WEEKLY REFLECTION DID YOU HEAR THAT? GOOD, NOW DO IT! In the Gospel reading of the Divine Liturgy for the feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God, the Lord Jesus indicates that true blessedness in God stems not from simply hearing and understanding the Word of God but from following Gods commandment. “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:28) The statement comes as a corrective response to a particular woman in a crowd who praises Christs Mother for bringing forth such an eloquent and influential rabbi and healer capable of touching the lives of so many around Him. By some estimates, it would seem that on a feast honoring the Theotokos, Jesus seems to downplay in particular His Mothers role in the Incarnation by assigning greatness to anyone who, like Mary, was capable of hearing the word of God and keeping it. This is not necessarily so; the Virgins glory exists precisely in hearing attentively and faithfully the Lords words to us and then carrying out His will for us. The Theotokos becomes, for all intents and purposes, the paradigm par excellence for all men and women of faith --- someone who attentively listens and then successfully fulfills that which has become sacred, or important, for her. For this reason has the Church chosen this particular evangelical pericope from the Gospel of St. Luke to be read on several feast days of the Mother of God, to highlight her remarkable character as the one who hears attentively, internalizes carefully, and then acts faithfully. The insinuation is crystal clear: hearing Gods word and even understanding it without implementing its tenets in our lives cannot alone lead to salvation. It is not enough to simply be a Christian or even to be familiar with its unique belief system; salvation by association alone is not possible. Salvation by commitment, however, is. The woman in the crowd proclaimed: Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts that nursed You! (Luke 11:27) True greatness cannot be rooted in the worldly prominence of others, nor can authentic greatness be redirected back to anyone except to God and ones free decision to follow Him. Christs invitation to the rich man didnt promise greatness on the basis of his association to Jesus as one of His followers; a certain degree of self-sacrifice was required first, after which He would then be allowed to follow Him. “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me” (Matthew 19:21). Thus, the hearing of the Gospel needs to enter the ears, register in the mind, and be internalized by dropping into the heart. When the Word of God becomes part of who we are, then God will lead us to higher levels of greatness. Historically, it would seem that human beings are excellent hearers but atrociously poor listeners. Attentiveness becomes more and more of a challenge as life becomes more and more complicated and busy. Our priorities change because the seemingly less-threatening expectations are always the easiest to fulfill. We may listen to and have a basic understanding of the Gospel message, but it is very difficult to keep it and implement it when we havent internalized the message, when we havent welcomed it as part and parcel of who we are. In a nutshell, the Gospel is overly objectified in todays day and age; everyone seems to know about it. It has not though become subjectified, expressed as an an extension of the one who claims to be a believer. Blessed are those who hear the word of God AND keep it! We cannot accept that which we do not hear and certainly do not understand. But knowing also requires us to prove our commitment to that which is important to us by fulfilling Gods will. The Theotokos is the primary example of this exposure, internalization, and subjectification of Gods Word. Let us then make Gods Word our own, so that He may forever accept us as His own in the Kingdom of Heaven. --- FrDr Stel
Posted on: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 19:25:14 +0000
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