Today November 21

Today is the feast of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary. Mentioned in the apocryphal "gospels," it was nonetheless not celebrated until the 11th century in the East. It was celebrated in the West in the late 1300s, but was struck from the calendar by St. Pius V. C'mon. A SAINT dropped it. But Sixtus V took it up again and now it is a so-called "major double," (I love these names), and Passionists keep it as a "double of the first class," and Carmelites a "double of the second class."

All that notwithstanding, how do the advocates of this feast, the supposed bringing of the baby girl Mary -- well, toddler; texts say she was three -- to the Temple account for the fact that she was in Nazareth, for it was there that she received the message of the angel? The Temple was in Jerusalem! None of my sources explain this.

I suppose one could jibe this feast with the facts by arguing that while SOME dedications to Temple duty were lifelong (see Samuel), others were only temporary. She may have just received an education there and then returned home.

I think it was a way to honor the Virgin Mary and was a delightful way to make her into a Catholic nun which she most definitely WASN'T. :) I think it's along the same lines of people who tell you she was sworn to perpetual virginity, when that was almost unheard of among first-century Jews. All good Jewish girls were expected to get married -- and the Messiah was to come in the usual way children come into the world. What an honor to be his mother! And how unexpected to remain a virgin! How unlikely! And what a great sacrifice, when you think about it. But Our Lady was tough -- she came from hardy stock -- and was more than up to the task. For she had been blessed from birth; before that, actually.

Holy Mother of God -- and our Mother -- pray for us.