The Plans are Sealed
Nov. 21: Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today’s feast is something we know must have happened; Mary, being a Jew born near the end of the first century BC, would definitely have been presented at the temple. The specific event wasn’t recorded in the canonical Gospels, however, so none of the readings reflect the memorial.
Still, tradition1 holds that Mary's parents, Joachim and Anne, had been childless, until an angel appeared and told them they would have a daughter. In thanksgiving, they brought her to the Temple in Jerusalem to consecrate her to God. She remained at the Temple for a long while, so she could be educated and prepared for her role as the Mother of God.
“The heavens opened up,” Saint Francis de Sales said, and the whole choir of angels “leaned over the balustrades of the heavenly Jerusalem to see and admire this darling child.”
Reading 1
Rv 5:1-10
I, John, saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who sat on the throne. It had writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a mighty angel who proclaimed in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”
But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to examine it. I shed many tears because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to examine it. One of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has triumphed, enabling him to open the scroll with its seven seals.”
Then I saw standing in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures and the elders a Lamb that seemed to have been slain. He had seven horns and seven eyes; these are the seven spirits of God sent out into the whole world. He came and received the scroll from the right hand of the one who sat on the throne. When he took it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones. They sang a new hymn:
“Worthy are you to receive the scroll and break open its seals, for you were slain and with your Blood you purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue, people and nation. You made them a kingdom and priests for our God, and they will reign on earth.”
The significance of a seal is that it keeps the contents of a letter secret. There are seven seals, because this scroll is kept perfectly secret, from all except God. It’s God’s plan for the salvation of humanity.
The only man who can see this plan is Jesus (who is one of the three persons of the Holy Trinity). Notice that the elder called Him a “lion of the tribe of Judah.” That’s what the Jews were expecting from the messiah—a fierce warrior. Instead, what arrives is a lamb—a sacrifice. That’s the plan nobody saw coming.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b
R. (Rev. 5:10) The Lamb has made us a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
Sing to the LORD a new song
of praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
let the children of Zion rejoice in their king.
R. The Lamb has made us a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
Let them praise his name in the festive dance,
let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.
For the LORD loves his people,
and he adorns the lowly with victory.
R. The Lamb has made us a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy upon their couches;
Let the high praises of God be in their throats.
This is the glory of all his faithful. Alleluia.
R. The Lamb has made us a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
Here’s the second-to-last psalm, another song of glorification. But notice the refrain is not from the psalm, but rather today’s first reading. Again, no one knew the Messiah was going to be a sacrificial victim.
But that doesn’t make God’s victory over sin and death any less glorious. In fact, it makes it more so!
Alleluia
Ps 95:8
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God’s hidden plan will inevitably surprise us. We shouldn’t reject it when we hear it.
Gospel
Lk 19:41-44
As Jesus drew near Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace–but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”
Jesus knew that the Jews would reject Him. More than that, He knows we all will at some time or other. Life would be so much easier if we just accepted God into our hearts. But due to sin, it’s a kind of peace we won’t fully know in this life.
Instead, we’ll suffer the consequences of our actions, and He will sacrifice Himself according to God’s plan for salvation.
But not official Church teaching, so we’re not bound to believe this.