Old Calendar: The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today the Church celebrates the memorial of the Presentation of Mary. The three feasts of the birthday of Our Lady, the holy Name of Mary and her Presentation in the Temple correspond in the Marian cycle with the first three feasts of the cycle of feasts of our Lord: namely, Christmas, the Holy Name of Jesus, and His Presentation in the Temple (February 2).
Presentation of Mary
"Sacred Scripture contains no text concerning the event commemorated in today's liturgy. For something of a historical background one may consult the apocryphal works, particularly the Protoevangel of St. James (ch. 4:1ff). After an angel had revealed her pregnancy, Anna is said to have vowed her future child Mary to the Lord. Soon after birth the infant was brought to the sacred precincts at which only the best of Israel's daughters were admitted. At the age of three she was transferred to the temple proper (7:2). According to legend, here she was reared like a dove and received her nourishment from the hand of an angel (8:1).
"In the East, where the feast, celebrated since the eighth century, is kept as a public holiday, it bears the name, 'The Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple'. It was introduced at Rome by a Cypriotic legate to the papal court of Avignon in 1371. In 1472, Sixtus IV extended its observance to the whole Church. Abolished by Pius V, it was reintroduced some years later (1585)."
Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch.
Things to Do:
The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Memorial)
Zacchaeus . . . was seeking to see who Jesus was. (Luke 19:2, 3)
Theres a lot of seeking and looking going on in this story. First, Zacchaeus climbs a sycamore tree because he was seeking to see who Jesus was (Luke 19:3). Then Jesus looks up at Zacchaeus and invites himself to the mans house. Then, having heard Zacchaeus declare his intention to change his life, Jesus declares that he has come to seek and to save what was lost (19:10).
Both Jesus and Zacchaeus were seeking each other out, but with different intentions. Zacchaeus wasnt trying to make contact with Jesus. He just wanted to see him, but he was too short. There are plenty of other people in Lukes Gospel who either cry out to Jesus or interrupt his dinner or reach out and grab his robe (Luke 17:11-19; 7:36-38; 8:43-44). Zacchaeus could have taken any of these approaches. Instead, he chose a hiding place that would give him a good, but safe, view. We dont know if he was just curious, if he felt too sinful to meet Jesus, or if he was some kind of celebrity watcher trying to get a glimpse of this famous rabbi.
But where Zacchaeus was seeking to see, Jesus had come to seek and to save (Luke 19:3, 10). Zacchaeus wanted to stay at a safe distance, but Jesus wanted to be close to him. Zacchaeus wanted to disappear into the crowd, but Jesus wanted to single him out and spend time with him.
And look what happened! Simply by standing in Jesus presence, Zacchaeus was moved from wanting to see him to wanting to follow him. He was so changed that he received him with joy (Luke 19:6).
Zacchaeus shows us what happens when we open the door to Jesus just a little bit. He invites himself in and softens our hearts. He soothes our fears. He moves us to confess our sins and feel the freedom of his love. He doesnt call us a sinner but a spiritual descendant of Abraham (Luke 19:7, 9).
Jesus has the power to change our lives. He wants to change our lives. He is eager to change our lives. Even the smallest glimpse from us is enough for him to come and touch our hearts. Isnt this a comforting message?
Here I am, Lord!
2 Maccabees 6:18-31
Psalm 3:2-7