Mariological meaning of the “Presentation of Mary” on November 21

# The Marian Celebration of the Presentation of MaryThis Marian feast has had a somewhat tumultuous history due to its non-historical origins. It is based on the narrative in the *Protoevangelium of James*, which recounts that Mary, at the age of three, was taken to the temple by her parents and dedicated to serving the Lord.The festival, now a mandatory memory, originated from the dedication of the new Church of Saint Mary, built in Jerusalem adjacent to the temple. By the 8th century, it was celebrated throughout the Byzantine Empire. In the West, it began to be observed in Avignon with Gregory XII (d. 1417). Before achieving universal celebration, it had to overcome certain uncertainties, and it was not until Sixtus V (d. 1590) that the celebration was given a more sober biblical character. Since this feast has enjoyed popular favor, the Church deemed it appropriate to include it in the new arrangement of the *Liturgy of the Hours*.The theological content, which also incorporates the legend from the *Protoevangelium of James*, emphasizes that Mary, *Kekaritomene* (the one who was highly favored), *cheia de graça* (full of grace), lived in a way that responded to this grace, remaining faithful to her election and serving God throughout her life.There may be another related factor: popular piety, contemplating such holiness and elevation of grace, might have believed that such a creature could only be preserved in her sanctity by living in the temple of the Lord.

The liturgy of this memorial does not have a precise form. Perhaps out of concern not to give too much space to subjective views, the language used is devoid of specific references. The most appropriate text is the antiphona from the Magnificat vespers of the feast that echoes Sedulius in the Praeconium:

“Holy Mary, Mother of God, glorious Virgin, temple of the Lord, treasury of the Holy Spirit! Only to You did our Lord Jesus Christ find favor.”

Before assuming her role as Mother of the Lord, Mary spent her life in the Temple, that is, before God. In this attitude, what the Lord did to her during her Immaculate Conception ripened. The image of the Temple, beyond the legend of the Protoevangelium of James, situates what God did to Mary within a specific historical context. Therefore, it is also necessary to rethink what the Temple meant for the people of Israel.

It was the place where the people gathered in the presence of God. We must emphasize that Mary lived at the center and in the most mature moment of this people’s history. A living, felt, meditated belonging, as confirmed by the words and references of the Magnificat, in which she interprets all that history in light of her Son.

Growing in God’s presence, the Virgin Mary became ever more a temple of the Lord. Faith grows only in the presence of God, in the Temple, in an environment characterized by silence and retreat. Here, the heart can open to receive God’s word.

“For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother.” (Mt 12:49)

What matters most for Mary is to have been a disciple of Christ rather than the Mother of Christ. She held truth in her mind more than flesh in her womb. Christ is truth, Christ is flesh. Christ is truth in Mary’s mind, Christ is flesh in Mary’s womb. What is most important is what is in her mind rather than what is in her womb. Dedication and consacration to the Lord are always the fruit of interior ripening of divine word.

Therefore, every act of liturgical worship occurs in an appropriate setting, removed from the noise of the world. **The closed space of the church or temple is the image of the interior space necessary for the maturation of God’s work**, but the image of the temple as a distinct place reserved for God’s things and His work of salvation for His people helps us understand better what might have been present in the mind of the Christian people when the feast was instituted. It concerns all the work of protection and growth of the singular sanctity with which God elected her. Only an environment like the temple could be useful to it, and only a life of direct and continuous service to God could be the environment and climate suitable for this work.Perhaps the legend of the Protoevangelium arose from such considerations and concerns. All this obviously implies a fundamental truth: God’s grace, His gifts need, to be preserved, **an appropriate environment that promotes, fosters, protects, and assists them in seeking ever greater dimensions.**Liturgy proposes as the hymn of Lauds for this day the following Marian monument:*The Immortal Wisdom**You already chose Mary, Lord,* *Before the world and history.* *Oh celestial wonder:* *You are Bride and Daughter* *Of the Lord of eternal glory.**Offered sacrifice,* *Presented to the Lord* *As evening incense,* *That rises from the earth to heaven* *And disperses all darkness,* *Announcing the divine Sun.**You are the Gate of the East,* *You are the new burning bush,* *Faithful Virgin, Holy Mary!* *Banner of pure love,* *Mirror of the Greater Good,* *Cause of our joy.**Conceived without sin,* *You are the immaculate Temple* *In which the Word became flesh:* *The Spirit of God* *Descended from heaven upon You,* *Consagrating You, Virgin Mother.**Flower of the new humanity,* *Treasure of divinity,* *Ark of the eternal Covenant:* *Star certain of the peoples,* *Dawn of the new times,* *Clear morning of hope.**Pray for us from heaven,* *That we may be temples of God,* *In spirit and in truth:* *Temples where constant praise and glory arise* *To the Most Holy Trinity.*In this hymn of praises, the gifts with which God adorned and enriched Mary are exalted. **She placed everything at the service of God and protected it so that it might only perfume Him.**We conclude by remembering what was said about Mary is also the reality in which every believer participates, as St. Paul affirms:> “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Cor 3:16). As also underlined by the image of the Mother mentioned in the Gospel: “Whoever does the will of my Father… is my mother” (Mk 3:35).In this sense, precisely because of this dignity belonging to the whole Body of the Church, we read Saint Augustine:> “Mary is holy, blessed Mary, but the Church is better than the Virgin Mary. Why? Because Mary is part of the Church: a holy member, an excellent member, a member who surpasses all in dignity, but she is always a member of the whole Body… You too are members of Christ; you too are the Body of Christ.”Therefore, the Collect prayer for the feast of the Presentation of the Virgin asserts:> “As we celebrate the glorious memory of the Virgin Mary, may the Lord grant us, through her intercession, to partake in the fullness of his grace.”To deepen the liturgical meaning of the Presentation of Mary, consult Pope Paul VI’s Apostolic Exhortation *Marialis Cultus* on Marian feasts in the liturgical year.For further study: explore Mariology, Marian Theology, Marian Apparitions, and a Master’s Degree in Mariology.