If you’re a woman, and if you’ve given birth, you know the weeks following the delivery of your baby are a time when your body is shedding what is no longer needed once the baby has arrived. In ancient times, body fluids such as those present during pregnancy were thought to make a new mother “ritually unclean.” Before engaging in any religious ritual, a Jewish woman was expected to undergo purification.
There are many forms of purification that generally include water or washing. Perhaps the most familiar is what we witness prior to every liturgical celebration as the priest washes his hands at the altar. And, of course, there is baptism.
The Feast of the Purification of Mary is based on Mosaic law that required postpartum women to wait to enter a church, and in most cases to stay at home, for 40 days after giving birth to a male child. In Mary’s case the 40th day after the birth of Jesus (Dec. 25) is Feb. 2. While this rule didn’t apply to her because the law referred to an unclean woman as one who had conceived by receiving the seed of man – and Mary did not, as she was with child by the grace of the Holy Spirit – Mary complied.
Note: This purification and presentation celebration is also called Candlemas. On this day, people would bring their candles to church to be blessed. The light of the candles represents Jesus, who is the light. (https://archive.org/details/apracticalcomme00knecgoog)
LUKE 2:22 22 “And when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord…”
(bibleversestudy.com)
On this momentous day, the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple and the Purification of Mary, Jesus entered a church for the first time in his very young life. (Catholicism.org)
There, a devout, elderly man named Simeon made a declaration about the future of Jesus and of himself:
LUKE 2:26-33 26 “And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents were bringing in the child Jesus to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took Him in his arms and blessed God and said, 29 ‘Now let Your servant depart in peace, Lord, according to Your word, 30 for my eyes have seen Your salvation 31 which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light to lighten the gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel.’ 33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at the things which were said about Him.“
(bibleversestudy.com)
And the first of Mary’s Seven Sorrows was revealed:
LUKE 2:34-35 34 “Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, ‘Behold, this One is appointed for the fall and rising up of many in Israel, and for a sign spoken against, 35 that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. And also, a sword will pierce your own soul.’
(bibleversestudy.com)
For decades, this picture of Mary has been hanging in the entryway of my parents’ home – my childhood home. I would always walk past it, glancing but never really studying it. I was curious about the sword, but never so much that I looked closer or researched why her heart was pierced in this way.
Mary’s picture (shown above) now hangs in my home office. It was, for some reason, one of the only items I wanted to have when we sold my parents’ home after they passed. It hangs over another illustration I fell in love with at a local Hobby Lobby store – one that reflects my only God-given talent of writing (see below).
After reading about the picture of the Immaculate Heart of Mary I learned that her heart was wrapped in white roses, symbolic of her purity. (aleteia.org) Today I noticed that the image of the typewriter hanging below her picture also has white roses, symbolic of my hope to share her story.
I am hoping to bring more knowledge about the Virgin Mary to the world, especially during these times when we need her most. Please consider sharing this post, this site, or its social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. I invite you to subscribe to this site (below) to be notified of new posts. Thank you.
searchingforthevirginmary.com 