The Presentation
One
Today is the feast of the Presentation, the Second Joyful Mystery.
The Law of Moses commanded that forty days after the birth of a firstborn son, he must be brought to the Tent of Meeting and later, the Temple to be consecrated to the Lord. So, forty days after the birth of Jesus, Joseph and Mary brought him from Bethlehem to the Temple in Jerusalem. I bet you never thought of the Holy Family still in Bethlehem on February 2nd and that the decree of Herod to kill all the baby boys in the district of Bethlehem and the Flight to Egypt all took place after this. That’s why this used to be the last day of the Christmas season.
During the Presentation in the Temple, the Fourth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary, Simeon, inspired by the Holy Spirit took Jesus in his arms and said, “Now, Lord, you can let your servant go in peace, just as you promised; because my eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared for all the nations to see, a light to enlighten the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel.”
Then, turning to Mary he said, “You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected - and a sword will pierce your own soul too so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.
Two
Jesus is the Redeemer and Mary is the Co-Redemptrix, the woman united with the Redeemer in his saving mission.
Simeon rejoices at seeing the Savior, then prophesies to Mary that she too will suffer. A sword will pierce her heart. His words reveal that Jesus and Mary share a united mission as the New Adam and New Eve, defeating Satan and bringing salvation. This echoes Genesis 3:15, where God foretells their victory, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and hers. She will crush your head, will you strike at his heel.”
Modern versions of the Bible translate the last line with, “he will crush your head.” The Hebrew word is “Ipsa” which St. Jerome translated as “she” and not “he”.
Just as Genesis foretells the Woman’s role, Simeon’s prophecy confirms Mary’s participation in Christ’s redemptive mission. She crushes Satan’s head through her children, those who take up the Rosary and spread devotion to her Son.
St. Maximilian Kolbe wrote, “Modern times are dominated by Satan and will be more so in the future. The conflict with hell cannot be engaged by men, even the most clever. The lmmaculata alone has from God the promise of victory over Satan. However, assumed into heaven, the Mother of God now requires our cooperation. She seeks souls who will consecrate themselves entirely to her, who will become in her hands effective instruments for the defeat of Satan and the spreading of God’s kingdom upon earth.”
Three
First Step, Consecrate Yourself to Mary.
If you want to help Jesus and Mary save souls, especially our family and friends who have fallen away from the faith, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Louis de Montfort, and countless other saints state emphatically that the first step is to consecrate oneself to Mary since She crushes the head of Satan.
St. Maximilian Kolbe writes, “Our goal is to win the whole world and every single soul…for the Immaculata, and through her for the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus…To do this we must become instruments of the Immaculata, so that she herself may act in us, we must give ourselves to her without limits. First of all, we must belong to her, deepen our unlimited gift of ourselves to her, tighten the bond of love with her, become her herself, so that she may act through us and in our souls. This is a most crucial condition. She will act through us only insofar as we belong to her…We must belong to her without limits.”
How can Kolbe make such a strong statement? Because the Holy Spirit does everything through Mary. At the Annunciation, He formed Jesus in her womb. At Pentecost, He formed the Church in her presence. St. Maximilian Kolbe affirms that the Holy Spirit, who fully permeates Mary, exerts no influence on souls except through her. Therefore, the more we belong to Mary by consecration, the more powerfully the Spirit works in us.
Four
The Rosary
In every approved apparition of Mary in the 20th and 21st Century Our Lady has made it clear the weapon that defeats Satan is the Rosary and She is asking us to take up our weapon and fight.
From Lepanto to Vienna, to Austria in the 1950s, Brazil in the 1960s, the Philippines in 1986, and Nigeria in 2014, whenever the children of Our Lady are under attack, if they take up the Rosary, Our Lady comes down and sends the enemy packing.
The time to be timid and worried about the opinion of others has to stop now. Just invite people to pray the Rosary with you. Share this Rosary Podcast with someone. Help others take up their weapons and get into the battle and do the world some good.
At Fatima and again at Akita Our Lady said, "Pray very much the prayers of the Rosary. I alone am able still to save you from the calamites which approach. Those who place their confidence in me will be saved."
Five
Rosary Group
Not only does Our Lady want us to consecrate ourselves to her and pray the Rosary, but She wants us to create Rosary Groups. She said, “Little Children, create prayer groups where you will encourage each other to the good and grow in joy.”
In the First Pentecost, the Church was born and set on fire and sent out to evangelize after the believers gathered around Mary in prayer. We need a new Pentecost. We need to be set on fire and sent out to bring Jesus to everyone. But this new Pentecost will happen just like the first one when we gather around Mary in prayer.
A member of this Rosary Movement told me Our Lady woke her up in the middle of the night saying, “Marta, I’ve been telling you for months now to start a Rosary Group. You’re not listening. It’s time to just do it.” And she did! And so can you!
Suggested Resolutions:
Choose one resolution for today to help you grow closer to God, or create your own. Here are some ideas to inspire you.
As Mary asked, start a Rosary group, or even invite one other person to pray the Rosary with you.
If you don’t know where to begin, begin as the Apostles did at Pentecost and start by gathering around Mary in everything that you do.