The Presentation of the Blessed
Virgin Mary
Psalter: Week I
White
In unity with Eastern Christianity and commemorating the dedication in 543 of the New Basilica of Saint Mary, this feast celebrates Mary’s “dedication” of herself to God from her infancy, inspired by the Holy Spirit, whose grace had filled her ever since her immaculate conception.
Entrance Antiphon
Hail, Holy Mother, who gave birth to the King who rules heaven and earth for ever.
Collect
As we venerate the glorious memory of the most holy Virgin Mary, grant, we pray, O Lord, through her intercession, that we, too, may merit to receive from the fullness of your grace. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading : 1 Maccabees 4:36-37,52-59
Judas and his brothers said, ‘Now that our enemies have been defeated, let us go up to purify the sanctuary and dedicate it.’ So they marshalled the whole army, and went up to Mount Zion. On the twenty-fifth of the ninth month, Chislev, in the year one hundred and forty-eight, they rose at dawn and offered a lawful sacrifice on the new altar of holocausts which they had made. The altar was dedicated, to the sound of zithers, harps and cymbals, at the same time of year and on the same day on which the pagans had originally profaned it. The whole people fell prostrate in adoration, praising to the skies him who had made them so successful. For eight days they celebrated the dedication of the altar, joyfully offering holocausts, communion sacrifices and thanksgivings. They ornamented the front of the Temple with crowns and bosses of gold, repaired the gates and the storerooms and fitted them with doors. There was no end to the rejoicing among the people, and the reproach of the pagans was lifted from them. Judas, with his brothers and the whole assembly of Israel, made it a law that the days of the dedication of the altar should be celebrated yearly at the proper season, for eight days beginning on the twenty-fifth of the month Chislev, with rejoicing and gladness.
Responsorial Psalm : 1 Chronicles 29:10-12
R/ We praise your glorious name, O Lord.
Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, for ever, for ages unending.
Yours, Lord, are greatness and power, and splendour and triumph and glory. All is yours, in heaven and on earth.
Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom, you are supreme over all. Both honour and riches come from you.
You are the ruler of all, from your hand come strength and power, from your hand come greatness and might.
Gospel Acclamation : 2Tim1:10
Alleluia, alleluia! Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death and he has proclaimed life through the Good News. Alleluia!
Gospel : Luke 19:45-48
Jesus went into the Temple and began driving out those who were selling. ‘According to scripture,’ he said ‘my house will be a house of prayer. But you have turned it into a robbers’ den.’ He taught in the Temple every day. The chief priests and the scribes, with the support of the leading citizens, tried to do away with him, but they did not see how they could carry this out because the people as a whole hung on his words.
Prayer over the Offerings
Receive, O Lord, we ask, the prayers of your people with the sacrificial offerings, that, through the intercession of Blessed Mary, the Mother of your Son, no petition may go unanswered, no request be made in vain. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Lk 11: 27
Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the Son of the eternal Father.
Prayer after Communion
As we receive this heavenly Sacrament, we beseech, O Lord, your mercy, that we, who rejoice in commemorating the Blessed Virgin Mary, may by imitating her serve worthily the mystery of our redemption. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of Mary, which invites reflection on the Mary’s early life and her dedication to the Lord in the Temple. In the Gospel, Jesus enters the Temple and cleanses it, emphasising the sanctity of this sacred space for worship and communion with God. Although not directly related to Mary’s presentation, we can still draw a beautiful connection from it in the Gospel. Just as Jesus is passionate about the Temple’s sanctity and wants it to be a place of worship and communion with God, Mary’s presentation in the Temple is dedicating her to God’s service. Her parents, Joachim and Anne, offer her to God, just as we should offer ourselves to God in our lives. Mary’s life serves as a living example of dedication and service to the Lord. She uniquely carries God in her womb, making her a “house of God.” On this Feast of the Presentation of Mary, let us emulate her example of total dedication to the Lord. May we cleanse our hearts, removing obstacles hindering us from fully embracing God’s will. Inspired by Mary’s resounding “yes” to God’s plan, let us respond with a heart full of faith and love, committing ourselves wholeheartedly to the Lord.