Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Lectionary: 422
Lectionary: 422
The Spirit of the
LORD came upon Jephthah.
He passed through Gilead and Manasseh,
and through Mizpah-Gilead as well,
and from there he went on to the Ammonites.
Jephthah made a vow to the LORD.
“If you deliver the Ammonites into my power,” he said,
“whoever comes out of the doors of my house
to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites
shall belong to the LORD.
I shall offer him up as a burnt offering.”
Jephthah then went on to the Ammonites to fight against them,
and the LORD delivered them into his power,
so that he inflicted a severe defeat on them,
from Aroer to the approach of Minnith (twenty cities in all)
and as far as Abel-keramim.
Thus were the Ammonites brought into subjection
by the children of Israel.
When Jephthah returned to his house in Mizpah,
it was his daughter who came forth,
playing the tambourines and dancing.
She was an only child: he had neither son nor daughter besides her.
When he saw her, he rent his garments and said,
“Alas, daughter, you have struck me down
and brought calamity upon me.
For I have made a vow to the LORD and I cannot retract.”
She replied, “Father, you have made a vow to the LORD.
Do with me as you have vowed,
because the LORD has wrought vengeance for you
on your enemies the Ammonites.”
Then she said to her father, “Let me have this favor.
Spare me for two months, that I may go off down the mountains
to mourn my virginity with my companions.”
“Go,” he replied, and sent her away for two months.
So she departed with her companions
and mourned her virginity on the mountains.
At the end of the two months she returned to her father,
who did to her as he had vowed.
He passed through Gilead and Manasseh,
and through Mizpah-Gilead as well,
and from there he went on to the Ammonites.
Jephthah made a vow to the LORD.
“If you deliver the Ammonites into my power,” he said,
“whoever comes out of the doors of my house
to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites
shall belong to the LORD.
I shall offer him up as a burnt offering.”
Jephthah then went on to the Ammonites to fight against them,
and the LORD delivered them into his power,
so that he inflicted a severe defeat on them,
from Aroer to the approach of Minnith (twenty cities in all)
and as far as Abel-keramim.
Thus were the Ammonites brought into subjection
by the children of Israel.
When Jephthah returned to his house in Mizpah,
it was his daughter who came forth,
playing the tambourines and dancing.
She was an only child: he had neither son nor daughter besides her.
When he saw her, he rent his garments and said,
“Alas, daughter, you have struck me down
and brought calamity upon me.
For I have made a vow to the LORD and I cannot retract.”
She replied, “Father, you have made a vow to the LORD.
Do with me as you have vowed,
because the LORD has wrought vengeance for you
on your enemies the Ammonites.”
Then she said to her father, “Let me have this favor.
Spare me for two months, that I may go off down the mountains
to mourn my virginity with my companions.”
“Go,” he replied, and sent her away for two months.
So she departed with her companions
and mourned her virginity on the mountains.
At the end of the two months she returned to her father,
who did to her as he had vowed.
Responsorial PsalmPS 40:5, 7-8A, 8B-9, 10
R. (8a and 9a) Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Blessed the man who makes the LORD his trust;
who turns not to idolatry
or to those who stray after falsehood.
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, “Behold I come.”
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me.
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!”
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Blessed the man who makes the LORD his trust;
who turns not to idolatry
or to those who stray after falsehood.
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, “Behold I come.”
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me.
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!”
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
GospelMT 22:1-14
Jesus again in
reply spoke to the chief priests and the elders of the people in parables
saying, “The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who gave a wedding feast for his son.
He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast,
but they refused to come.
A second time he sent other servants, saying,
‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet,
my calves and fattened cattle are killed,
and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’
Some ignored the invitation and went away,
one to his farm, another to his business.
The rest laid hold of his servants,
mistreated them, and killed them.
The king was enraged and sent his troops,
destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
Then the king said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready,
but those who were invited were not worthy to come.
Go out, therefore, into the main roads
and invite to the feast whomever you find.’
The servants went out into the streets
and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,
and the hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to meet the guests
he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.
He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it
that you came in here without a wedding garment?’
But he was reduced to silence.
Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet,
and cast him into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’
Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
saying, “The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who gave a wedding feast for his son.
He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast,
but they refused to come.
