DAILY READING and REFLECTIONS For Monday, December 8, 2014 2nd week of Advent - Psalter Proper (White) Solemnity of the Immaculate Concepcion of the Blessed Virgin Mary Readings: Gen 3:9-15, 20; Ps 98:1-4; Eph 1:3-6, 11-12; Lk 1:26-38 Response: Sing to the Lord a new song for he has done marvelous things. Rosary: Joyful Mysteries Verse: The Lord is with you. SAINT OF THE DAY: Saint Romaric In the account of St Amatus of Remiremont it is related how he brought about the conversion to God of a Merovingian nobleman named Romaric, who became a monk at Luxeuil; and how they afterwards went together to the estate of Romaric at Habendum in the Vosges, and established the monastery which was later known as Remiremont (Romarici Mons). The father of Romaric had lost his life and his lands at the hands of Queen Brunehilda, and his young son became a homeless wanderer; but at the time of his meeting St Amatus, Romaric was a person of distinction at the court of Clotaire II, with considerable property and a number of serfs. These he enfranchised, and it is said that when he was tonsured at Luxeuil several of these newly freed men presented themselves to the abbot for the same purpose. Remiremont was founded in 620 and St Amatus was its first abbot, but his duties soon devolved upon St Romaric, who at the time of his death had governed for thirty years. Among the early recruits was the friend of Romaric, St Arnulfus of Metz, who about 629 came to end his days in a nearby hermitage. Shortly before his death St Romaric was disturbed by the news that Grimoald, the son of another old friend, Bd Pepin of Landen, was plotting to exclude the young prince Dagobert from the Austrasian throne. The aged abbot made his way to Metz, where he remonstrated with Grimoald and warned the nobles who supported him. They heard him quietly, treated him with courtesy, and sent him back to his monastery. Three days later St Romaric died. FROM THE NEW AMERICAN BIBLE: READING 1, Genesis 3:9-15, 20 9 But Yahweh God called to the man. Where are you? he asked. 10 I heard the sound of you in the garden, he replied. I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid. 11 Who told you that you were naked? he asked. Have you been eating from the tree I forbade you to eat? 12 The man replied, It was the woman you put with me; she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it. 13 Then Yahweh God said to the woman, Why did you do that? The woman replied, The snake tempted me and I ate. 14 Then Yahweh God said to the snake, Because you have done this, Accursed be you of all animals wild and tame! On your belly you will go and on dust you will eed as long as you live. 15 I shall put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; it will bruise your head and you will strike its heel. 20 The man named his wife Eve because she was the mother of all those who live. RESPONSORIAL PSALM, Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 3-4 1 [Psalm] Sing a new song to Yahweh, for he has performed wonders, his saving power is in his right hand and his holy arm. 2 Yahweh has made known his saving power, revealed his saving justice for the nations to see, 3 mindful of his faithful love and his constancy to the House of Israel. The whole wide world has seen the saving power of our God. 4 Acclaim Yahweh, all the earth, burst into shouts of joy! READING 2, Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12 3 Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ. 4 Thus he chose us in Christ before the world was made to be holy and faultless before him in love, 5 marking us out for himself beforehand, to be adopted sons, through Jesus Christ. Such was his purpose and good pleasure, 6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, his free gift to us in the Beloved, 11 And it is in him that we have received our heritage, marked out beforehand as we were, under the plan of the One who guides all things as he decides by his own will, 12 chosen to be, for the praise of his glory, the people who would put their hopes in Christ before he came. GOSPEL, Luke 1:26-38 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgins name was Mary. 28 He went in and said to her, Rejoice, you who enjoy Gods favour! The Lord is with you. 29 She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, 30 but the angel said to her, Mary, do not be afraid; you have won Gods favour. 31 Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; 33 he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end. 34 Mary said to the angel, But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man? 35 The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. 