Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Brief Background:

The Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated on November 21, recalls the ancient tradition that Mary, as a young child, was brought by her parents—Saints Joachim and Anne—to the Temple in Jerusalem and dedicated entirely to God. Though the story comes from the 2nd-century Protoevangelium of James rather than Scripture, it highlights Mary’s lifelong openness to God’s will and her early preparation for the mission she would one day embrace at the Annunciation. The feast invites us to reflect on Mary as the one whose heart belonged fully to God from the beginning, and to renew our own desire to offer ourselves to the Lord with the same trust and devotion.

REFLECTION:

Think about this: you’re at work, home, or school, and you’re frustrated, anxious, or upset about a project or a person. Then someone walks up and asks, “Hey, how are you doing?” And without even thinking, you say, “I’m fine… I’m doing great.” But deep down, you know you’re not fine. You’re not doing great. You’re overwhelmed, tired, or hurting—but you don’t say it. You keep it inside.

And sometimes… our prayer life looks exactly the same. We come before God, and God asks us quietly in prayer, “How are you?” And our hearts respond, “I’m good,” even though we’re not. We don’t open up. We don’t let God into the real places of our lives—the messy, anxious, painful parts.

In Zechariah 2:14–17, the Lord says, “Rejoice… for I am coming to dwell in your midst.” Think about that: God doesn’t want to visit us from far away; He wants to dwell with us—live close, walk close, and be close. But God cannot dwell where we don’t let Him enter.

If we don’t share our real struggles, real fears, real frustrations, then we only let God into the “clean” parts of our soul. And God is longing for more. He wants to be in the places we hide. The people of Israel had just come back from exile. They were discouraged, overwhelmed, and spiritually drained. Yet God says to them: “I am with you… I choose you… be still before Me.” God didn’t wait for them to get better first. God came into their struggle. And God wants to do the same with us.

Zechariah ends with a powerful line: “Silence before the Lord… for He stirs forth from His holy dwelling.” Silence means honesty. Silence means surrender. Silence means letting God in.

So maybe the invitation today is simple: Stop telling God “I’m fine” when you’re not. Let God dwell in the real you—the tired you, the stressed you, the anxious you, the frustrated you. Because God is not scared of your mess. He wants to step into it, bless it, and bring peace to it. When you open your heart honestly, God can finally do what He promised in Zechariah: to dwell with you and restore you.