November 21 is the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Every Marian feast is as special as she is.

Today we commemorate how our Lady was especially consecrated to God from an early age. At the Annunciation we learn that she had even consecrated her virginity… the Angel Gabriel tells Mary that she is to bear a son to which she replies in wonder “how shall this happen since I know not man”?  If she is already betrothed to a man–and she was–why would she ask that question at the outset? Unless said she knew that her marriage was to be a celibate one!  From this we can see that she was also planning to remain a virgin.

Our Lady always did the will of God. She was called to give herself completely to God as a virgin. She responded “yes” with love…even if it meant the sacrifice of having no children. Then God willed that she miraculously  conceive and bear a son—God himself—while she would remain a virgin! She responded “yes” with love…even if meant that people would question her virginity because a woman who is pregnant sure doesn’t look like a virgin. The Blessed Virgin always responded to the will of God with love.  At Calvary her response would be no different.

One day as Our Lord Jesus was teaching, a woman in the crowd shouted out: “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!”. And He answered, “blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” Let’s ask His Blessed Mother and ours, to help us to hear the word of God and keep it until it bears fruit unto eternity.