The new Temple, more glorious than the one of stone

The liturgical memorial of 21 November, dedicated to the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, has its roots not in the canonical texts but in ancient Christian traditions preserved in the apocryphal Gospels. In those pages, the early communities looked to Mary, contemplating her as she grew in familiarity with God, so that the Church too might learn from her how to prepare for the coming of the Lord.