A second time he sent other servants, saying,
‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet,
my calves and fattened cattle are killed,
and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’
Some ignored the invitation and went away,
one to his farm, another to his business.
The rest laid hold of his servants,
mistreated them, and killed them.
The king was enraged and sent his troops,
destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
Then the king said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready,
but those who were invited were not worthy to come.
Go out, therefore, into the main roads
and invite to the feast whomever you find.’
The servants went out into the streets
and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,
and the hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to meet the guests
he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.
He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it
that you came in here without a wedding garment?’
But he was reduced to silence.
Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet,
and cast him into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’
Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
Meditation: "Everything
is ready, come"
What can
a royal wedding party tell us about God's kingdom? One of the most beautiful
images used in the Scriptures to depict what heaven is like is the wedding
celebration and royal feast given by the King for his newly-wed son and bride.
Whatever grand feast we can imagine on earth, heaven is the feast of all feasts
because the Lord of heaven and earth invites us to the most important banquet
of all – not simply as bystanders or guests – but as members of Christ's own
body, his bride the church! The last book in the Bible ends with an invitation
to the wedding feast of the Lamb – the Lord Jesus who offered his life as an
atoning sacrifice for our sins and who now reigns as King of Kings and Lord of
Lords. The Spirit and the Bride say, Come!(Revelations
22:17). The Lord Jesus invites us to be united with himself in his
heavenly kingdom of peace and righteousness.
Why does
Jesus' parable of the marriage feast seem to focus on an angry king who ends up
punishing those who refused his invitation and who mistreated his servants?
Jesus' parable contains two stories. The first has to do with the original
guests invited to the marriage feast. The king had sent out invitations
well in advance to his subjects, so they would have plenty of time to prepare
for coming to the feast. How insulting for the invited guests to then refuse
when the time for celebrating came! They made light of the King's request
because they put their own interests above his. They not only insulted the King
but the heir to the throne as well. The king's anger is justified because they
openly refused to give the king the honor he was due. Jesus directed this
warning to the Jews of his day, both to convey how much God wanted them to
share in the joy of his kingdom, but also to give a warning about the
consequences of refusing his Son, their Messiah and Savior.
The
second part of the story focuses on those who had no claim on the king and who
would never have considered getting such an invitation. The "good and the
bad" along the highways certainly referred to the Gentiles (non-Jews) and
to sinners. This is certainly an invitation of grace – undeserved, unmerited
favor and kindness! But this invitation also contains a warning for those who
refuse it or who approach the wedding feast unworthily. God's grace is a free
gift, but it is also an awesome responsibility.
Dieterich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor and
theologian in Germany who died for his faith under Hitler's Nazi rule,
contrasted "cheap grace" and "costly grace".
"Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves... the
preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance... grace without
discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and
incarnate... Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again,
the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such
grace is costly because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly
because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the
only true life."
God invites each of us as his friends to his
heavenly banquet that we may celebrate with him and share in his joy. Are you
ready to feast at the Lord's banquet table?
"Lord
Jesus, may I always know the joy of living in your presence and grow in the
hope of seeing you face to face in your everlasting kingdom."
 Wearing the Right Clothes |
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Memorial of the
Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
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Father José LaBoy,
LC
Matthew 22: 1-14
Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables,
saying: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a
wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been
invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other
slaves, saying, ´Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my
dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is
ready; come to the wedding banquet.´ But they made light of it and went away,
one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves,
mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops,
destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves,
´The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into
the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.´ Those
slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good
and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came
in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding
robe, and he said to him, ´Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding
robe?´ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ´Bind him
hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.´ For many are called, but few are
chosen."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in you because you have
created me to be with you. I hope in you because you always give me what I
need to be with you. I love you because you continue to invite me, in spite
of my reticence and sinfulness.
Petition: Lord, grant me the grace to value heaven and
to live in such a way that I can get there.
1. How Dare You Not Accept! God invites us to accept freely the gift of
union with him to which he calls us. But, lo and behold, we can use our
freedom badly and not accept the only thing that can truly make us happy.
This occurs when we forget about God, no longer giving him the adoration and
love he deserves as our Creator and Father, putting ourselves in first place,
and becoming the sole criteria for our decisions and actions. This passage
helps us to remember what type of freedom we have. We do not have absolute
freedom. We can’t choose what our end should be. Only God is our end. Our
freedom is limited and consists in being free to choose the means that most
efficaciously help us to reach that end.
