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.
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