36 And I tell you this too: your cousin Elizabeth also, in her old age, has conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, 37 for nothing is impossible to God. 38 Mary said, You see before you the Lords servant, let it happen to me as you have said. And the angel left her. REFLECTIONS: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God) OPENING PRAYER: Rejoice, Oh Virgin Mary, the star of Jacob is already arising, The Scriptures are fulfilled today; The Lord is coming like a promising cloud. Our God is coming, he is not in silence; be attentive to his greeting. Sweet is the word of his lips, noble the design of his heart. It shines like the wings of the dove the vestment of his messenger; it descends like the zephyr in summer on you, promising, is its comfort. Our God displays his force, in your flesh he finds repose; in you he finds his sanctuary, praise him and love him forever. Behold, his retinue appears, before him, justice marches. He will subdue the pride of the powerful, and render vigour to the humble. Luke 1, 26-38 He will spread out his mercy on the men who fear his name; humble servant of the Lord, weave the praise of Love. ON READING 1: Genesis 3:9-15, 20 (Temptation and the First Sin - continued) Gen 3, 7-13. This passage begins the description of the effects of the original sin. Man and woman have come to know evil, and it shows, initially, in a most direct way -- in their own bodies. The inner harmony described in Genesis 2:25 is broken, and concupiscence rears its head. Their friendship with God is also broken, and they flee from his presence, to avoid their nakedness being seen. As if his Creator could not see them! The harmony between man and woman is also fractured: he puts the blame on her, and she puts it on the serpent. But all three share in the responsibility, and therefore all three are going to pay the penalty. The harmony in which they found themselves, thanks to original justice, is now destroyed: the control of the souls spiritual faculties over the body is shattered: the union of man and woman becomes subject to tensions (cf. Gen 3:7-16), their relations henceforth marked by lust and domination. Harmony with creation is broken: visible creation has become alien and hostile to man (cf. Gen 3:17, 19). Because of man, creation is now subject to its bondage to decay (Rom 8 : 21). Finally, the consequence explicitly foretold for this disobedience will come true: man will return to the ground (Gen 3:19), for out of it he was taken. Death makes its entrance into human history (cf. Roman 5:12) (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 400). Gen 3, 14-15. The punishment God imposes on the serpent includes confrontation between woman and the serpent, between mankind and evil, with the promise that man will come out on top. That is why this passage is called the Protogospel: it is the first announcement to mankind of the good news of the Redeemer-Messiah. Clearly, a bruise to the head is deadly, whereas a bruise to the heel is curable. As the Second Vatican Council teaches, God, who creates and conserves all things by his Word, (cf. In 1:3), provides men with constant evidence of himself in created realities (cf. Rom 1:19-20). And furthermore, wishing to open up the way to heavenly salvation, by promising redemption (cf. Gen 3:15); and he has never ceased to take care of the human race. For he wishes to give eternal life to all those who seek salvation by patience in well-doing (cf. Rom 2:6-7) (Dei Verbum, 3). Victory over the devil will be brought about by a descendant of the woman, the Messiah. The Church has always read these verses as being messianic, referring to Jesus Christ; and it was seen in the woman the mother of the promised Savior; the Virgin Mary is the new Eve. The earliest documents, as they are read in the Church and are understood in the light of a further and full revelation, bring the figure of a woman, Mother of the Redeemer, into a gradually clearer light. Considered in this light, she is already prophetically foreshadowed in the promise of victory over the serpent which was given to our first parents after their fall into sin (cf. Gen 3:15) [...]