Jesus”. Mary was about three years old when she was presented to God at the temple. She is the Immaculate One, and had always been so. She has this unique privilege of being the Mother of the only Son of the Father, of the Word of God become flesh in human flesh. It is God’s Will to give a Body to the Word of God : ’Behold, you have given me a body, I come to do your will.’ The Gospel tells us how important it is to do the Father’s will. The Church is still animated by the Gentle Breeze of the Holy Spirit and in the Eucharist we have the Body of Christ come to us, He is weaved from Mary’s own body and blood. In this great mystery we do once more what Jesus did, and we become what we are : child of the Father and a brother or sister of Jesus. We are made to be united to Him, to represent Him and to be in communion with His Being : we are the Body of Christ. The Spirit of God who covered Mary with His shadow freed her, he envelops her right from the beginning of her life.s response is free because God is Love and only Love Alone sets us free.
We find our freedom in this Divine Breath which com and touches the wings of our heart to set us free. WE are never freer than when we say ’yes ’to God. In
this Divine Breath, we find our freedom, this Divine Breath touches the wings of our heart, freeing us. We are never as free than when we reply ’yes’ to God. Thus we have the genuine idea of God our Father who helps us say again : ’Blessed is she who believed the promise made her by Lord would be fulfilled!"
We ask for the grace to be moved by the Holy Sprit in order to do the Will of the Father.
The Presentation of Our Lady in the Temple
“As Jesus was still speaking tot he crowds his mother and brother were suddenly standing outside and were anxious to have a word with him.”
The Church is happy to present itself to th Lord, in memory of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the temple of Jerusalem. There is such a crowd around Jesus that Mary and ’her brothers’ can’t reach him. At the wedding feast of Cana, when Mary was present along with her brothers, she uneveils the lack of wine, and Jesus says to her ’Woman, what is there between you and me?’ The word ’Woman’ in this way mighrt seem harsh for our ears at this time, but at th
time of Jesus, it was quite common to use this term of ’woman’. Jesus sees his mother as the most excellent of apostles and he answers her request. She is the woman of the Apocalypse who is in the pangs of child birth, giving birth to a new People. Like a mother,and teacher Mary asks us to be silent so as to hear the Word and she helps us to open up our hearts to be drawn to the Father. Mary will be drawn even stronger at the Cross to the Father : ’When I shall be raised up I shall draw all men to myself“, said Jesus. The Church presents herself to the Lord in the light of the Presentation of Mary, she too is consecrated by Baptism, Confirmation and participation in the Eucharist. When we eat the Body of the Lord, when we eat his Blood, we are truely one spirit and one flesh with Him, thye Consacrated One, the Anointed One, the One sent from the Father : ’I shall dwell amongst you; on that day many nations will attach themselves to the Lord.”
“Jesus replied ’Who is my mother? Who are my brothers? And stretching out his hand to his discoples said, ’Here are my mother and my brothers.’”
Jesus says again the deepest msytery of Our Lady : ’It is those who do the Will of my Heaenly Father.’ Jesus hides at the sme time Mary’s mystery and he also manifests the mystery of the New Creation he came to establish. It is admirable to see how much, as far as Jesus is concerned, we are for him a mother, brother, a sister.-At his Passion, Jesus says to Mary his mother,faced with the beloved disciple ’Behold your son’ and to the disciple he says ’Behold your mother’ ; from that moment on, Mary becomes the mother of the disciple. Now, to go up to Jerusalem mans to go to Jesus’ death. His brothers didn’t believe in Him and yet Jesus saves us. We wish to be situated in the Attraction for the Father, and with Mary we reply ’yes’ to the Holy Spirit, singing ’Sing, rejoice, daughter of Sion for I shall dwell amongst you, declares the Lord.’ Mary heard the call in silence, she is situated in God’s will of Love, she is attracted by the Father : ’Nobody comes to me unless the Father draws them.“Mary’s response is free because God is Love and Love alone sets free. ’He dwells amongst us in tenderness; he raws us to him with links of love.’ ’Ho.11,4) ; he dwells amongst us and calls us so that we take the path to Heaven so as to dwell with Him. He left hsi dwelling place and chose the Church so that we leave behind us our dwelling place and choose paradise. God dwelt amongst men so that men encounter God.’ (prayer of Balai)”In fact, anyone who does the Will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.“Jesus took flesh of the Virgin Mary, He is the Saviour of the world and he comes to inaugurate a new People. we become ’the mother, the brother, the sister of Jesus”. Mary was about three years old when she was presented to God at the temple. She is the Immaculate One, and had always been so. She has this unique privilege of being the Mother of the only Son of the Father, of the Word of God become flesh in human flesh. It is God’s Will to give a Body to the Word of God : ’Behold, you have given me a body, I come to do your will.’ The Gospel tells us how important it is to do the Father’s will. The Church is still animated by the Gentle Breeze of the Holy Spirit and in the Eucharist we have the Body of Christ come to us, He is weaved from Mary’s own body and blood. In this great mystery we do once more what Jesus did, and we become what we are : child of the Father and a brother or sister of Jesus. We are made to be united to Him, to represent Him and to be in communion with His Being : we are the Body of Christ. The Spirit of God who covered Mary with His shadow freed her, he envelops her right from the beginning of her life. In this Divine Breath, we find our freedom, this Divine Breath touches the sails of our heart, freeing us. We are never as free than when we reply ’yes’ to God. Thus we have the genuine idea of God our Father who helps us say again : ’Blessed is she who believed the promise made her by Lord would be fulfilled!"