11/21/2018 This is the story of Mary’s Presentation in the Temple. Part 2
Philip Kosloski
https://aleteia.org/2018/11/21/this-is-the-story-of-marys-presentation-in-the-temple/ https://aleteia.org/author/philip-kosloski/ 5. And on the following day he brought his offerings, saying in himself: If the Lord God has been rendered gracious to me, the plate on the priest's forehead will make it manifest to me.
And Joachim brought his offerings, and observed attentively the priest's plate when he went up to the altar of the Lord, and he saw no sin in himself.
And Joachim said: Now I know that the Lord has been gracious unto me, and has remitted all my sins.
And he went down from the temple of the Lord justified, and departed to his own house.
And her months were fulfilled, and in the ninth month Anna brought forth.
And she said to the midwife: What have I brought forth?
And she said: A girl.
And said Anna: My soul has been magnified this day.
And she laid her down.
And the days having been fulfilled, Anna was purified, and gave the breast to the child, and called her name Mary.
6. And the child grew strong day by day; and when she was six months old, her mother set her on the ground to try whether she could stand, and she walked seven steps and came into her bosom; and she snatched her up, saying: As the Lord my God lives, you shall not walk on this earth until I bring you into the temple of the Lord.
And she made a sanctuary in her bed-chamber, and allowed nothing common or unclean to pass through her.
And she called the undefiled daughters of the Hebrews, and they led her astray.
And when she was a year old, Joachim made a great feast, and invited the priests, and the scribes, and the elders, and all the people of Israel.
And Joachim brought the child to the priests; and they blessed her, saying: O God of our fathers, bless this child, and give her an everlasting name to be named in all generations.
And all the people said: So be it, so be it, amen.
And he brought her to the chief priests; and they blessed her, saying: O God most high, look upon this child, and bless her with the utmost blessing, which shall be forever.
And her mother snatched her up, and took her into the sanctuary of her bed-chamber, and gave her the breast.
And Anna made a song to the Lord God, saying: I will sing a song to the Lord my God, for He has looked upon me, and has taken away the reproach of mine enemies; and the Lord has given the fruit of His
righteousness, singular in its kind, and richly endowed before Him.
Who will tell the sons of Rubim that Anna gives suck?
Hear, hear, you twelve tribes of Israel, that Anna gives suck.
And she laid her to rest in the bed-chamber of her sanctuary, and went out and ministered unto them.
And when the supper was ended, they went down rejoicing, and glorifying the God of Israel.
7. And her months were added to the child. And the child was two years old, and Joachim said: Let us take her up to the temple of the Lord, that we may pay the vow that we have vowed, lest perchance the Lord send to us, and our offering be not received.
And Anna said: Let us wait for the third year, in order that the child may not seek for father or mother.
And Joachim said: So let us wait.
And the child was three years old, and Joachim said: Invite the daughters of the Hebrews that are undefiled, and let them take each a lamp, and let them stand with the lamps burning, that the child may not turn back, and her heart be captivated from the temple of the Lord.
And they did so until they went up into the temple of the Lord.
And the priest received her, and kissed her, and blessed her, saying: The Lord has magnified your name in all generations.
In you, on the last of the days, the Lord will manifest His redemption to the sons of Israel.
And he set her down upon the third step of the altar, and the Lord God sent grace upon her; and she danced with her feet, and all the house of Israel loved her.
8. And her parents went down marveling, and praising the Lord God, because the child had not turned back.
And Mary was in the temple of the Lord as if she were a dove that dwelt there, and she received food from the hand of an angel.
And when she was twelve years old there was held a council of the priests, saying: Behold, Mary has reached the age of twelve years in the temple of the Lord.
What then shall we do with her, lest perchance she defile the sanctuary of the Lord?
And they said to the high priest: You stand by the altar of the Lord; go in, and pray concerning her; and whatever the Lord shall manifest unto you, that also will we do.
And the high priest went in, taking the robe with the twelve bells into the holy of holies; and he prayed concerning her.
And behold an angel of the Lord stood by him, saying unto him: Zacharias, Zacharias, go out and assemble the widowers of the people, and let them bring each his rod; and to whomsoever the Lord shall show a sign, his wife shall she be.
And the heralds went out through all the circuit of Judaea, and the trumpet of the Lord sounded, and all ran.
9. And Joseph, throwing away his axe, went out to meet them; and when they had assembled, they went away to the high priest, taking with them their rods.
And he, taking the rods of all of them, entered into the temple, and prayed; and having ended his prayer, he took the rods and came out, and gave them to them: but there was no sign in them, and Joseph took his rod last; and, behold, a dove came out of the rod, and flew upon Joseph's head.
And the priest said to Joseph, You have been chosen by lot to take into your keeping the virgin of the Lord.
But Joseph refused, saying: I have children, and I am an old man, and she is a young girl.
I am afraid lest I become a laughing-stock to the sons of Israel.
And the priest said to Joseph: Fear the Lord your God, and remember what the Lord did to Dathan, and Abiram, and Korah; Numbers 16:31-33 how the earth opened, and they were swallowed up on account of their contradiction.
www.newadvent.org/bible/num016.htm#verse31 And now fear, O Joseph, lest the same things happen in your house. And Joseph was afraid, and took her into his keeping.
And Joseph said to Mary: Behold, I have received you from the temple of the Lord; and now I leave you in my house, and go away to build my buildings, and I shall come to you.
The Lord will protect you.
10. And there was a council of the priests, saying: Let us make a veil for the temple of the Lord.
And the priest said: Call to me the undefiled virgins of the family of David.
And the officers went away, and sought, and found seven virgins.
And the priest remembered the child Mary, that she was of the family of David, and undefiled before God.
And the officers went away and brought her.
And they brought them into the temple of the Lord.
And the priest said: Choose for me by lot who shall spin the gold, and the white, and the fine linen, and the silk, and the blue, and the scarlet, and the true purple.
Exodus 25:4
And the true purple and the scarlet fell to the lot of Mary, and she took them, and went away to her house.
And at that time Zacharias was dumb, and Samuel was in his place until the time that Zacharias spoke.
And Mary took the scarlet, and span it.
End Part 2