. Hence not a few of the early Fathers gladly assert with Irenaeus in their preaching: the knot of Eves disobedience was untied by Marys obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary loosened by her faith (St Irenaeus, Adv. haer. 3, 22, 4) Comparing Mary with Eve, they call her Mother of the living (St Epiphanius, Adv. haer. Panarium 78, 18 ) and frequently claim: death through Eve, life through Mary (St Jerome, Epistula 22, 21; etc.) (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, 55-56). So, woman is going to have a key role in that victory over the devil. In his Latin translation of the Bible, the Vulgate, St Jerome in fact reads the relevant passage as she [the woman] shall bruise your head. That woman is the Blessed Virgin, the new Eve and the mother of the Redeemer, who shares (by anticipation and pre-eminently) in the victory of her Son. Sin never left its mark on her, and the Church proclaims her as the Immaculate Conception. St. Thomas explains that the reason why God did not prevent the first man from sinning was because God allows evils to be done in order to draw forth some greater good. Thus St Paul says, Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more (Rom 5:20); and the Exultet sings, O happy fault,...which gained for us so great a Redeemer (Summa Theologiae, 3, 1, 3 and 3; cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 412). ON READING 2: Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12 (Hymn of Praise) Eph 1, 3-14. Verses 3-14 are a hymn of praise to God for the plan of salvation he has devised and brought to fulfillment in benefit of men and all creation. It is written in a liturgical style of rhythmic prose, similar to that in Colossians 1:15-20. In the Greek it is one long complex sentence full of relative pronouns and clauses which give it a designed unity; we can, however, distinguish two main sections. The first (v. 3-10), divided into four stanzas, describes the blessings contained in Gods salvific plan; St Paul terms this plan the mystery of Gods will. The section begins by praising God for his eternal design, a plan, pre-dating creation, to call us to the Church, to form a community of saints (first stanza: vv. 3f) and receive the grace of being children of God through Jesus Christ (second stanza: vv. 5f). It then reflects on Christs work of redemption which brings this eternal plan of God to fulfillment (third stanza: vv. 7f). This section reaches its climax in the fourth stanza (vv. 9f) which proclaims Christ as Lord of all creation, thereby revealing the full development of Gods salvific plan. The second section, which divides into two stanzas, deals with the application of this plan -- first to the Jews (fifth stanza: vv. 11f) and then to the Gentiles, who are also called to share what God has promised: Jews and Gentiles join to form a single people, the Church (sixth stanza: vv. 13f). Hymns in praise of God, or eulogies, occur in many parts of Sacred Scripture (cf. Ps 8; Ps 19; Dan 2:20-23; Lk 1:46-54, 68-78 ; etc.); they praise the Lord for the wonders of creation or for spectacular interventions on behalf of his people. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, St Paul here praises God the Father for all Christs saving work, which extends from Gods original plan which he made before he created the world, right up to the very end of time and the recapitulation of all things in Christ. We too should always have this same attitude of praise of the Lord. Our entire life on earth should take the form of praise of God, for the never-ending joy of our future life consists in praising God, and no one can become fit for that future life unless he train himself to render that praise now (St Augustine, Enarrationes in Psalmos, 148 ). Praise is in fact the most appropriate attitude for man to have towards God: How can you dare use that spark of divine intelligence -- your mind -- in anything but in giving glory to your Lord? (St. J. Escriva, The Way, 782). Eph 1, 3. St. Paul blesses God as Father of our Lord Jesus Christ because it is through Christ that all Gods blessings and gifts reach us. Gods actions in favor of man are actions of all three divine Persons; the divine plan which the Apostle considers here has its origin in the Blessed Trinity; it is eternal. These three Persons are not to be considered separable, the Eleventh Council of Toledo teaches, since we believe that not one of them existed or at any time effected anything before the other, after the other, or without the other. For in existence and operation they are found to be inseparable (De Trinitate Creed, Dz-Sch, 531). In the implementation of this divine plan of salvation, the work of Redemption is attributed to the Son and that of sanctification to the Holy Spirit. To help us grasp in some measure this unfathomable mystery, we might imagine the Blessed Trinity taking counsel together in their uninterrupted intimate relationship of infinite love. As a result of their eternal decision, the only-begotten Son of God the Father takes on our human condition and bears the burden of our wretchedness and sorrows, to end up sewn with nails to a piece of wood (St. J. Escriva, Christ Is Passing By, 95). St. Paul describes as spiritual blessings all the gifts which the implementation of Gods plan implies, gifts which are distributed by the Holy Spirit. When he speaks of them as being in the heavenly places and in Christ, he is saying that through Christ who has risen from the dead and ascended on high we too have been inserted into the world of God (cf. 1:20; 2:6). When man describes God as blessed it means he recognizes Gods greatness and goodness, and rejoices over the divine gifts he has received (cf. Lk 1:46, 68 ). Here is what St Thomas Aquinas has to say about the meaning of this passage: The Apostle says, Benedictus [Blessed be the God, that is, may I, and you, and everyone bless him, with our heart, our mouth, our actions -- praising him as God and as Father, for he is God because of his essence and Father because of his power to generate (Commentary on Eph., 1, 6). Sacred Scripture very often invites us to praise God our Lord (cf. Ps 8:19; 33; 46-48 ; etc.); this is not a matter only of verbal praise: our actions should prove that we mean what we say: He who does good with his hands praises the Lord, and he who confesses the Lord with his mouth praises the Lord. Praise him by your actions (St. Augustine, Enarrationes in Psalmos, 91, 2). Eph 1, 4. As the hymn develops, the Apostle details each of the blessings contained inGods eternal plan. The first of these is his choice, before the foundation of the world, of those who would become part of the Church. The word he uses, translated here as chose, is the same one as used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament to refer to Gods election of Israel. The Church, the new people Eph 1, of God, is constituted by assembling in and around Christ those who have been chosen and called to holiness. This implies that although the Church was founded by Christ at a particular point in history, its rigin goes right back to the eternal divine plan. The eternal Father, in accordance with the utterly gratuitous and mysterious design of his wisdom and goodness,... predestined (the elect) to be conformed to the image of his Son in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren (Rom 8 :29). He determined to call together in a holy Church those who believe in Christ. Already present in figure at the beginning of the world, this Church was prepared in marvelous fashion in the history of the people of Israel and in the Old Alliance. Established in this last age of the world, and made manifest in the outpouring of the Spirit, it will be brought to glorious completion at the end of time (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, 2). Gods choice seeks to have us become holy and blameless before him. In the same way as in the Old Testament a victim offered to God had to be unblemished, blameless (cf. Gen 17:1), the blameless holiness to which God has destined us admits of no imperfection. By the very fact of being baptized we are made holy (cf. note on 1:1), and during our lifetime we try to grow holier with the help of God; however, complete holiness is something we shall attain only in heaven. The holiness with which we have been endowed is an undeserved gift from God: it is not a reward for any merit on our part: even before we were created God chose us to be his: He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy. I know that such thoughts dont fill you with pride or lead you to think yourself better than others. That choice, the root of your vocation, should be the basis of your humility. Do we build monuments to an artists paintbrush? Granted the brush had a part in creating masterpieces, but we give credit only to the painter. We Christians are nothing more than instruments in the hands of the Creator of the world, the Redeemer of all men (St. J. Escriva, Christ Is Passing By, 1). He destined us in love: the loving initiative is Gods. If God has honored us with countless gifts it is thanks to his love, not to our merits. Our fervor, our strength, our faith and our unity are the fruit of Gods benevolence and our response to his goodness (St. John Chrysostom, Hom. on Eph, ad loc.). Gods election of Christians and their vocation to holiness, as also the gift of di vine filiation, reveals that God is Love (cf. 1 Jn 4:8); we have become partakers of Gods very nature (cf. 2 Pet 1:4), sharers, that is, in the love of God. He destined us in love, therefore, also includes the Christians love of God and of others: charity is a sharing in Gods own love; it is the essence of holiness, the Christians law; nothing has any value if it is not inspired by charity (cf. 1 Cor 13:1-3). Eph 1, 5. The Apostle goes on to explore the further implications of Gods eternal plan: those chosen to form part of the Church have been given a second blessing, as it were, by being predestined to be adoptive children of God. The state of this people is that of the dignity and freedom of the sons of God, in whose hearts the Holy Spirit dwells as in a temple (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, 