Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

by

Friday, 21 November 2025 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we all listened to the words of the Sacred Scriptures on this day when the Church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we are reminded on this celebration of the great role of Mary, the Mother of God, our great role model in how we ought to live up to our Christian faith. On this day we remember how Mary herself had been presented to the Lord, dedicated and committed to Him, in a life truly consecrated and blessed by God’s grace for her to carry out faithfully everything that she has been entrusted to do, in the very crucial role that she would be undertaking as the Mother of the Saviour and Son of God sent into this world for our salvation.

In our first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Zechariah, we heard of the words of the Lord’s assurance for His people, the descendants of the Israelites in Judah and Jerusalem, who at that time had faced lots of humiliation and struggles because of their sinfulness, disobedience and wickedness in their way of life. As a result, the people of God had been defeated, conquered and scattered away from the lands that the Lord Himself has entrusted to them. But the prophet Zechariah gave them all as with the other prophets, the reassurances that the Lord, Who is their God and Master, and Who has loved them very generously and sincerely, will always provide for them and will not abandon them in their time and hour of need.

That was why we are reminded of the great and loving promises of God, and no matter how difficult things may turn out to be in our lives, there can and will always hope for us as long as we trust in the Lord and His providence for us. We should never give up on our faith in the Lord but continue to move forward trusting in Him and walking ever more courageously in the Presence of God and men alike. Each and every one of us should always be like Mary, the Mother of God, who has always trusted in God even when she encountered many things that she did not fully understand, such as what happened at the Annunciation when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her with the Good News that she would become the Mother of the Son of God, and also when the curious and strange words of Simeon and Anna came to her when she went to present her Son at the Temple, among many other occasions and occurrences. Mary remained firmly faithful throughout all these.

In our Gospel reading today, taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew the Evangelist, we heard of the moment when the Lord Jesus was teaching and His family, His mother and His relatives were waiting on Him as He was teaching the people, and as we heard how the Lord told those people who said to Him that His mother and family members were there, we are reminded that the Lord did not practice favouritism or nepotism, unlike what was usually common practices back then and even now. Most people would have given preferential treatment, preference and bias to those who are closest to them, to family members and those who are related to them by blood. But to the Lord, everyone is equal and all are equally precious, dear and beloved to them.

This is why as long as we are faithful to the Lord, obeying His Law and commandments, we will be worthy of the Lord Who sees the heart and Who does not discriminate in His love, compassion and kindness towards each and every one of us. God has always wanted us to find our path towards Him and the manner that we can do this is by listening to Him speaking in our hearts and minds, knowing what it is that He truly calls each and every one of us to do. In our respective lives, God has given us all various talents, abilities and opportunities for us to make good use of them for the benefit and advantage of all those whom we encounter in our daily lives. This is our Christian calling and obedience, and what we should always do in each and every moments, in all of our dealings and interactions with one another.

Then, we are reminded of the significance of what we are celebrating today in this Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, where we recall the moment when Mary, the Mother of God was presented at the Temple of God in Jerusalem by her family. According to Apostolic tradition and Church teachings, Mary was the only child of her parents, St. Joachim and St. Anne, who came from priestly family and background. Mary as the eldest child was therefore presented and offered to God as was customary, and it was also told according to traditions that Mary was offered at the Temple as a consecrated daughter of God, and was therefore dedicated to God as she has always been intended for, prepared from the beginning to be the one to bear the Saviour and Son of God within her.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore as we rejoice together in the memory of the joyful Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, let us remember that each and every one of us have also been given various unique responsibilities and calling in life, in our own diverse ministries and areas in life. Through our baptism we have become parts and members of God’s Church, and we have been given the mission and responsibilities to carry out God’s will in our lives, to be His true and committed disciples, in each and every moments that we have lived, in our every interactions and journey in life. The question is are we aware of the various missions and responsibilities that we have been entrusted with? Are we willing to carry out what God has given to us to do, brothers and sisters in Christ?

Let us all therefore continue to strive to do what God has wanted us to do in our lives, striving to be ever more committed in all things and to trust in Him leading us down the right paths in life. May the Lord continue to strengthen and encourage us all in our every moments in life so that we may always be exemplary, good and faithful in all things, and our lives may be good inspiration and examples for everyone around us, now and always. Amen.

by

Friday, 21 November 2025 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 12 : 46-50

At that time, while Jesus was talking to the people, His mother and His brothers wanted to speak to Him, and they waited outside. So someone said to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside; they want to speak with You.”

