Memorial: Presentation of Mary
(Rev 4:1-11; Ps 150; Lk 19:11-28)
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This memorial of the Presentation of Mary is a commemoration of 543 dedication of the basilica St. Mary the New in Jerusalem. In 1585 this memorial spread to the Western Church. An apocryphal account tells us of Joachim and Anna bringing Mary as a three-year old child to the temple to offer her to the Lord and leaving her there to praise and serve God. The much later presentation of Jesus in the Temple serves as a background: while two turtle doves were offered, the offering of the poor, really no offering was needed as Jesus was himself the Temple. This memorial honors Mary as the Temple where God lives, so for her as well, no offering was necessary. We are reminded that we also are meant to be temples where the Lord lives, offering our lives to the Lord.
Since there are no set readings for this memorial, every year the celebration takes on a different tone dependent on the readings. This year we are presented with a heavenly vision of perfection, glory and praise, balanced off by a rather harsh gospel inviting us to critique our society’s values and economic structures.
The first reading, with its numerical symbolism of perfection and infinity, and the psalm with its emphasis on praising God’s glory, fit in with the role of Mary as Queen of heaven and earth in God’s plan of salvation. The gospel parable, with its emphasis on justice, highlights Mary’s role as a woman of justice.
We are perhaps not used to seeing Mary as a woman of Justice, but she stands in the tradition of the women of the Old Testament like Hannah who combined faith with strong action for justice. In the Magnificat, Mary speaks strong words: “God pulls down the mighty from their thrones, and lifts up the lowly; he sends the rich away empty, and fills the hungry with good things.” She teaches us to have a right relationship with God, others, ourselves and all of creation, and that in short is justice. She was oppressed, a minority, and knew what it was to have few rights.
The parable in Luke is difficult to understand because we are used to reading it in the light of the parable of the Talents in Matthew. Richard Rohr suggests this could be called a parable of Whistle-blowers who are often rejected and ostracized because they dared to confront and reveal an unjust social and economic system. They are symbolized by the person who wraps up his pound and refuses to cooperate with that unjust and corrupt system. How fitting in a world where there is so much political and corporate corruption, and lust for power and control at the cost of thousands of innocent human lives.
More specifically, this parable in Luke causes dissonance because it invites reflection on Jesus’ role as a king, when kings were uniformly corrupt, greedy and violent. Jesus’ disciples can neither follow such a king nor understand their role as stewards or slaves of such a king. The value system of Jesus’ kingdom is diametrically opposed to that of the king in this parable. On the other hand, the law of retribution still applies, for those who serve God faithfully will be rewarded and those who resist God’s kingdom will perish. The parable calls for faithful allegiance to a king whose kingdom is opposed to the quests of earthly kings for vengeance and profit at the expense of the poor. We too must protest when the rich resist justice for the poor and take wealth for themselves. The gospel cry of the servants could become for us today, “But Lord, they already have enough!”
Richard Borgman, author with his wife Danelle of the book Searching for the Beautiful Garden, offers this insight into the role of Mary: as Jesus reveals the Father, Mary reveals the Holy Spirit. She is the most perfect model of a human being fully open to and filled with the Spirit of the Risen Lord. She also was instrumental in the Borgmans leaving the evangelical faith tradition and becoming Catholics, partly because as an orphan, when Richard opened his heart to Mary, he found himself able to understand and forgive his mother who had abandoned him.
The Eucharist can become for us today a joining in with Mary in her praise and exaltation of God for the wonderful way God works in her life and ours. May it also empower us to be instruments of peace and workers for justice, so that all may share equally in the goods of God’s creation.
Let us praise and worship the Blessed Virgin Mary as she is role model of woman with justice and motherhood to all mothers. She represents all human beings as she is more open towards people. Also, she can open her mind spiritually . She is mother of Jesus Christ and she went through all sorrows taking care of her son and seeing him being crucified on the Cross. Mary can open herself up and hide her pain and sorrows from people. She was the chosen one from God to bear Jesus Christ. God has worked many miracles with the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary can hear our prayers and answer our prayers and even save our lives. Later, she is the Queen of heavens and earth as she represents woman with justice. So, we can also praise to Mary and asking help when ever we have any problems. Amen. May God Bless us .
We can pray the rosary during the month of Mary and during our private moments. I even had several apparitions of the Blessed Birgin Mary when I was small. She was showing me how to pray. I also saw her during the Charismatic prayer meetings along with the Holy Spirit. Thanks Bishop Sylvain Lavoie for the homily and pictures.