And this should be the attitude of all who would serve Him--a constant presentation of themselves to Him for whatever He wants. This attitude can only be arrived at by the spirit of sacrifice. To be always at liberty for GOD'S service, the soul must be disentangled from all else, free from all that would hold it back. And this means sacrifice. Mary, presenting herself at the Temple, is specially, though not exclusively, the model of those who are called to the Religious Life. But do not let us make any mistake--a Religious is not _free_ to give himself to GOD because he has left parents and home and possessions. He may go through all these preliminaries, and yet not be, by any means, at GOD'S service. The great work of disentangling the soul and setting it free is done _inside_ the Cloister, while the Religious is learning that it is _self_ which stands in the way, and that until _that_ is crushed, he is not able to render to GOD free and joyous service, such as Mary did. And this lesson has to be learned by those outside the Cloister too, if they would follow Mary in being always ready to answer GOD'S calls and do His biddings. It is not their home and friends and possessions that they are asked to quit, but _themselves_. GOD will constantly want them in the midst of their busy lives, and they will never be too much occupied or engrossed to answer His calls, if self is out of the question. "Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto GOD, your reasonable service." (Rom. xii. 1.) Present yourselves each day, each hour, each moment, with each joy, each sorrow, each duty, each difficulty--present all as an offering to Him, Who expects your reasonable service. This is the lesson which the child on the Temple steps teaches us to-day--the lesson of _self-sacrifice_. _Point II._--JOACHIM AND ANNE Her parents did not thwart her in her wish. They had made their sacrifice three years before, and they were not likely to take it back now. They had probably told Mary the story of their long, childless years; of their earnest prayers to GOD; and of their promise to give the child back to Him should He bless them with one. They would have told her, too, that they had offered her to GOD at birth, and that, as soon as she was old enough, she would present herself in GOD'S Temple, as something dedicated to His service. And now, to-day, they accompany their little one to the "holy dwelling-place" where she is to "minister before Him," and watch her climbing the Temple steps, at the top of which the Priest is waiting to receive her in GOD'S name. Desolate though their home would now be, Joachim and Anne would rather have it so than interfere in any way with the call of GOD to their child. They recognised that GOD has _His_ rights, and that these must come first.