The Presentation of Mary in the Temple is November 21. http://www.catholictradition.org/Mary/prayers7.htm
I was thinking a little bit about the Presentation during the week especially in light of what Mary of Agreda wrote in her life of Mary, ' The Mystical City of God' She says that Mary's parents Ann and Joachim were pretty well of. I suppose that explains how that had the money to send Mary to the Temple in Jerusalem for education and I suppose as a kinda gift offering to the Lord. One thing which I think shows Gods planning at this time was that the Jews were very probably the most literate and best educated folks in the world at this time. Of course the Greeks and Romans had a superb education often but mostly for the elite. For the Jews however, as people of the Book it was bottom up and the education on offer was likely the finest in the world. So although we think of Mary as simple and humble, she knew her stuff. So as you hear her saying the Magnificat you are listening to echoes of Scripture all woven together by a lady who knew her stuff back to front and inside out. Anyway one thing I always recall from the book is how Our Lady was bullied at Jerusalem by jealous and nasty fellow boarders. Mary didn't go complaining about this the authorities eventually found out about this and put a stop to it. I was particularly moved later on in the book when it mentions Mary apparently had money troubles and I found this very touching. It reminded me of what Saint Paul says of Jesus, 'A man like us in all things but sin'. We can say this too of mary. But the thing that strikes you about Mary is that she was so docile to the will of God and so open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. I find in my own life when I am in some kinda trouble it takes me a little while to adjust things and like a great sailing ship, it takes me quite a while to trim my sails and steer the right course that God wants. Mary on the other hand only has to be touched by the smallest breeze of the Holy Spirit in the sails of her heart and off she races to change to the direction the good God wants her sailing in!! I think also in Marys life we see something reflected on our own. Sure we endure constant troubles of some little or greater sort but there comes a time{s] of suffering and trial in Our lives that shakes us to the very core of our beings. Make or break stuff. You see this in the life of Mary at times like the Annunciation and the Passion. But Mary sails the great ship of her heart right through these huge storms serenely and with the greatest fortitude. All these little things and not so little reassure me we have a Mother who knows where we are coming from, Bless her.
