Our God is a God of Providence. He provides for our needs and ensures that we have all the resources we need to be and to do what He asks of us. We are utterly surrounded by God's Love. Mary is addressed by the Angel as "highly favored," also translated "full of grace." She is told that she has "found favor with God." Literally, the angel says, "you have found grace in God's eyes." In other words, there is a special sparkle, a glint in God's eye for this highly favored daughter. We have come to understand one aspect of this fullness of favor as her unique privilege of being made in perfection from the first moment of her existence, being kept free from original sin.
In simple terms, the Church's Faith says that Mary was preserved as free from sin in view of the merits of her Son's Redemptive Act, for the sake of her ministry as the Mother of the Son of God. She notes in her Magnificat that the All-Powerful God "has looked upon her in her lowliness." God's purifying and redeeming look has a power beyond our understanding. In Mary's case, it gives her the gift of perfect human nature, so that she can freely cooperate with God's plan of Salvation, giving human nature to her Son Jesus.
This simple, wonderful "fact" of Mary's sinless human nature is a renewal, a "clean start" for the human race. Adam and Eve were created sinless. By their choice, they failed to pass on that state to us their children. God chose to renew humanity in Mary and her Son, the New Adam and the New Eve, cooperating with God's grace for all humanity.
The truth of the Immaculate Conception is a reminder that God can still reach our human nature even under the stain of sin. In Baptism, our original sin is washed away. Althoug we are not conceived without sin, we are born again of water and the Spirit and grace is given to us.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
The Finding in the Temple
At the age of 12, Jesus goes up to Jerusalem with Mary and Joseph, as was the family custom. Something new happens on this journey. He is no longer an infant, no longer a child. His "place" in the family is now ready to change. Neither Mary nor Joseph are surprised that He might be someplace else in the caravan. But there is something new happening. When He has to choose His place, He chooses the one place that serves to draw Him into the Presence of His Heavenly Father, the Temple. He remains there as the family departs without Him.
When Mary and Joseph discover that Jesus is not with them, they are distressed. They retrace their steps and return to Jerusalem. When they find Him, He is in the Temple, speaking to the teachers there, listening and asking questions, understanding and leading to deeper understanding in those who speak to Him. Seeing this scene, Mary is able to express to her Son the nature of the distress that she and Joseph have shared. And Jesus is able to respond to her from His new "place." Nonetheless, He returns with them to Nazareth and remains under their authority.
"Why did you look for Me? Did you not know I had to be in My Father's House?" Jesus says to His mother. He is inviting her to know Him in a new, more intimate way. The unity between mother and Son has always been present. It will continue to grow until that moment when the Son is on the Cross. At this moment, Mary has a pang in her heart. No doubt she recalls the words Simeon spoke to her a dozen years before in this very Temple. She does not yet know the depth of the pain that will come one day. For now, she has a few more years of peace with Jesus and Joseph. Yet, she must begin to create more room for her Son as He walks His own way. Her relationship to Him is changing. More and more, He must be about His Father's business.
With the Finding in the Temple, we meet Jesus in an experience that is very human. So many families can relate to the experience of the child lost or left behind. Teens and young adults can relate to the need to separate from parents in the journey of finding their own identity. Jesus reveals the way to negotiate through this human experience: honesty of purpose and, at the same time, an attitude of obedience.
In our world today, so many are lost and confused about their identity. In an effort to "find themselves" and to express their uniqueness, many are duped into establishing false selves or into defining their identity by aspects of themselves that are not the real center. The Finding in the Temple shows how one's true identity is to be discovered: through attending to relationship with the Living God. Seeking God first and being in His Temple will serve to bring each of us to the truth of who we are in God.
When Mary and Joseph discover that Jesus is not with them, they are distressed. They retrace their steps and return to Jerusalem. When they find Him, He is in the Temple, speaking to the teachers there, listening and asking questions, understanding and leading to deeper understanding in those who speak to Him. Seeing this scene, Mary is able to express to her Son the nature of the distress that she and Joseph have shared. And Jesus is able to respond to her from His new "place." Nonetheless, He returns with them to Nazareth and remains under their authority.
"Why did you look for Me? Did you not know I had to be in My Father's House?" Jesus says to His mother. He is inviting her to know Him in a new, more intimate way. The unity between mother and Son has always been present. It will continue to grow until that moment when the Son is on the Cross. At this moment, Mary has a pang in her heart. No doubt she recalls the words Simeon spoke to her a dozen years before in this very Temple. She does not yet know the depth of the pain that will come one day. For now, she has a few more years of peace with Jesus and Joseph. Yet, she must begin to create more room for her Son as He walks His own way. Her relationship to Him is changing. More and more, He must be about His Father's business.
With the Finding in the Temple, we meet Jesus in an experience that is very human. So many families can relate to the experience of the child lost or left behind. Teens and young adults can relate to the need to separate from parents in the journey of finding their own identity. Jesus reveals the way to negotiate through this human experience: honesty of purpose and, at the same time, an attitude of obedience.
