The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of those feasts where devotion and liturgical history must be held together without confusion. The beloved picture of Mary as a child presented in the Temple comes from apocryphal sources, and that should be said plainly. At the same time the feast itself has a real history of growth, beginning in the East and only gradually entering the West. The Roman liturgy does not simply declare the familiar Temple story to be established historical fact.

Instead, the feast allows the Church to honor the holy beginning of Mary’s life while keeping a proper distinction between devotional tradition and firmer historical footing. That is what gives the feast its particular honesty. The tradition is neither mocked nor treated as if it were Scripture. It is held reverently, while the liturgical history of the celebration remains clear.