Today, we celebrate the Presentation of Mary, and what we know of the Presentation comes from Luke's account of the Presentation of Jesus (Lk.2:22-40) where the requirements of the Torah were fulfilled. Baby girls were not generally presented in the Temple, but tradition has always held Mary in high esteem, and tradition has it that she was retained in the Temple after her presentation, and was carefully prepared for her sacred task. She brought Jesus into the world by doing the will of the Father in Heaven. We know that she is regarded as the "preeminent and altogether singular member of the Church" (Lumen Gentium), and she lived a "pilgrimage of faith" for she was a model and exemplar of faith, charity and union with Christ.

When Jesus asked Who is my mother? Who are my brothers? i.e. the members of his extended family? he was not rejecting her. Rather, he was proclaiming that dedication to the will of the Father is the mark of His true family, for who else, if not Mary, was more obedient to the Father's will? Bishop Fulton Sheen says, "Obedience does not mean the execution of orders given by a drill sergeant. It springs, rather, from the love of an order, and love of Him who gave it. The merit of obedience ... is in the love." (The World's First Love: Chapter 8).

Our celebration today is for Mary, blessed for her biological relationship with her Son, but even more blessed for her dedication to her Father's will.