9). This predestination to which the Apostle refers means that God determined from all eternity that the members of the new people of God should attain holiness through his gift of adoptive sonship. It is Gods desire that all be saved (cf. 1 Tim 2:4) and he gives each person the means necessary for obtaining eternal life. Therefore, no one is predestined to damnation (cf. Third Council of Valence, De Praedestinatione, can. 3). The source of the Christians divine sonship is Jesus Christ. Gods only Son, one in substance with the Father, took on human nature in order to make us sons and daughters of God by adoption (cf. Rom 8:15, 29; 9:4; Gal 4:5). This is why every member of the Church can say: See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are (1 Jn 3:1). What is involved here is not simply formal adoption, which is something external and does not affect the very person of the child. Divine adoption affects mans entire being, it inserts him into Gods own life; for Baptism makes us truly his children, partakers of the divine nature (cf. 2 Pet 1:4). Divine sonship is therefore the greatest of the gifts God bestows on man during his life on earth. It is indeed right to exclaim Blessed be God (v. 3) when one reflects on this great gift: it is right for children openly to acknowledge their father and show their love for him. Divine filiation has many rich effects as far as the spiritual life is concerned. A child of God treats the Lord as his Father. He is not obsequious and servile; he is not merely formal and well-mannered: he is completely sincere and trusting. God is not shocked by what we do. Our infidelities do not wear him out. Our Father in heaven pardons any offense when his child returns to him, when he repents and asks for pardon. The Lord is such a good father that he anticipates our desire to be pardoned and comes forward to us, opening his arms laden with grace (St. J. Escriva, Christ Is Passing By, 64). Eph 1, 6. The gift of divine filiation is the greatest expression of the glory of God (cf. note on 1:17 below), because it reveals the full extent of Gods love for man. St. Paul stresses what the purpose of this eternal divine plan is -- to promote the praise of his glorious grace. Gods glory has been made manifest through his merciful love, which has led him to make us his children in accordance with the eternal purpose of his will. This eternal design flows from fountain-like love, the love of God the Father. God in his great and merciful kindness freely creates us and, moreover, graciously calls us to share in his life and glory. He generously pours out, and never ceases to pour out, his divine goodness, so that he who is Creator of all things might at last become everything to everyone (1 Cor 15:28), thus si- multaneously assuring his own glory and our happiness (Vatican II, Ad Gentes, 2). The grace which St Paul speaks of here and which manifests the glory of God refers first to the fact that Gods blessings are totally unmerited by us and include the grace-conferring gifts of holiness and divine filiation. In the Beloved: the Old Testament stresses again and again that God loves his people and that Israel is that cherished people (cf. Deut 33:12; is 5:1, 7; 1 Mac 6:11; etc.). In the New Testament Christians are called beloved by God (1 Thess 1:4; cf. Col 3:12). However, there is only one Beloved, strictly speaking, Jesus Christ our Lord -- as God revealed from the bright cloud at the Transfiguration: This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased (Mt 17:5). The Son of his love has obtained mans redemption and brought forgiveness of sins (cf. Col 1:13ff), and it is through his grace that we become pleasing to God, lovable by him with the same love with which he loves his Son. At the Last Supper, Jesus asked his Father for this very thing -- so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me (Jn 17:23). Notice, St. John Chrysostom points out, that Paul does not say that this grace has been given us for no purpose but that it has been given us to make us pleasing and lovable in his eyes, now that we are purified of our sins (Hom. on Eph, ad loc.). Eph 1, 11-14. The Apostle now contemplates a further divine blessing -- the implementation of the mystery through the Redemption wrought by Christ: God calls the Jews (vv. 11f) and the Gentiles (v. 13) together, to form a single people (v. 14). Paul first refers to the Jewish people, of which he himself is a member, which is why he uses the term we (v. 12). He then speaks of the Gentile Christians and refers to them as you (v. 13). Eph 1, 11-12. The Jewish peoples expectations have been fulfilled in Christ: he has brought the Kingdom of God and the messianic gifts, designed in the first instance for