Wednesday:    Presentation of Mary.
Date:         November 21, 2018.
Year:         B
The readings: [Rev. 4:1-11; Lk. 19:11-28]
The message:  Faithfully serving the Lord God.
Prepared by:  Catholic Doors Ministry.
Total words:  950

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May I take this opportunity to wish you all a happy Feast of the Presentation of Mary. The origin of this Feast is at least 400 years old. It was first commemorated in the Western Liturgical Calendar in 1585.

Some of you may wonder why we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of Mary. It is to commemorate the day on which the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saints Anne and Joachim, presented Mary at the age of three to the Temple of God. This was done in accordance with the Jewish Custom that parents present their child to God at the Temple before the age of five.

In a way, we can say that the Presentation of Mary to the Temple is a picture of the Baptism of infants, when the newborns are presented to God for admission into the Body of Christ.

Another parallel that is found in the Jewish tradition versus today is in the education of the children. In the days of the Old Testament, children who remained in the Temple as Mary did, were educated in the ways of God by the priest. Nowadays, those who are baptized as infants, they are educated in the Catholic faith by their parents and godparents who are members of the common priesthood. [1 Pet. 2:5]

When I say, "they are educated in the Catholic faith," this is to be understood as a reference to those parents and godparents who fulfill their promises before God and the Church by nurturing the child in the Catholic Faith.

In today's First Reading from the Second Book of Maccabees, [2 Macc. 7:1, 20-31] we find a parallel between the mother of the seven boys who were martyred and the Blessed Virgin Mary as the mother of the Lord Jesus. In 2 Macc. 7:20, I read, "The mother was especially admirable and worthy of honourable memory. Although she saw her seven sons perish within a single day, she bore it with good courage because of her hope in the Lord."

Equally, when the Blessed Virgin Mary saw her beloved Son Jesus crucified on the cross, she bore the mental anguish with great courage because her hope was in the fulfillment of the prophecies that had been foretold to her by the angel of God, [Lk. 1:26], by her cousin Elizabeth, [Lk. 1:42-5] by the shepherds, [Lk. 2:17] by Simeon, [Lk. 2:34-5] and by Anna, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher. [Lk. 2:38] Mary steadfastly maintained her hope against all hopes.

During the First Reading, we also heard that the young man walked towards his death. [2 Macc. 7:30-1] As Jesus obeyed the Heavenly Father to end by dying on the Holy Cross, the young man also remained steadfast to his faith until the end. As Jesus prepared Himself for the glory that awaited Him after the glorious Resurrection, the young man believed that the Lord God would raise him one day so he would be reunited with his mother and brothers. At that time, they would be rewarded for having remained steadfast in their faith.

Today's Reading from the Gospel of Luke [Lk. 19:11-28] also speaks of the eternal reward that awaits those who persevere in their living faith. In this holy reading, Jesus used the Parable of the Ten Pounds as the means of emphasizing the importance of bearing fruits in one's life.

One slave received ten pounds. Another received five. And yet another only received one. In other words, one person was blessed with ten talents, the second with five talents and the last with only one talent. By the grace of the Heavenly Father and the power of the Holy Spirit, the first two enjoyed overwhelming spiritual growth to the extent of becoming more in the likeness of the Lord Jesus. They took every opportunity that were placed before them to grow in the fruit of the Holy Spirit, in "charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity." [Gal. 5:22-23]

The last slave, having only one talent, he had the opportunity to grow in five, ten, fifteen and even twenty talents. What did he do? He buried his talent. He experienced no spiritual growth in his life. He lacked charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, etc... These were not important to him. Consequently, he lost all what he had, that being nothing! As such it will be on Judgment Day when the foolish ones will be condemned for eternity.

Coming back to today's Feast of Mary, in her we see the fruit of her wisdom. Create immaculate through the goodness of the Lord God, the blessed Virgin Mary remained in her pure state until her last breath. Blessed by God, she was given many gifts, including the tender and loving care of the Son of God. Successfully fulfilling her commission, she was blessed even more. By the grace of God, the Virgin Mary was elevated to the title of the Mother of God. The Holy Catholic Church elevated her to the titles of the "Assumption of Mary" and the "Immaculate Conception." These and many more were her rewards for having persevered until the end of her life on earth.

As we continue with the celebration of the Holy Mass, let us pray for strength to always faithfully serve the Lord as the Blessed Virgin Mother has done. Let us pray to obtain the same strength that the mother of the seven boys had. Let us pray that we will always remain faithful in the gifts that have been given to us by the grace of God so we may take these little flowers and present them to God as blooming bouquets at the end of our earthly lives.

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The readings...

[The readings were taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible (C) 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the United States of America.]

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First Reading...

"In my vision I looked, and there in heaven a door stood open! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.’ At once I was in the spirit,* and there in heaven stood a throne, with one seated on the throne! And the one seated there looks like jasper and cornelian, and around the throne is a rainbow that looks like an emerald.

Around the throne are twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones are twenty-four elders, dressed in white robes, with golden crowns on their heads. Coming from the throne are flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and in front of the throne burn seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God; and in front of the throne there is something like a sea of glass, like crystal.

Around the throne, and on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with a face like a human face, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and inside. Day and night without ceasing they sing, ‘Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come.’

And whenever the living creatures give glory and honour and thanks to the one who is seated on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall before the one who is seated on the throne and worship the one who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing, ‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.’" [Rev. 4:1-11]

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Gospel Reading...

"As they were listening, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. So he said, ‘A nobleman went to a distant country to get royal power for himself and then return. He summoned ten of his slaves, and gave them ten pounds, and said to them, “Do business with these until I come back.”

But the citizens of his country hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, “We do not want this man to rule over us.”

When he returned, having received royal power, he ordered these slaves, to whom he had given the money, to be summoned so that he might find out what they had gained by trading.

The first came forward and said, “Lord, your pound has made ten more pounds.” The nobleman said to him, “Well done, good slave! Because you have been trustworthy in a very small thing, take charge of ten cities.”

Then the second came, saying, “Lord, your pound has made five pounds.” The nobleman said to him, “And you, rule over five cities.”

Then the other came, saying, “Lord, here is your pound. I wrapped it up in a piece of cloth, for I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man; you take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.” The nobleman said to him, “I will judge you by your own words, you wicked slave! You knew, did you, that I was a harsh man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? Why then did you not put my money into the bank? Then when I returned, I could have collected it with interest.”

The nobleman said to the bystanders, “Take the pound from him and give it to the one who has ten pounds.” And they said to him, “Lord, he has ten pounds!” The nobleman “I tell you, to all those who have, more will be given; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and slaughter them in my presence.”’

After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem." [Lk. 19:11-28]

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