O Night Divine: The Presentation of the Child Mary: November 21st

"The root of Jesse has produced a sweet stalk, from which has come a flower filled with a wondrous fragrance." (Antiphon, The Magnificat, II Vespers, Feasts of Sts. Anne and Joachim)

When Sts. Joachim and Anne prayed for a child, it is not clear that they ever knew just how special their little child was going to be. What they did know, is that if they were ever granted such a gift from God, they would surely dedicate her to God in the temple. The legend that follows is their story and has been incorporated in to our Catholic traditions as a sure sign of God's love for his people and his goodness.

From my favorite picture book of Mary by Tomie de Paola, Mary the Mother of Jesus:

There was an old man and an old woman named Joachim and Anne from the royal house of David. God had been good to them except that they were without children. This caused them great sadness.

One evening, while Joachim was away praying in the hills, Anne was walking in the garden. She saw a nest of baby birds and began to cry because she was childless.

Suddenly an angel appeared to her and said, "Anne, your prayers have been heard. You shall give birth to a daughter who shall be blessed throughout the world." At the same time, an angel appeared to Joachim and told him the same thing.

Anne went out and met her husband at the gate, and they rejoiced together. When her time had come, Anne gave birth to a daughter and her name was called Mary.

When Mary was three years old, her father and mother took her to be presented at the temple. They placed her on the first step, and the little child climbed all the steps to the altar by herself. The high priest received her and kissed her. Blessings her he said, "Mary, the Lord has magnified your name to all generations. In you shall be made known the redemption of all Israel."

And Mary danced with joy, and all of the house of Israel were happy with her and loved her.

St. Anne happens to be my Patron namesake and so I have quite an affinity to her beautiful story and believe that each time we have a child in our family and offer them up to God through Baptism, it's a little bit of heaven here on earth and what Sts. Anne and Joachim must have experienced when they gave young Mary to the high priests at the temple.

Can you imagine giving your child over to someone at such a tender age?? This seems quite implausible to me, but that was the Hebrew custom, and it is said that young Mary "skipped and danced up the steps to the temple all by herself!" What a joyful heart she must have had! If only we could look at our vocation of motherhood and always approach life with a joyful heart!

I love this picture of St. Anne with her little daughter Mary, it gives me hope, hope to try for that joyful heart! Did St. Anne know that she was to be the grandmother of Jesus?

I always enjoy looking at what Catholic Culture has to say about special feast days:

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)."

Mary's Presentation at such a young age is a true testimony of her fidelity and oneness with God in her Immaculate Conception. Just as Mary eventually became the vessel with which God used to bring His Son into the world, St. Anne was the blessed one to bear Mary and to change the course of Eve's wrong doings for all time forward. What an awesome plan God has for us, especially the one which we don't know about yet!

"Behold, the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me, according to Thy Word."

As we begin to think ahead towards the coming season of Advent and in our celebrations of Thanksgiving with friends and loved ones this week, may we be reminded of this sweet and loving little child Mary as she dances up the temple steps with a joyful heart and her eyes towards heaven!

Blessed Mary, Ever-Virgin, pray for us! Sts. Anne and Joachim, in your goodness and unending devotion and gratefulness, pray for us!