This mystery is concerned with the journey Mary took forty days after her confinement, to the Temple of God in Jerusalem to offer her Child to Him in accordance with the Jewish Law.
Every first-begotten child belonged to God, but this one in a manner that went beyond expression. Full of quiet dignity in her poverty, Mary placed the Child in the arms of the priest who gave Him back to her after a small offering.
Simeon revealed to those who heard him the fate of the Redeemer, and to Mary the tribulations to be inflicted on the mother: "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and for the rise of many in Israel, and for a sign that shall be contradicted. And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that the thoughts of may hearts may be revealed" (Lk
2:34-35).
In the sweetness of this first friendly gathering there rings a bitter note of suffering. Mary has received her Child from God and put her whole being at His disposal. He was her one and all; but He was not her own. The first festive act of her motherhood was a sacrifice.
What God has given us, if we believe and obey, does not belong to us by nature. The new life is not ours like a talent or a characteristic; it is a gift, and it remains a gift. It is governed by God's will and guidance, and we must always be ready for a call away from ourselves, a transfer to duty, renunciation, and destiny that have their meaning only in the will of God.
~"The Third Joyful Mystery: The Presentation" from The Rosary of Our Lady by Romano GuardiniDear Mary, by your loving fiat, you turned your sacrifice into a hymn of praise. Mother Most Wonderful, may I sing with you for ever the goodness of the Lord. Amen.
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