Israel as its inheritance (cf. Mt 4:17; 12:28 ; Lk 4:16-22). Gods intention in selecting Israel was to form a people of his own (cf. Ex 19:5) that would glorify him and proclaim to the nations its hope in a coming Messiah. God, with loving concern contemplating, and making preparation for, the salvation of the whole human race, in a singular undertaking chose for himself a people to whom he would entrust his promises. By his covenant with Abraham (cf. Gen 15:18 ) and, through Moses, with the race of Israel (cf. Ex 24:8), he did acquire a people for himself, and to them he revealed himself in words and deeds as the one, true, living God, so that Israel might experience the ways of God with men. Moreover, by listening to the voice of God speaking to them through the prophets, they had steadily to understand his ways more fully and more clearly, and make them more widely known among the nations (cf. Ps 21:28-9; 95:1-3; Is 2:1-4; Jer 3:17) (Vatican II, Dei Verbum, 14). St. Paul emphasizes that even before the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, the just of the Old Testament acted in line with their belief in the promised Messiah (cf. Gal 3:11; Rom 1:17); not only did they look forward to his coming but their hope was nourished by faith in Christ as a result of their acceptance of Gods promise. As later examples of this same faith we might mention Zechariah and Elizabeth; Simeon and Anna; and, above all, St Joseph. St Josephs faith was full, confident, complete, St. Escriva comments. It expressed itself in an effective dedication to the will of God and an intelligent obedience. With faith went love. His faith nurtured his love of God, who was fulfilling the promises made to Abraham, Jacob and Moses, and his affection for Mary his wife and his fatherly affection for Jesus. This faith, hope and love would further the great mission which God was beginning in the world through, among others, a carpenter in Galilee -- the redemption of mankind (Christ Is Passing By, 42). ON THE GOSPEL: Luke 1:26-38 (The Annunciation and Incarnation of the Son of God) Though we take again the themes of Matthew and Mark, the Gospel of Luke is an original composition under many aspects. The Evangelist inserts into his narrative new material in regard to the other Gospel narratives. In the first two chapters which deal with the infancy of Jesus, Luke follows the Jewish tradition, with many direct and indirect references to the Old Testament. The Theology, the symbolism and the whole of the account of the infancy of Jesus have and find their roots in the Semitic world, different in many verses from the world and the Greek thought. The Evangelist places the beginning of his narrative in the milieu of the ‘anawim, the poor of the Lord, that is, those who are submitted with altruism to God’s Will, firm in faith that the Lord will send them salvation in the opportune time. To the ‘anawim the Lord promises to send the Messiah, sent to bring the news to the afflicted, to soothe the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, release to those in prison, to proclaim a year of favour from Yahweh and a day of vengeance for our God, to comfort all who mourn, to give to Zion’s mourners...” (is 61, 1 ff).This promise of God is fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth who entering “into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day as he usually did” (Lk 4, 16) proclaims that the promise of God pronounced by Isaiah “has been fulfilled today” (Lk 4, 21) in him. Only the ‘anawim can accept from the Son of Joseph, the carpenter and of Mary (Lk 4, 22; Mt 13, 53-58; Mk 6, 1-5; Jn 1, 45) the Good News of salvation, the others unfortunately are scandalized because of him. The Messiah is humble and sweet, “his mouth” pronounces “words of grace” (Lk 4, 22), and this is why in order to accept him it is necessary to prepare oneself, enter into oneself to accept the promised One of Israel. This is why the Lord admonishes by means of the Prophet: “Seek Yahweh, all you humble of the earth, who obey the commands. Seek uprightness, seek humility: you may perhaps find shelter, on the Day of Yahweh’s anger” (Zp 1, 3). In this context, “In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a Virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary” (Lk 1, 26-27). This Virgin is one of the ‘anawim to whom the Lord reveals his salvation. With her are found two other ‘anawim “ who were advanced in years” (Lk 1, 7), “a priest called “Zechariah” and “Elizabeth who was childless” and therefore had no children (Lk 1, 5-7). Also to these two dishonoured (Gen 30, 33; I Sam 1, 5-8); 2 Sam 6, 23; Ho 9, 11) the salvation of the Lord is announced. Unfortunately in Jerusalem, in the temple, during the liturgy, place