The celebration of the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time reminds us that this liturgical year is approaching to an end. Next Sunday we will celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King and in two weeks the First Sunday of Advent that begins a new liturgical year. Usually when a period of time is about to be concluded we summarize what we have done within it and look forward to a new beginning. So, the liturgical readings do the same by telling us about the day when we see the Son of Man coming in clouds (Mark 13:26).

This Wednesday, November 21st, we observe a memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This feast was celebrated in Jerusalem in the 6th century and was observed mostly in the Eastern Church. In the 16th century it became a feast of the Universal Church. This feast recalls the day when, in according to tradition and apocryphal literature, 3-year old Mary was presented to the Lord in the Jerusalem Temple by her parents Joachim and Anna. This was to carry out the promise made to God when Anna was still childless. Although this event cannot be proven historically it has a profound theological purpose. It continues the impact of the mystery of the Immaculate Conception. It emphasizes that the holiness conferred on Mary from the very beginning of her earthy life was continued through her early childhood and beyond. This encourages us to follow Mary’s example of holiness from the childhood up to the end of our earthly pilgrimage.

Mary, Holy Mother of God, pray for us!

God bless,
Fr. Peter