Jesus answered, “Who is My mother? Who are My brothers?” Then He pointed to His disciples and said, “Look! Here are My mother and My brothers. Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

by

Friday, 21 November 2025 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 1 : 46-47, 48-49, 50-51, 52-53, 54-55

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God, my Saviour!

He has looked upon His servant, in her lowliness, and people, forever, will call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, Holy is His Name!

From age to age, His mercy extends to those who live in His presence. He has acted with power and done wonders, and scattered the proud with their plans.

He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up those who are downtrodden. He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.

He held out His hand to Israel, His servant, for He remembered His mercy, even as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.

by

Friday, 21 November 2025 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Zechariah 2 : 14-17

Sing and rejoice, o daughter of Zion, for I am about to come, I shall dwell among you,” says YHVH. “On that day, many nations will join YHVH and be My people, but My dwelling is among you.”

The people of Judah will be for YHVH as His portion in His holy land. He will choose Jerusalem again. Keep still in YHVH’s presence, for He comes, having risen from His holy dwelling.

by

Thursday, 21 November 2024 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we listened to the words of the Lord in the Scriptures, we are reminded of the great and most loving Mother of God, Mary, who is also our Mother on this day, when we are celebrating the Feast of her Presentation at the Temple and House of God. On this day we remember the time when Mary, when she was just born into this world, she was presented to the Lord at His Temple following His instruction in the Law and commandments that all the firstborn children were to be offered to Him. According to Church and Apostolic tradition, Mary, the Mother of God was presented at the Temple of God by her parents, St. Joachim and St. Anne, as their firstborn and only daughter, dedicating her for the purpose which they then had not known or realised yet.

For Mary has been specially set aside by the Lord Himself to be the one to bear His Presence in the flesh, as He became incarnate in this world, assuming our human nature by the will of the Father and power of the Holy Spirit, that the Son of God might be present in our midst, as the Son of Man, to be carried and born from Mary, who therefore would hence be known as the Mother of God. And because she herself is to bear the Divine Son of God, hence, the Church teaches that through the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary that she had been conceived free from the taint of original sin and had been in the state of fullness of grace throughout all of her life. This means that Mary has been completely obedient to the Lord and having also therefore been presented to God at the Temple, it also symbolically marked how she has been prepared for the important role she was to have in the story of our salvation.

In our first reading today taken from the Book of the prophet Zechariah we heard of the reassurance of God’s salvation and His providence to His people which He delivered to them all through His prophet, amidst all the hardships, challenges and difficulties that they had all endured because of their own disobedience and refusal to obey God’s words and will. The Lord has never forgotten or abandoned them all despite their disobedience, wickedness and stubbornness in refusing to follow His Law and commandments. And He has kept on promising His salvation and deliverance to all of them, all throughout the time, encouraging and strengthening them, guiding and helping them through His many prophets and messengers, including that of Zechariah himself.

All these would hence be fulfilled in due time, a few centuries after the time of the prophet Zechariah, when as mentioned, when Mary came to be in this world, set aside by God to be the faithful servant and the woman through whom His salvation, the long awaited Saviour would come into this world. God has not forgotten about His people and He proved it all through the sending of this woman, preserved and kept from all the taints of sin and evil so that the Saviour may come through her into this world, bringing forth the light and hope that had long been dimmed by a world filled with sin and darkness. Through Mary, and her willingness to follow the Lord and to do what she has been entrusted to do, all of us have received the assurance of salvation and eternal life, the straight path back towards the Lord and the glory of Heaven that has always been intended for us.

For Mary is indeed the New Eve, the one who directs us all to the New Adam, that is Christ Himself, her beloved Son and our Saviour. While the first and old Adam had disobeyed God and sinned against Him, the New Adam, Our Lord and Saviour as the New Man obeyed perfectly the will of His Father and became for us therefore the source of salvation and eternal life. And this is mirrored by the examples of His own Mother Mary, who as the New Eve obeyed the Lord and refused to follow the path of sin done by the first and original Eve, who gave in to temptation and disobeyed the Lord’s words and command, choosing to follow the whim of human desire and ambition rather than to follow and trust in the Lord. Mary obeyed perfectly when she was entrusted with the most important mission of bearing the Saviour in her.