of the revelation, of the power and of the glory of God, this Good News was not accepted by the priest (Lk 1, 8-23). But the Word of God is not bound and it cannot be limited. In fact, the Holy One of Israel says: “For as the rain and the snow come down from the sky and do not return before watering the earth, fertilizing it and making it germinate to provide seed for the sower and food to eat, so it is with the word that goes from my mouth: it will not return to me unfulfilled or before having carried out my good pleasure and having achieved what it was sent to do”. (Is 55, 10-11). This is why Elizabeth “in her old age has conceived a son and, she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God”. (Lk 1, 36-37). This will be the event offered to Mary as a sign of the “power of the Most High”. (Lk 1, 35) which will come down upon her like a shadow to conceive the Son of God through the Holy Spirit who will “descend” upon her (Lk 1, 34-35). The Son will be named Jesus, “He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High; the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end” (Lk 1, 31-33). These words of the angel echo or evoke the same addressed to Acaz: “The Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold: the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, whom she will call Immanuel” (Is 7, 14). That is why after John was conceived, that is “in the sixth month” (Lk 1, 26) the Good News was received “in a city of Galilee, called Nazareth” (Lk 1, 26) by a young girl, a “virgin promised spouse” (Lk 1, 27). “Nazareth” and “Mary” are in contrast with “Jerusalem” and “priest”; just as the phrase: “he went in” with the word “temple”. the Lord reveals himself in humble places and is accepted by humble people from whom, in the judgment of men, “nothing good can come” (Jn 1, 45). Mary is invited to rejoice: “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you” (Lk 1, 28). The presence of the Lord in the midst of his people is the occasion of joy because the presence of the Lord bears salvation and blessing. The invitation of the angel is addressed to the whole People of God in the person of Mary. That is why, the whole People of God is called to rejoice, to be glad in the Lord, their Saviour. It is the Messianic joy which is announced to all: “Cry out and shout for joy, you who live in Zion, for the Holy One of Israel is among you in his greatness”(Is 12, 6); “Rejoice, exult with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem! Yahweh has repealed your sentence; he has turned your enemy away. Yahweh is king among you, Israel, you have nothing more to fear...” (Zp 3, 14-15 ff); “Rejoice, exult daughter of Zion, because, behold, I come to live among you” (Zc 2, 14). The conception of Jesus is a new event, the primacy of the future new creation brought about by the generating power of God who comes to encounter the impossibility of conceiving of Mary because she knows no man (Lk 1, 34). The shadow which the Most High extends on Mary recalls the cloud which accompanied the people in the desert during the day (Ex 13, 22), which overshadowed the Mount Sinai revealing the Glory of the Lord during six days (Ex 19, 16; 24, 17). And also a sign of the protection of God, extended to the just who invokes the name of the Lord and places himself in the hands of God during the trial (Ps 17, 8; 57, 2; 140, 8 ). In creation, the Spirit of God blew over the water, the sign of the creating power of the word of God (Gen 1, 2). God exceeds every human capacity, nothing is impossible for him (Lk 1, 477; Gen 18, 14; Jer 32, 27). Before the Lord of joy, of life and of salvation, Mary accepts his generating and creative word: “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord, may it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1, 38 ). 26-38. Here we contemplate our Lady who was enriched from the first instant of her conception with the splendor of an entirely unique holiness; the virgin of Nazareth is hailed by the heralding angel, by divine command, as full of grace (cf. Luke 1:28), and to the heavenly messenger she replies, Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to thy word (Luke 1:38). Thus the daughter of Adam, Mary, consenting to the word of God, became the Mother of Jesus. Committing herself wholeheartedly to Gods saving will and impeded by no sin, she devoted herself totally, as a handmaid of the Lord, to the person and work of her Son, under and with Him, serving the mystery of Redemption, by the grace of Almighty God. Rightly, therefore, the Fathers (of the Church) see Mary not merely as passively engaged by God, but as freely cooperating in the work of mans salvation through faith and obedience (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, 