Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Today we celebrate the Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This feast dates to the 6^th century in the East and to the 15^th century in the West. This ancient tradition tells us that Mary was taken by her parents, St. Joaquim and St. Anne, to the temple in Jerusalem when she was 3-years-old and dedicated to God.

The Fathers of the Church speculate that the Blessed Virgin, by special dispensation of God, probably attained the use of reason at a very young age. That enabled the Blessed Mother to give the gift of herself to God in the Temple in this occasion.

Mary’s Presentation is just another instance of her fiat, let it be done unto me according to your word. Mary places herself completely in God’s hands.

Mary’s fiat at the Annunciation seems to us such an amazing thing, and it is! But Mary’s fiat was not just a one-time action, but a continual offering of her heart to God. As soon as Mary had the use of reason she consecrated herself to the Lord. She repeated this consecration in her heart every moment of her life.

Sometimes we look at the Saints and all we see is a single amazing event: the Martyrs giving their lives for Christ, St. Francis renouncing all earthly riches, St. Ignatius of Loyola writing the Exercises, St. Maximilian Kolbe offering himself to die for another man in the concentration camp. We tend to think that the saints are all about doing big, spectacular things.

But Mary shows us in this feast that holiness is not just about saying yes to God’s will in a big occasion, but following the Lord in all the little things of daily life. Only in that way can we prepare ourselves to say let it be done at our annunciation or at our Calvary.

Let us imitate the Blessed Virgin saying fiat in our daily lives.