Then, from our Gospel passage today taken from the Gospel according to St. Matthew, we heard of the occasion when the Lord was teaching the people and then some of them were telling Him that His Mother, Mary and some of His relatives, brothers from His family but not the sons of Mary, were there waiting on Him, as they commonly followed Him in some of His ministries and works. But the Lord seemed to rebuke them when He said that His mother and brothers are those who have listened to the Lord, obeyed His will and commandments, and followed Him wholeheartedly. Indeed, if we only read His words at face value and did not truly understand His intentions, those words might seem to be very rude, but this was not what the Lord intended.

In fact, the Lord was highlighting His own Mother’s perfect and most exemplary faith, shown through her total obedience to the will of God and her commitment to the mission entrusted to her. It was at the same time also a reminder to everyone including each one of us that the Lord has no favouritism, unlike those commonly practiced by the people of His time and even that of ours. It does not mean that being related to Him or being a close disciple of His would guarantee that one would be honoured more and praised, or receiving more rights to salvation than others who did not have such a connection. All of us are equally beloved by God and we all have equal opportunities to come to the Lord and be reconciled to Him. And Mary herself has also shown her most wonderful faith by example, and we truly honour her not just because she is the Mother of God, of Our Lord and Saviour but also by her most wonderful and exemplary faith in God.

As we have heard from our Scripture passages today, we are therefore reminded to be like Mary, the Mother of God and our Mother, whose faith and dedication to God, whose love for her Son, Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and also her love for us are truly wonderful and beautiful to behold. We are all called to dedicate ourselves and our lives to the Lord, and to follow Him wholeheartedly at all times, in all the occasions and circumstances of our lives. May the Lord continue to bless us all and our every efforts, and through the constant intercession of His Blessed and most loving Mother, who is also our Mother, we may continue to be encouraged and strengthened to allow us to follow our Lord faithfully and ever more courageously in each and every moments of our lives. May God be with us always and may He continue to guide in our journey in life, together with His most loving Mother Mary, our own beloved Mother. Amen.

by

Thursday, 21 November 2024 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 12 : 46-50

At that time, while Jesus was talking to the people, His mother and His brothers wanted to speak to Him, and they waited outside. So someone said to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside; they want to speak with You.”

Jesus answered, “Who is My mother? Who are My brothers?” Then He pointed to His disciples and said, “Look! Here are My mother and My brothers. Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

by

Thursday, 21 November 2024 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Luke 1 : 46-47, 48-49, 50-51, 52-53, 54-55

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God, my Saviour!

He has looked upon His servant, in her lowliness, and people, forever, will call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, Holy is His Name!

From age to age, His mercy extends to those who live in His presence. He has acted with power and done wonders, and scattered the proud with their plans.

He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and lifted up those who are downtrodden. He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.

He held out His hand to Israel, His servant, for He remembered His mercy, even as He promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.

by

Thursday, 21 November 2024 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Zechariah 2 : 14-17

Sing and rejoice, o daughter of Zion, for I am about to come, I shall dwell among you,” says YHVH. “On that day, many nations will join YHVH and be My people, but My dwelling is among you.”

The people of Judah will be for YHVH as His portion in His holy land. He will choose Jerusalem again. Keep still in YHVH’s presence, for He comes, having risen from His holy dwelling.

by

Tuesday, 21 November 2023 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today the Church celebrates the occasion of the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, commemorating the moment when Mary, the Mother of God, was presented at the Temple of Jerusalem, the House of God in accordance to the rules and ways of the Law of God. She was presented and consecrated to God, as a prefigurement of the role that she would later on play in the history of our salvation. Indeed, Mary has been prepared and set aside by the Lord from the very beginning, from before she was even conceived, to be the one to bring forth the salvation into the world. She was set aside, made special, and by the singular grace of God, she was spared from the corruption of original sin and all the taints and corruptions of sin henceforth, that she was truly conceived without sin.

This is what the Church has taught and preserved from the very beginning, in the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that Dogma, the Church teaches that Mary had been spared from the effects of sin, which had afflicted us from the very beginning of time, when our first ancestors, Adam and Eve, chose to disobey the Lord and embraced the path of sin, the path that Satan had offered and tempted them with. All mankind had been afflicted by the corruption and have to suffer the consequences of sin ever since, that is death. However, Mary was prepared special by the Lord because she has a particular destiny and purpose, that is to become the one to bear the Saviour of the whole world, as the Mother of God herself.