56). The annunciation to Mary and incarnation of the Word constitute the deepest mystery of the relationship between God and men and the most important event in the history of mankind: God becomes man, and will remain so forever, such is the extent of His goodness and mercy and love for all of us. And yet on the day when the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity assumed frail human nature in the pure womb of the Blessed Virgin, it all happened quietly, without fanfare of any kind. St. Luke tells the story in a very simple way. We should treasure these words of the Gospel and use them often, for example, practicing the Christian custom of saying the Angelus every day and reflecting on the five Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. The Annunciation shows us the Blessed Virgin as perfect model of purity (the RSV I have no husband is a euphemism); of humility (Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord); of candor and simplicity (How can this be?); of obedience and lively faith (Let it be done to me according to your word). Following her example of obedience to God, we can learn to serve delicately without being slavish. In Mary, we dont find the slightest trace of the attitude of the foolish virgins, who obey, but thoughtlessly. Our Lady listens attentively to what God wants, ponders what she doesnt fully understand and asks about what she doesnt know. Then she gives herself completely to doing the divine will: Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word. Isnt that marvelous? The Blessed Virgin, our teacher in all we do, shows us here that obedience to God is not servile, does not bypass our conscience. We should be inwardly moved to discover the freedom of the children of God (cf. Romans 8: 21) (St. J.Escriva, Christ Is Passing By, 173). 26-38 . Here we contemplate our Lady who was enriched from the first instant of her conception with the splendor of an entirely unique holiness; the virgin of Nazareth is hailed by the heralding angel, by divine command, as full of grace (cf. Luke 1:28 ), and to the heavenly messenger she replies, Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to thy word (Luke 1:38). Thus the daughter of Adam, Mary, consenting to the word of God, became the Mother of Jesus. Committing herself wholeheartedly to Gods saving will and impeded by no sin, she devoted herself totally, as a handmaid of the Lord, to the person and work of her Son, under and with Him, serving the mystery of Redemption, by the grace of Almighty God. Rightly, therefore, the Fathers (of the Church) see Mary not merely as passively engaged by God, but as freely cooperating in the work of mans salvation through faith and obedience (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, 56). The annunciation to Mary and incarnation of the Word constitute the deepest mystery of the relationship between God and men and the most important event in the history of mankind: God becomes man, and will remain so forever, such is the extent of His goodness and mercy and love for all of us. And yet on the day when the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity assumed frail human nature in the pure womb of the Blessed Virgin, it all happened quietly, without fanfare of any kind. St. Luke tells the story in a very simple way. We should treasure these words of the Gospel and use them often, for example, practicing the Christian custom of saying the Angelus every day and reflecting on the five Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. FINAL PRAYERS: Canticle of Mary My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; because he has looked upon the humiliation of his servant. Yes, from now onwards all generations will call me blessed, for the Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name, and his faithful love extends age after age to those who fear him. He has used the power of his arm, he has routed the arrogant of heart. He has pulled down princes from their thrones and raised high the lowly. He has filled the starving with good things, sent the rich away empty. He has come to the help of Israel his servant, mindful of his faithful love - according to the promise he made to our ancestors - of his mercy to Abraham and to his descendants for ever. It is by God’s mercy that we are saved. May we never tire of spreading this joyful message to the world. -- Pope Francis Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. -- St. Jerome The Father uttered one Word; that Word is His Son, and He utters Him forever in everlasting silence; and in silence the soul has to hear it. -- St. John of the Cross
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 07:10:16 +0000
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