2. An Undeserved Invitation: Our possibility of getting to heaven is
truly a gift from God. He invites us even though we are sinners, even though
we don’t take his Son’s death and resurrection seriously, even though we
continue to fall in spite of having all the grace and strength we need to
overcome temptation. St. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, states how hard
it is for a man to give his life for another person (see Romans 4:7). Maybe
he would do it for a very good person. Christ didn’t give his life for good
persons; he gave it for sinners. We should be moved to respond to this
amazing manifestation of love for us: Total adherence to God is the only
worthy response.
3. Dressing for the Occasion: God is good, but he is not naïve. He won’t
let us in to full communion with him if we do not value it properly. The robe
mentioned in the Gospel passage is an image of the soul. The soul that has
been purified and is prepared to enter into heaven wears a wedding robe. The
soul that is full of selfishness and sin is improperly dressed. It is not a
matter of God not having mercy on us. It’s a matter of the use of our
freedom. When we encounter something that has value and know that it will
make us better, we have to appropriate that value through conscious effort.
We have to live up to it. We can’t be indifferent or superficial regarding
heaven. We shouldn’t regard it as just something possible; it should be an
existential need.
Petition: Dear Lord, so many times I give more
importance to my own satisfaction than to centering my attention and efforts
on achieving true communion with you. Help me to value your invitation to
reach heaven through a truly Christian life that prefers virtue to sin,
disinterested love to selfishness, humility to pride.
Resolution: Today I will try to work on a virtue that I
need so as to respond to God’s love for me.
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 22
MATTHEW 22:1-14
MATTHEW 22:1-14
(Judges 11:29-39a; Psalm 40)
KEY VERSE: "Many are invited but few are chosen" (v 14)
READING: Jesus told a parable that serves as an allegory of those who rejected God's reign. A king (God) sent his servants (the prophets) to summon the guests (God's chosen people ) to the wedding banquet of his son (Jesus). When the invitation was ignored, the servants were sent a second time. This time there were mistreated and killed. Angered, the king sent his army to burn the city (Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE). Because the privileged guests proved unworthy, the invitation was sent to others (the Gentiles). The guest who came without a "wedding garment" (v 12; "virtuous deeds" or a baptismal garment, see Rv.19:8)represented those who refused to repent, a condition for entering God's kingdom. Whoever rejected God's offer of divine grace, would find themselves excluded from the reign of God.
REFLECTING: Have I failed to heed God's call in my life?
PRAYING: Lord, Jesus, help me to prepare myself for your heavenly banquet.
Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin
Mary
On October 11, 1954, four years after Pope Pius XII declared the dogma of the Assumption of Mary, the pope instituted the feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, thus formalizing the Church's tradition from the earliest centuries. The coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven fulfilled more than her own prophecy that "all generations would call her blessed" (Luke 1:48). Mary's ancestor Judith anticipatedthis: "O daughter, you are blessed by the Most High God above all other women on earth. Your praise will never depart from the hearts of those who remember the power of God" [Jud 13:18-19]. As mother ofJesus, Mary's son crushed the power of sin and death (Gen 3:15). In the Book of Revelation, a woman crowned with twelve stars, crushed the head of the serpent beneath her feet [Rev 12:1-18]. Pope Paul VI wrote, "The Solemnity of the Assumption is prolonged in the celebration of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which occurs seven days later. On this occasion we contemplate her who, seated beside the King of ages, shines forth as Queen and intercedes as Mother" (Marialis Cultus - For the Right Ordering and Development of Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary - 2 February 1974).
Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will
‘Come to the wedding feast!’
The wedding of God with his people takes place in the person of Jesus. He had decided to become one of our family. This wedding is described in Revelation as the wedding feast of the Lamb. We are all invited, no matter who we are. The love community of the Holy Trinity calls us to the ecstatic joy of sharing in the love that passes between these Three. Jesus is our Way of getting there.
However, ‘Lamb of God’ has ominous tones of sacrifice about it. Jesus became like us in all things except sin, but he will cancel out our sin if we accept his invitation. Nothing can separate us from the love of this divine Bridegroom. Jesus, you agreed to walk our road. Please allow me to walk yours. Jesus, you are Lord of my heart.
