I’ve always wondered why The Presentation of Our Lord is one of the Joyful Mysteries. It never made sense to me how Mama Mary remained so joyful when she received the prophecy from Simeon. He explained to her that:
. . . this child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too (Luke 2:34-35).
In fact, the prophecy of Simeon is actually one of the Seven Sorrows of Mary. How could this moment be both joyful AND sorrowful at the same time? It was in this moment that Mama Mary caught a glimpse of the weight of her own cross, the cross of obediently surrendering of her only son for the salvation of humanity… the very cross that will pierce her own soul.
Perhaps her joy was in the act of letting go. She must have understood that in letting her Son go, she not only entrusted Jesus to the Father but her own soul to Him as well. By surrendering her life to the Father, she made way for her unwaivering faith to grow all the more. And–if you really think about it–what did she really have to lose in placing all of her trust in a faithful and loving God? In her obedience and trust, she allowed herself to experience the fullness of God’s plan in her life. She experienced the Lord’s eternal mercy pour out of her pierced heart, leading her to witness the Lord’s love conquer her life.
As I reflect on my own life, there is no doubt that Lord is asking me to surrender myself to Him. He asks the same of all of us, actually. Most of the time I blind myself from the blessings to come because I am too focused on what he asks of me to give up. I can’t help but ask myself, ‘Jess, what is the posture of your surrender?’ However, there are four messages from the Lord that still resonate loud clear from our past MV Shout, one of which is this:
“Let go of this so I can show you more.“
Mama Mary, please pray for us. Show us how to be obedient to the Lord’s call just as you were because of your unwaivering faith. May you continually pull our hand so that we may meet Christ at the foot of His of cross and experience the Lord’s never ending blessings.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
AMDG.
