Today we celebrate the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin in the temple in Jerusalem by her mother and father, Sts. Joachim and Anna. They were childless and told that they would have a blessed child. This presentation of her to God was in fulfillment of a vow to give the child back to God to be educated and raised in the temple as a consecrated virgin in preparation for her role as the future Mother of the Messiah.
To preserve her consecration to God, she was espoused later to the older Joseph, who would protect her. St. Joseph was a widower and already had a family, hence the “siblings” of Christ Jesus mentioned in scripture. (Also, the word in Hebrew for sibling and cousin is the same. Our Lady had only one child, Our Lord Jesus Christ.)
This day is called The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the West and The Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos, (God-bearer) Into the Temple in the East. It is the day that women called Mary and Despoina in the East celebrate as their Name Day.
Blessed be the Great Mother of God, Mary Most Holy
Blessed be her Holy and Immaculate Conception
Blessed be her Glorious Assumption
Blessed be the Name of Mary, Virgin and Mother!
