Mary Presented, We Presented: The Scandal of the Self

readings 112125

In my diaconate formation, I remember a moment that still lingers.
A candidate was asked to leave.

Why? Because he had “presented himself wrong.”
A simple, off‑color remark before our formation master.

The instruction that followed was sharp and clear:
Do not cause scandal.
Do not bring scandal to Christ or his Church.
Do not bring scandal to the Bishop.
Do not invite scandal upon yourself.

This is the rule of exterior discipline.
No vulgarity.
No drunkenness.
And—perhaps hardest for me—being careful even with embraces meant as Christian welcome.
We guard the perimeter of our ministry,
so the Gospel is never undermined by our actions.

But what happens when the truth is messy?
I recall a lecture from a genuinely holy man.
His talk was peppered with vulgar language.
Many of us were uncomfortable.
Yet his message was profound.
He said: We are human, and we live in the human world.
His direct words were the only way to reach the broken, the marginalized,
the ones who might never hear the Gospel otherwise.

That was a hard lesson.
And I still wrestle with it:
Does my “clean” presentation alienate the people Christ calls me to serve?
Is my holiness a wall—or a bridge?

This tension between exterior perfection and interior truth finds resolution in the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Tradition holds that Mary, as a child, was brought to the Temple.
She was offered to God.
Consecrated.
Prepared for her vocation.

Her preparation was not just external.
Her very life became a house of prayer.
As Jesus declared: “My house shall be a house of prayer” (Luke 19:46).
Mary herself became that living temple, the dwelling place prepared for Christ.

The feast invites us to ask:
How do we present ourselves daily to God?
St. Paul urges: “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Romans 12:1).

Like Mary, our consecration is not a one‑time act.
It is a daily offering—our thoughts, our words, our commitments.
When we live our vows—baptismal, marital, vocational—
we rededicate the sanctuary of our own hearts.

Mary shows us that true Christian presentation is not about appearances.
It is about interior honesty.
Total surrender.

Her “yes” was perfect because her heart was open—
open to God’s will,
open to the world He came to save.

This is where we find balance:
We must avoid the scandal of the exterior—
the hypocrisy, the poor choices that cause others to stumble.
But we must also avoid the scandal of the closed heart—
the heart too proud, too safe, too distant to engage with the messy, human world Christ longs to redeem.

Mary was offered in innocence.
We are invited to offer ourselves in freedom.
The freedom to be holy—yet approachable.
The freedom to be temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).
The freedom to live our “yes” not in hidden preparation,
but in daily, courageous witness.

Our daily presentation must be a continuous, trusting surrender.
Not a performance.
Not a mask.
But a living sacrifice.
A house of prayer.
Open to God.
Open to the world He came to redeem.

Prayer: Presenting Ourselves in Freedom

Lord God, 

Teach us to present ourselves honestly each day, 

Open to Your will and the world You redeem.

Guard us from hypocrisy and closed hearts, 

From pride and fear that separate us. 

Make our lives holy sacrifices of mercy, bridges, not walls.

May we live our “yes” with courage— 

Holy

Approachable 

Faithful

Free 

Surrendered always to Your love.

Through Christ our Lord. 

Amen.

Wholeness in Daily Witness

Reading 112025 

Every Sunday I close with this reminder:
Be good, be holy, and preach the Good News of Jesus Christ by the way you live your life and love one another.

But let’s be honest.
Our age has grown suspicious of religious voices.
Too often, zeal for the Gospel looks like a mask—
words in public that don’t match the private life.
And so the question rises: Do we practice what we preach?

Zeal alone is not enough.
Without integrity, it is empty noise.
We cannot proclaim Good News
if our lifestyle is bad news.

Jesus wept over Jerusalem.
His tears reveal God’s desire to save,
even when His people resist.
The pattern is clear:
zeal purified by the Word,
sacrifice lived with integrity,
salvation for those who open themselves to God’s presence.

Healing comes only when we taste the wholeness of God.
And that wholeness is lived in daily witness—
in mercy, in hope, in love.

When our words and our actions align,
when our preaching and our living harmonize,
then the Gospel is not only proclaimed—
it is embodied.

This is our walk with God:
His Word shaping our choices,
His mercy shaping our relationships,
His love shaping our witness.

So let us call upon the Lord.
For His saving power is revealed to the upright,
and His mercy rescues those who trust in Him.

Here’s a prayer shaped in your voice and tone—simple, rhythmic, and resonant for adults, suitable for spoken reflection or a blog post:

---

Prayer for Integrity in Witness

Lord Jesus,
You wept over Jerusalem,
longing to gather Your people into mercy and peace.

We confess that our zeal is often loud,
but our living is sometimes weak.
Purify our hearts with Your Word.
Shape our choices with Your truth.
Align our actions with the Good News we proclaim.

Teach us to live with integrity—
to let mercy guide our relationships,
to let hope steady our steps,
to let love be the mark of our witness.

May our words and our lives harmonize,
so that others see not us, but You.
Rescue us by Your mercy,
and make us whole in Your saving presence.

Amen.

Faithful in Small Matters

 Readings 111925

As Jesus walked to Jerusalem, the people thought the Kingdom of God would appear at once.

But Jesus told a parable—
not of triumph, but of trust.
Not of spectacle, but of stewardship.
The Kingdom, He said, begins in small matters.

My mother is growing older.
Now I care for her,
as once she cared for me.
She was not perfect—none of us are—
yet all that she did sprang from love.
And now, I return that love.
Not out of duty,
but out of gratitude.
Out of mercy.
Out of faith.

I hear the echo of the mother from Maccabees:
“It is the Creator of the universe
who shapes each man’s beginning.
Son, have pity on me,
who carried you in my womb,
nursed you, raised you, supported you.
Look at the heavens and the earth,
and see all that is in them.”

This plea reminds me:
life itself is gift.
And love—love alone—
is the fitting response.

Jesus says,
“Be faithful in small matters,
and you will be entrusted with greater things.”
Love is no small effort.
Not small in sacrifice.
But small in the world’s eyes.

Yet in God’s eyes,
it is treasure.
It is faithfulness in the hidden places.
It is the Kingdom, quietly unfolding.

Love—
when folded into daily tasks,
even when hidden in silence—
is never wasted.

Love multiplies.
Like the servant’s coins,
it grows.
It opens new horizons of grace.

Life is not finished.
God is always creating.
Always opening new possibilities.
Even in aging.
Even in weakness.
There is room for love to grow.

The present moment may feel heavy.
But God’s horizon is wider than what we see.
The Kingdom is not postponed.
It is here—
in the clasp of two hands,
in the quiet return of love.

So I honor my mother.
And I honor the Lord,
by being faithful in this small matter.
And I pray—
that when my work is done,
I may hear those words of blessing:
“Well done, good servant.”

Prayer: Faithful in Small Matters

Lord,
Teach me to be faithful
in the hidden work of care.
Let love grow, even in weakness.
And when my work is done,
may I hear You say:
“Well done, good servant.”

Amen.