Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
On May 25, 2019, during a visit to the Basilica of Our Lady of Loreto in central Italy, Pope Francis said: “There’s a need for simple and wise people, humble and courageous, poor and generous, people who at the school of Mary, accept the Gospel without reserve in their own lives. God, through Mary, entrusts a mission in our time: to bring the Gospel of peace and life to our contemporaries, often distracted, taken by earthly interests or immersed in a climate of spiritual dryness.”
On the Memorial of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary, we are reminded of the fulfillment of Anne’s promise when she and her husband Joachim brought Mary to the Temple in Jerusalem and dedicated her to God. In the first reading, Zechariah offers a prophecy later fulfilled by Mary: “Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you. Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day” (Zechariah 2:14-15). Mary was indeed numbered among the Israelites, but emerged as a special figure in God's saving action. God chose to dwell in Mary in a very special way. With her yes, she became the temple for the Son of God and humbly placed her whole self at the service of God. The Canticle of Mary reminds us of Mary’s joy as she accepted her role as God’s faithful servant. “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. For he has looked upon his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name” (Luke 1:46-47).
In today’s gospel (Matthew 12: 46-50), Jesus raised the question is “Who is my mother?” His response to Mary, who was simply trying to speak to him, can give rise to criticism of Jesus for being disrespectful. However, Jesus’s answer was purposeful and was meant to get the crowd thinking about their priorities. Mary was indeed his biological mother, and Jesus has no intention of dishonoring that. But Jesus was speaking of the importance of another type of relationship. One that is not based on blood, but on faith. His call to the disciples was for their relationship with God to take priority over earthly relationships. As disciples of Christ, we, too, are called deepen our faith and to serve as members of a spiritual family where God is our father.
We are reminded that Mary is the model disciple: she was fully open to God’s will. Every moment since our baptism, God invites us to be open to his grace and dedicate ourselves to him, as Mary did. How can we bring God’s compassion and love to others, especially to those most in need? We can take our example from Mary, as Pope Francis suggested in his message in Loreto. It took courage for Mary to say yes. She understood that her son would come to revolutionize the world. At the very end when most of the others had abandoned Jesus because of cowardice, she remained. As members of the family of Jesus, let us pray for the grace to do the will of God with the same humility, joy, and courage as Mary.
—Jessica Gabrielli