August 22
Queenship of Mary
Queenship of Mary
Pius XII established this feast in 1954. But Mary’s queenship has
roots in Scripture. At the Annunciation, Gabriel announced that Mary’s Son
would receive the throne of David and rule forever. At the Visitation,
Elizabeth calls Mary “mother of my Lord.” As in all the mysteries of Mary’s
life, Mary is closely associated with Jesus: Her queenship is a share in Jesus’
kingship. We can also recall that in the Old Testament the mother of the king
has great influence in court.
In the
fourth century St. Ephrem (June 9) called Mary “Lady” and
“Queen.” Later Church fathers and doctors continued to use the title.
Hymns of the 11th to 13th centuries address Mary as queen: “Hail, Holy Queen,”
“Hail, Queen of Heaven,” “Queen of Heaven.” The Dominican rosary and the
Franciscan crown as well as numerous invocations in Mary’s litany celebrate her
queenship.
The feast
is a logical follow-up to the Assumption and is now celebrated on the octave
day of that feast. In his 1954 encyclical To the Queen of Heaven,
Pius XII points out that Mary deserves the title because she is Mother of God,
because she is closely associated as the New Eve with Jesus’ redemptive work,
because of her preeminent perfection and because of her intercessory power.
Comment:
As St. Paul suggests in Romans 8:28–30, God has predestined human beings from all eternity to share the image of his Son. All the more was Mary predestined to be the mother of Jesus. As Jesus was to be king of all creation, Mary, in dependence on Jesus, was to be queen. All other titles to queenship derive from this eternal intention of God. As Jesus exercised his kingship on earth by serving his Father and his fellow human beings, so did Mary exercise her queenship. As the glorified Jesus remains with us as our king till the end of time (Matthew 28:20), so does Mary, who was assumed into heaven and crowned queen of heaven and earth.
As St. Paul suggests in Romans 8:28–30, God has predestined human beings from all eternity to share the image of his Son. All the more was Mary predestined to be the mother of Jesus. As Jesus was to be king of all creation, Mary, in dependence on Jesus, was to be queen. All other titles to queenship derive from this eternal intention of God. As Jesus exercised his kingship on earth by serving his Father and his fellow human beings, so did Mary exercise her queenship. As the glorified Jesus remains with us as our king till the end of time (Matthew 28:20), so does Mary, who was assumed into heaven and crowned queen of heaven and earth.
Quote:
“Let the entire body of the faithful pour forth persevering prayer to the Mother of God and Mother of men. Let them implore that she who aided the beginnings of the Church by her prayers may now, exalted as she is in heaven above all the saints and angels, intercede with her Son in the fellowship of all the saints. May she do so until all the peoples of the human family, whether they are honored with the name of Christian or whether they still do not know their Savior, are happily gathered together in peace and harmony into the one People of God, for the glory of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity” (Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 69).
“Let the entire body of the faithful pour forth persevering prayer to the Mother of God and Mother of men. Let them implore that she who aided the beginnings of the Church by her prayers may now, exalted as she is in heaven above all the saints and angels, intercede with her Son in the fellowship of all the saints. May she do so until all the peoples of the human family, whether they are honored with the name of Christian or whether they still do not know their Savior, are happily gathered together in peace and harmony into the one People of God, for the glory of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity” (Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 69).
LECTIO: THE
QUEENSHIP OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Lectio:
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
God our Father,
may we love you in all things and above all things
and reach the joy you have prepared for us
beyond all our imagining.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
may we love you in all things and above all things
and reach the joy you have prepared for us
beyond all our imagining.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 1,26-38
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. He went in and said to her,
'Rejoice, you who enjoy God's favour! The Lord is with you.' She was deeply
disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but
the angel said to her, 'Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God's favour.
Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him
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.'
Mary said to the angel, 'But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?' 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. 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, for nothing is impossible to God.'
Mary said, 'You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have said.' And the angel left her.
Mary said to the angel, 'But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?' 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. 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, for nothing is impossible to God.'
Mary said, 'You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have said.' And the angel left her.
3) Reflection
• Today is the Feast of Mary Queen. The text of the Gospel on
which we meditate describes the visit of the angel to Mary (Lk 1, 26-38). The
word of God comes to Mary not through a Biblical text, but rather through a
profound experience of God, manifested in the visit of the Angel. In the New
Testament, many times, the Angel of God is God himself. It was thanks to the
meditation on the written Word of God in the Bible that Mary was capable to
perceive the living Word of God in the visit of the Angel. The same thing
happens today with God’s visits in our life. The visits of God are frequent.