In our first reading today, we heard from the Book of the prophet Zechariah in which the prophet spoke of God’s words and reassurance for all of His people that He would send them His salvation, and everyone of them would rejoice once again because He would dwell among them once again, and that they would be saved from their predicament and troubles. The Lord would once again dwell among His people, just as He had done in the days past, when the Ark of the Covenant was in the first Temple of God built by King Solomon. Ever since the people disobeyed the Lord and abandoned Him for the pagan gods and idols, they had been cast out and punished, but the Lord never did abandon or neglect them. He still continued to send out messengers, prophets and helpers in order to help and guide them in their path towards Him.

It was exactly through Mary that God and His salvation has come into this world, because as we all know and are going to prepare to celebrate later in Advent and Christmas, by the will of the Father and by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Divine Word of God Himself has become flesh, incarnate into Man, and was conceived in the hallowed womb of Mary, to become a Child and born of her. And because of this, it is essential that she is hallowed and made to be worthy of God Himself being present within her. Why is that so, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because linking to the Ark of the Covenant which I mentioned just earlier, which is representing God’s Holy Presence among His people, Mary is the New Ark of the New Covenant which God would make and establish with His people, through the Son to be born of Mary’s womb, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

The original Ark of the Covenant contained the two stone tablets upon which the Law of God had been inscribed and written, the Ten Commandments as we are all familiar with, as well as the manna, the heavenly bread with which the Lord fed His people, the Israelites, throughout the entirety of their forty years long sojourn and travel from the land of Egypt to the Promised Land, as well as the Staff of Aaron, the staff of priestly authority and leadership, with which God had performed many of His signs and wonders through Moses and Aaron, and which represented the leadership of God’s people. And it was upon this Ark of the Covenant, crafted from the finest materials and decorated with the golden Cherubim on top, that the Lord descended upon His people, seated upon the Ark, and hence, becoming the very tangible sign of His Presence in this world.

Then, comparing this to what the Lord would bring forth through Mary, there is an even far greater Covenant and things that happened than the original Ark of the Covenant. The original Ark of the Covenant, which was made from the finest materials and wrought with human hands, was so holy that no one was allowed to directly touch it, and in one instance, when one of the priests accidentally touched it, he was immediately struck dead. Why is that so? That is because God is so Holy and perfect that no sin and imperfection, corruption and evil may exist in His Presence and remain. Hence, the same logic applies as well to Mary, who was to become the vessel of God Himself, this time truly present and tangible in the flesh, in His Holy Presence, the Almighty and all-Holy God descending into our world through Mary. That was why, she was set aside and hallowed, Immaculate, free from any taints of sin throughout her life, being full of God’s grace.

Now, on this day, as we commemorate this Feast of the Presentation of Mary, the Blessed Mother of God, let us all therefore look upon Mary, the one through whom God had done so many great and wonderful works, in bringing forth His salvation into this world. What is important is, we must also realise that Mary is not just worthy of veneration, honour and following because of her having been set aside by the Lord to be the holy vessel for Our Lord and Saviour, but she herself had lived her life worthily of the Lord, at all times throughout her life. She has shown what it means for us to live a good, holy and worthy Christian living, in all of our lives, our words, actions and deeds. And she is therefore a great inspiration and role model for all of us, just as she has also always encouraged us to remain true and faithful to the Lord as our loving Mother.

When the Lord in our Gospel passage today was talking about those who follow the Lord, obey His will and Law are those who are His mother and family members, He was not actually disrespecting His own Mother, who was there waiting on Him and following Him. Rather, on the contrary, the Lord was actually pointing to everyone who listened to Him, to follow the examples of His own loving Mother in all the things that they say and do. Therefore, all of us should also do the same in our own lives, in doing what the Lord has told and taught us to do, in living our lives, carrying out our actions and interactions, with the Lord as the focus and emphasis in them. Let our lives be the shining beacons of God’s light and truth, His love and compassion to others, that more and more may come to know Him as His love.

May the Lord, our loving God and Master continue to love us and strengthen us in faith, and may through the good examples and inspirations of His Blessed Mother, Mary, who is our mother too, we all may come ever closer to the Lord and His Holy Presence. May all of us be blessed in our every good efforts and endeavours, all for the greater glory of God, now and always. Amen.

by

Tuesday, 21 November 2023 : 33rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 12 : 46-50

At that time, while Jesus was talking to the people, His mother and His brothers wanted to speak to Him, and they waited outside. So someone said to Him, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside; they want to speak with You.”

Jesus answered, “Who is My mother? Who are My brothers?” Then He pointed to His disciples and said, “Look! Here are My mother and My brothers. Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”