(c)Mary TV 2019
A Baptism! Such a wonderful moment of presentation!!
A Baptism! Such a wonderful moment of presentation!!
November 21, 2019
The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Dear Family of Mary!
On this day we remember the Presentation of Our Lady in the Temple. Though this event is not part Scripture itself, it is an accepted part of the Catholic Tradition. Our Lady, as a young girl, was offered to God by her parents, Sts. Joachim and Anne. She was taken to the Temple where she lived for a while, serving and learning about the Lord. We can only imagine how precious and loving she was as a child. She must have soaked up everything about the Jewish tradition during that time.
Mary’s time in the temple prepared her to be the “Handmaid of the Lord” who later in her life would so readily offer herself to the Father when the Angel Gabriel came to announce the plan of God, that she become the Mother of His Son.
The idea of presentation exists in our own lives as Catholics. At our Baptism, each of us is presented by our parents to the priest, as a representative of the Church, to be received into the family of God. And at our First Communion, after our first Confession, we are presented to the Church in order to receive Jesus in the Eucharist. And then at Confirmation, we are presented to the Bishop, to receive the Holy Spirit as we enter adulthood as Catholics.
These presentations are signal moments in our lives. They tell us who we are as Catholics and they provide for us the necessary saving grace we need to follow Jesus.
Our Lady has spoken several times in her messages about presenting us to her Son. Here is one message:
December 25, 1995 “Dear Children! Today I also rejoice with you and I bring you little Jesus, so that He may bless you. I invite you, dear children, so that your life may be united with Him. Jesus is the King of Peace and only He can give you the peace that you seek. I am with you and I present you to Jesus in a special way, now in this new time in which one should decide for Him. This time is the time of grace. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
Our Mother tells us that she is presenting us to Jesus “in a special way, now in this new time in which one should decide for Him.” It is almost as if she, as our Mother, is presenting us to Jesus, for us to receive from Him the graces we need for this new time. Just as we were presented for Baptism, Holy Communion, and Confirmation, she is presenting us to Jesus for the special graces that we will need in this time we are in.
I don’t mean to equate this presentation with a sacrament. No, we have all we need from the Church already. But there are special gifts that we could certainly use, such as an increase of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord. There are also Fruits of the Holy Spirit that we desperately need: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control. Our Lady presents us to Jesus so that He can give us what we need in these days to remain faithful and secure, so that we can help Our Lady to reach all the souls who do not yet know her Son.
So when Our Lady tells us she is presenting us to her Son, we should get excited! It means we are being brought before Jesus to be given Gifts and Fruits!!!
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2019
The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Dear Family of Mary!
On this day we remember the Presentation of Our Lady in the Temple. Though this event is not part Scripture itself, it is an accepted part of the Catholic Tradition. Our Lady, as a young girl, was offered to God by her parents, Sts. Joachim and Anne. She was taken to the Temple where she lived for a while, serving and learning about the Lord. We can only imagine how precious and loving she was as a child. She must have soaked up everything about the Jewish tradition during that time.
Mary’s time in the temple prepared her to be the “Handmaid of the Lord” who later in her life would so readily offer herself to the Father when the Angel Gabriel came to announce the plan of God, that she become the Mother of His Son.
The idea of presentation exists in our own lives as Catholics. At our Baptism, each of us is presented by our parents to the priest, as a representative of the Church, to be received into the family of God. And at our First Communion, after our first Confession, we are presented to the Church in order to receive Jesus in the Eucharist. And then at Confirmation, we are presented to the Bishop, to receive the Holy Spirit as we enter adulthood as Catholics.
These presentations are signal moments in our lives. They tell us who we are as Catholics and they provide for us the necessary saving grace we need to follow Jesus.
Our Lady has spoken several times in her messages about presenting us to her Son. Here is one message:
December 25, 1995 “Dear Children! Today I also rejoice with you and I bring you little Jesus, so that He may bless you. I invite you, dear children, so that your life may be united with Him. Jesus is the King of Peace and only He can give you the peace that you seek. I am with you and I present you to Jesus in a special way, now in this new time in which one should decide for Him. This time is the time of grace. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
Our Mother tells us that she is presenting us to Jesus “in a special way, now in this new time in which one should decide for Him.” It is almost as if she, as our Mother, is presenting us to Jesus, for us to receive from Him the graces we need for this new time. Just as we were presented for Baptism, Holy Communion, and Confirmation, she is presenting us to Jesus for the special graces that we will need in this time we are in.
I don’t mean to equate this presentation with a sacrament. No, we have all we need from the Church already. But there are special gifts that we could certainly use, such as an increase of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord. There are also Fruits of the Holy Spirit that we desperately need: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control. Our Lady presents us to Jesus so that He can give us what we need in these days to remain faithful and secure, so that we can help Our Lady to reach all the souls who do not yet know her Son.
So when Our Lady tells us she is presenting us to her Son, we should get excited! It means we are being brought before Jesus to be given Gifts and Fruits!!!
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2019