But because of lack of assimilation and meditation of the written Word of God
in the Bible, we are not aware of God’s visit in our life. The visit of God is
so present and so continuous that, many times, we do not perceive it and,
because of this, we lose a great occasion to live in peace and with joy.
• Luke 1, 26-27: The word enters into our life. Luke presents the persons and the places: a Virgin called Mary, betrothed to a man called Joseph, of the House of David.
Nazareth was a small city in Galilee. Galilee was in the periphery. The centre was Judah and Jerusalem. The Angel Gabriel was sent by God to this young virgin who lived in the periphery. The name Gabriel means God is strong. The name Mary means loved by Yahweh or Yahweh is my Lord.
The story of the visit of God to Mary begins with the expression: “In the sixth month”. It refers to the “sixth month” of pregnancy of Elizabeth, relative of Mary, a woman of a certain age, who needs help. The concrete need of Elizabeth serves as a background to the whole episode. It is found at the beginning (Lk 1, 26) and at the end (Lk 1, 36.39).
• Luke 1, 28-29: Mary’s reaction. The angel had appeared to Zechariah in the Temple. The Angel appears to Mary in her house. The Word of God reaches Mary in the environment of her daily life. The Angel says: “Rejoice, you who enjoy God’s favour! The Lord is with you!” These are words similar to those which were said to Moses (Ex 3, 12), to Jeremiah (Jr 1, 8), to Jedeon (Jz 6, 12), to Ruth (Rt 2, 4) and to many others. These words open the horizon for the mission which these persons of the Old Testament have to carry out in the service of the People of God. Deeply disturbed by this greeting, Mary tries to understand what it means. She is realistic, she uses her head. She wants to understand. She does not simply accept any apparition or inspiration.
• Luke 1, 30-33: The explanation of the angel. “Do not be afraid, Mary!” This is always the first greeting of God to human beings: do not be afraid! Immediately after that, the angel recalls the great promises of the past which will be realized through the son who will be born from Mary. This son must receive the name of Jesus. He will be called the son of the Most High and in him finally, will be realized the Kingdom of God promised to David, which all were anxiously waiting for. This is the explanation which the Angel gave to Mary so that she would not be afraid.
• Luke 1, 34: New question asked by Mary. Mary becomes aware of the important mission which she is about to receive, but she continues to be realistic. She does not allow herself to be transported by the greatness of the offer and looks at her condition.” But how can this come about? I have no knowledge of man”. She analyses the offer according to criteria that we, human beings, have available. Because, humanly speaking, this was not possible that this offer of the Word of God would be realized at that moment.
• Luke 1, 35-37: New explanation by the angel. "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”. The Holy Spirit, present in God’s Word since Creation (Gn 1, 2), can realize things which seem impossible. This is why, the holy One who will be born from Mary will be called Son of God. When today God’s Word is received, accepted by the poor who have no studies, something new takes place thanks to the power of the Holy Spirit! Something new and surprising like the son who is born to a virgin or like the son born from Elizabeth, a woman who was already old, of whom everybody said that she could have no children! The angel adds: “And I tell you this too, your cousin Elizabeth is now in her sixth month!”
• Luke 1, 38: Mary gives herself. The response of the angel clarifies everything for Mary. She gives herself to what the angel was asking for: “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord! May it be done to me according to your word”. Mary calls herself Servant, handmaid of the Lord. This title comes from Isaiah, who presents the mission of the people not as a privilege, but rather like a service to others (Is 42, 1-9; 49, 3-6). Later, the son who was about to be generated at that moment, will define his mission saying: “I have not come to be served but to serve!” (Mt 20, 28). He learns from his Mother!
• Luke 1, 39: The way that Mary finds to render service. The Word of God reaches Mary and makes her get out of self in order to serve others. She leaves the place where she was and goes toward Judah, at a distance of more than four days journey, in order to help her cousin Elizabeth. Mary begins serving and fulfils her mission in behalf of the People of God.
• Luke 1, 26-27: The word enters into our life. Luke presents the persons and the places: a Virgin called Mary, betrothed to a man called Joseph, of the House of David.
