Friday 21 November 2025

Today the Church celebrates one of those quiet, luminous feasts that tells us who Mary really is — and who we are meant to become.
The Presentation of Our Lady.

It’s not recorded in Scripture, but it’s one of those traditions that carries the ring of truth.
When she was still a little girl, Mary was brought by her parents, Saints Joachim and Anne, to the Temple in Jerusalem — and there, she was consecrated to God.
Her whole life was placed in His hands before she even knew what that would mean.

And what it meant was everything.

In our first reading, the prophet Zechariah cries out:

“Rejoice, daughter of Zion,
for I am coming to dwell in the midst of you, says the Lord.”

He’s speaking of the glory of God returning to His people —
the moment when the Lord Himself will take flesh and live among us.

And who becomes the first fulfillment of that prophecy?
Mary.

When she enters the Temple, she becomes what the Temple was meant to be —
the dwelling place of God.
Later, when she conceives Jesus, she becomes the true Holy of Holies —
the Ark of the New Covenant, the living sanctuary where God’s glory takes flesh.

Zechariah says, “I will dwell among you.”
And in Mary, God does — not just symbolically, but physically.
He makes His home in her.

That’s what this feast celebrates:
the moment a little girl entered the house of God —
and in time, God entered hers.

Then in the Gospel, Jesus gives us one of those moments that sounds harsh until you understand it rightly.

He’s preaching, and someone interrupts Him:

“Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.”

And He replies:

“Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?
Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven
is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

At first it sounds like He’s ignoring Mary.
But He’s not rejecting her — He’s revealing her.
He’s showing that what makes her blessed isn’t biology — it’s obedience.

She’s His mother not only because she gave Him flesh,
but because she gave God her will.
“Be it done unto me according to thy word.”

Mary is not outside calling for Jesus; she’s inside living His Word.
She is the first and perfect disciple —
the first person to do the will of the Father completely.

That’s what makes her the model of the Church.
And that’s why Jesus points to her when He says,
“This is my family — those who hear the Word of God and keep it.”

The Church Fathers loved this feast because it shows us the pattern of every Christian life.
What God did in Mary physically, He wants to do in us spiritually.

She became the temple of the Lord.
So must we.

When we were baptised, God came to dwell in us.
When we receive Holy Communion, He renews that indwelling.
Every time we say “yes” to grace, His presence grows stronger in the temple of our hearts.

That’s the meaning of Christian holiness:
to become what Mary already is —
a living tabernacle of Christ.

So when you pray today, imagine her as a little girl climbing the steps of the Temple —
not knowing that one day the Eternal Word would climb down into her womb.
That same Word wants to dwell in you.
The question is: will you let Him?

This feast is quiet, almost hidden —
no drama, no miracles, no crowds.
Just a little child given to God.

But heaven watched that moment with awe.
Because in that small act of surrender,
God was preparing His greatest miracle.

Our world doesn’t understand that kind of holiness.
It celebrates talent, ambition, achievement.
Mary shows us the opposite: offering, availability, humility.
The real revolution begins not in the palace but in the temple —
not with pride, but with surrender.

When Mary said “yes,” the world changed forever.
And every time we say “yes,” it changes again.

Zechariah promised that God would dwell among His people.
Mary made that promise flesh.
And Jesus tells us today that if we do the will of the Father,
we become His family too.

So today, the Feast of Mary’s Presentation invites us to renew our own.
To bring ourselves — heart, mind, will —
and place them once again in God’s hands.

Because holiness begins with offering.
And if we offer ourselves as Mary did,
then through us, as through her,
the Word will take flesh again in the world.