Daily Meditation for November 21, 2024
Today, November 21, commemorates the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin as a child at the Temple in Jerusalem. Before Mary’s birth, her parents Joachim and Anne received a heavenly message that they would bear a child. In thanksgiving for the gift of Mary’s birth, they brought her to the Temple to consecrate their only daughter to the Lord. The Jewish people always considered family heritage an important part of their identity. But this is all we know of Mary’s family. We know that there is often a special relationship between children and their grandparents. We have to use our imagination to fill in what Joachim and Anna meant to their grandson Jesus. Did Joachim take Jesus fishing? Did Anna bake special treats for him? Did they brag about him to their friends? This family feast day has been celebrated in the Byzantine Catholic Church since the 11th Century and in the Roman Church since 1585.
By Lois Wedl, OSB