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Forty days have passed since Mary, still but a teenager, gave birth to her first-born, a son, in a stable with shepherds coming in from the fields with a tale of a choir of angels singing about the newborn Messiah. She has come to the temple with Joseph and her baby to complete her purification by the poor’s ritual sacrifice of two turtledoves.

Full of grace! What kind of girl was Mary? Biblical scholars say she was quite young, maybe 14 or 15. She was promised in marriage to an older man, Joseph. According to St. Luke, her family was related to the priesthood in Jerusalem. So she is a devout Jew, keeping Torah the way it was meant to be kept. The Kingdom of God must have been already uniquely present in her. She was the perfect vessel for the Messiah

Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. First Letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians 5:16

John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.