Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
“The Annunciation” by Leonardo da Vinci depicts the moment when the archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary to announce that she would bear a son, who would be the King of Kings. The Virgin Mary, who receives the good news, is sitting behind a marble lectern where she is reading. The Virgin has stopped reading and reacts to the Annunciation with an expression of deep respect and by gesturing with her left hand. While the book on the reading desk represents the word of God, there have been many interpretations of what kind of book she is reading. One of the interpretations is that Mary is reading the book of Prophet Isaiah, which says that a virgin shall conceive. Indeed, Origen argued that Mary was learned in Hebrew scriptures, and she had studied the law and the prophets. Her wisdom and learning prepared her to understand the angel’s Annunciation and receive the good news that she will give birth to the Son of God.
Mary's love of wisdom and study cannot be separated from her presentation to the Temple we are celebrating today. The tradition says that in thanksgiving for the birth of Mary, her parents Joachim and Anne decide to consecrate her to God and bring her to the Temple in Jerusalem at three years old. Mary remained in the Temple until her twelfth year, at which point Joseph was assigned to be her guardian. During those years in the Temple, she grew in her love for the words and teaching of the scriptures, which enabled her to understand the angel’s announcement. An ancient Syriac dialogue between Joseph and Mary imagines how Joseph rebukes Mary for her apparent unchastity. In return, Mary rebukes Joseph for his lack of knowledge of the scriptures: “You have gone astray Joseph, take and read for yourself in Isaiah, it is written all about me, how a virgin shall bear fruit.”