Homily (Reflection) for the Memorial
of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (21st November, 2018)
on the Gospel and the Memorial
Rev 4:1-11;
Ps 150. (R. Rev 4:8);
Lk 19:11-28.
Mary’s presentation was celebrated in Jerusalem in the
sixth century. The Eastern Church was more interested in the feast, but it does
appear in the West in the 11th century. Although the feast at times disappeared
from the calendar, in the 16th century it became a feast of the universal
Church. As with Mary’s birth, we read of Mary’s presentation in the temple only
in apocryphal literature. In what is recognized as an unhistorical account, the
Protoevangelium of James we read that
Anna and Joachim offered Mary to God in the Temple when she was 3 years old.
This was to carry out a promise made to God when Anna was still childless.[1]
Topic: That third slave.
Jesus told His listeners a parable in which a nobleman before
going to a distant country to get royal power for himself shared ten pounds to
his slaves for business. On his return, the first slave came with extra ten
pounds. The second also came with more five pounds. These were praised and
given ten cities and five cities respectively to rule as rewards. However, the
third slave came forward and reported,
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.
His sentence went thus,
Take the pound from him and give it to the one who has ten
pounds.... 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.
A good number of people like the third slave do not invest
their talents/gifts for various reasons especially for the fear of the unknown.
Just like the slaves in today’s gospel, each and every one of us must give
account of every single talent/gift we have been blessed with. And just like in
the case of the third slave, fear is not and can never be an excuse.
The memorial of the presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
ought to reawaken in us the necessity to invest all our talents wisely. Anything
short of this is failure.
Bible Reading: Rom 2:1-16.
Thought for today: Every gift must be accounted for.
Let us pray: Lord, help us to realise all you
have blessed us with and to put them into good use – Amen.
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others if you consider it worthy.
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May
God bless you all+
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