Nazareth was a small city in Galilee. Galilee was in the periphery. The centre was Judah and Jerusalem. The Angel Gabriel was sent by God to this young virgin who lived in the periphery. The name Gabriel means God is strong. The name Mary means loved by Yahweh or Yahweh is my Lord.
The story of the visit of God to Mary begins with the expression: “In the sixth month”. It refers to the “sixth month” of pregnancy of Elizabeth, relative of Mary, a woman of a certain age, who needs help. The concrete need of Elizabeth serves as a background to the whole episode. It is found at the beginning (Lk 1, 26) and at the end (Lk 1, 36.39).
• Luke 1, 28-29: Mary’s reaction. The angel had appeared to Zechariah in the Temple. The Angel appears to Mary in her house. The Word of God reaches Mary in the environment of her daily life. The Angel says: “Rejoice, you who enjoy God’s favour! The Lord is with you!” These are words similar to those which were said to Moses (Ex 3, 12), to Jeremiah (Jr 1, 8), to Jedeon (Jz 6, 12), to Ruth (Rt 2, 4) and to many others. These words open the horizon for the mission which these persons of the Old Testament have to carry out in the service of the People of God. Deeply disturbed by this greeting, Mary tries to understand what it means. She is realistic, she uses her head. She wants to understand. She does not simply accept any apparition or inspiration.
• Luke 1, 30-33: The explanation of the angel. “Do not be afraid, Mary!” This is always the first greeting of God to human beings: do not be afraid! Immediately after that, the angel recalls the great promises of the past which will be realized through the son who will be born from Mary. This son must receive the name of Jesus. He will be called the son of the Most High and in him finally, will be realized the Kingdom of God promised to David, which all were anxiously waiting for. This is the explanation which the Angel gave to Mary so that she would not be afraid.
• Luke 1, 34: New question asked by Mary. Mary becomes aware of the important mission which she is about to receive, but she continues to be realistic. She does not allow herself to be transported by the greatness of the offer and looks at her condition.” But how can this come about? I have no knowledge of man”. She analyses the offer according to criteria that we, human beings, have available. Because, humanly speaking, this was not possible that this offer of the Word of God would be realized at that moment.
• Luke 1, 35-37: New explanation by the angel. "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”. The Holy Spirit, present in God’s Word since Creation (Gn 1, 2), can realize things which seem impossible. This is why, the holy One who will be born from Mary will be called Son of God. When today God’s Word is received, accepted by the poor who have no studies, something new takes place thanks to the power of the Holy Spirit! Something new and surprising like the son who is born to a virgin or like the son born from Elizabeth, a woman who was already old, of whom everybody said that she could have no children! The angel adds: “And I tell you this too, your cousin Elizabeth is now in her sixth month!”
• Luke 1, 38: Mary gives herself. The response of the angel clarifies everything for Mary. She gives herself to what the angel was asking for: “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord! May it be done to me according to your word”. Mary calls herself Servant, handmaid of the Lord. This title comes from Isaiah, who presents the mission of the people not as a privilege, but rather like a service to others (Is 42, 1-9; 49, 3-6). Later, the son who was about to be generated at that moment, will define his mission saying: “I have not come to be served but to serve!” (Mt 20, 28). He learns from his Mother!
• Luke 1, 39: The way that Mary finds to render service. The Word of God reaches Mary and makes her get out of self in order to serve others. She leaves the place where she was and goes toward Judah, at a distance of more than four days journey, in order to help her cousin Elizabeth. Mary begins serving and fulfils her mission in behalf of the People of God.
4) Personal questions
• How do you perceive God’s visit in your life? Have you been
visited already? Have you been a visit from God in the life of others
especially for the poor? How does this text help us to discover the visits of
God in our life?
• The word of God became incarnate in Mary. How is the Word of God taking flesh in my personal life and in the life of the community?
• The word of God became incarnate in Mary. How is the Word of God taking flesh in my personal life and in the life of the community?
5) Concluding Prayer
Let them thank Yahweh for his faithful love,
for his wonders for the children of Adam!
He has fed the hungry to their hearts' content,
filled the starving with good things. (Ps 107,8-9)
for his wonders for the children of Adam!
He has fed the hungry to their hearts' content,
filled the starving with good things. (Ps 107,8-9)
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