The mystery of Mary has always challenged faithful and loving Catholics to find ever more perfect symbols and images to express it. The Feast of the Presentation of Mary celebrates a very real aspect of her life: she was a person presented to the Lord, dedicated and consecrated to God. We do not need to know the precise moment she was so dedicated. We need to meditate on Mary herself, incorporating into our own lives her relationship with God. We need the faith to see in her dedication the love of God which makes all things holy. Thus, the prayer for today's Mass summarizes the most important aspect of all our celebrations of Mary: we honour her holiness and glory.

Zechariah begins by encouraging us not to sin and rejoice, and ends by calling us to silence in the presence of God. In the reading from Luke, as Mary sang the Magnificat, so must we sing and rejoice in celebration. But our song should draw us into deep silence before the Lord, otherwise it will be merely a secular song, without grace or inspiration. When silence becomes attentive adoration, it leads us into better song.