In our world today, so many are lost and confused about their identity. In an effort to "find themselves" and to express their uniqueness, many are duped into establishing false selves or into defining their identity by aspects of themselves that are not the real center. The Finding in the Temple shows how one's true identity is to be discovered: through attending to relationship with the Living God. Seeking God first and being in His Temple will serve to bring each of us to the truth of who we are in God.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
The Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple
The joy in the heart of Mary and Joseph and the joy of God the Father at the moment of the Presentation of the Infant Child Jesus in the Temple had to have been incredible. Here, for the very first time since the dawn of the creation of human beings, a Perfect Humanity was given back to God, presented to Him in an act of worship.
It could have been an action that went unnoticed, just a young couple showing up at the Temple as expected by the Law. Instead, it proved to be a moment of completion, fulfillment and prophecy of consummation. The parents presented the Son of God, having accepted Him into their lives, now responding to the dictates of the Law. The just man Joseph and the sinless, immaculately conceived Virgin Mary, presented to God His own capstone, the Son of God and Son of Mary, accepted as the foster but full Son of Joseph, and so Son of David--the Messiah promised to the Anawim, the Poor in Spirit who longed for the consolation of Jerusalem. At this precise time, two unique persons caught a glimpse of the glory in the Child.
Simeon, moved by the Spirit, experiences his last and greatest encounter with the Living God, speaks a prophetic word to Mary's heart, and praises God for the Gift that he sees, the Light to the Nations and the Glory of Israel. Anna, a prophetess in her own right, there at that moment because she was always there, sees and knows and speaks of that joy to all who would listen. The parents marvel at the effect of their Child even before He Who Is the Word of God speaks His first Word--Abba.
There is a hint of the Suffering that will be born by this Perfect Human Nature. Already, Mary's heart is pierced by Simeon's prophecy of division occasioned by the Presence of Jesus and of her sharing in that in her own way. How sad Joseph must have been to see the hint of this in Mary's eyes, knowing that he could not protect her from such pain. Pondering in her heart, Mary would find the strength and courage to accept this reality as part of her Yes, the Fiat already spoken.
We can all share in the giving of humanity back to God. That is the one thing we are capable of doing through an act of the will and an attitude of worship. Husbands and Wives can do this for one another. Parents can do it for their children as they bring them to the Sacraments. All who are baptized may renew their self-gift each time they call to mind their Baptism and respond to the grace of the other Sacraments they encounter.
We see that Jesus followed the example of His earthly parents in His willingness to give up His humanity to us -- both on the Cross and through His enduring Eucharistic Presence.
May we come to know the joy of giving all we are and all we possess back to God, and so come to know the power of the Spirit Who stretches us toward that Perfect Humanity that Is in Jesus Christ.
It could have been an action that went unnoticed, just a young couple showing up at the Temple as expected by the Law. Instead, it proved to be a moment of completion, fulfillment and prophecy of consummation. The parents presented the Son of God, having accepted Him into their lives, now responding to the dictates of the Law. The just man Joseph and the sinless, immaculately conceived Virgin Mary, presented to God His own capstone, the Son of God and Son of Mary, accepted as the foster but full Son of Joseph, and so Son of David--the Messiah promised to the Anawim, the Poor in Spirit who longed for the consolation of Jerusalem. At this precise time, two unique persons caught a glimpse of the glory in the Child.
Simeon, moved by the Spirit, experiences his last and greatest encounter with the Living God, speaks a prophetic word to Mary's heart, and praises God for the Gift that he sees, the Light to the Nations and the Glory of Israel. Anna, a prophetess in her own right, there at that moment because she was always there, sees and knows and speaks of that joy to all who would listen. The parents marvel at the effect of their Child even before He Who Is the Word of God speaks His first Word--Abba.
There is a hint of the Suffering that will be born by this Perfect Human Nature. Already, Mary's heart is pierced by Simeon's prophecy of division occasioned by the Presence of Jesus and of her sharing in that in her own way. How sad Joseph must have been to see the hint of this in Mary's eyes, knowing that he could not protect her from such pain. Pondering in her heart, Mary would find the strength and courage to accept this reality as part of her Yes, the Fiat already spoken.
We can all share in the giving of humanity back to God. That is the one thing we are capable of doing through an act of the will and an attitude of worship. Husbands and Wives can do this for one another. Parents can do it for their children as they bring them to the Sacraments. All who are baptized may renew their self-gift each time they call to mind their Baptism and respond to the grace of the other Sacraments they encounter.
We see that Jesus followed the example of His earthly parents in His willingness to give up His humanity to us -- both on the Cross and through His enduring Eucharistic Presence.
May we come to know the joy of giving all we are and all we possess back to God, and so come to know the power of the Spirit Who stretches us toward that Perfect Humanity that Is in Jesus Christ.
Friday, March 27, 2009
The Nativity
Jesus Christ is born. We are standing at the moment of the Birth of Christ. The Incarnation began at a certain instant in time. The Birth of Jesus took place in Bethlehem, bringing to light what had begun in secret. All of Creation has a share in the glory that is revealed in the Birth of the Messiah, the Redeemer Who was promised to our first parents. Advent and Christmas invite us to contemplate the Gift and the details surrounding its unveiling. Every Sacrament we experience suggests that it is still bearing fruit.
The birth of a child deserves to be met with joy by all. Each new human being should be recognized as a miracle, a precious reminder that God is still in the business of bringing forth our human nature, no matter how badly we may be responding to His generous Love. Sadly, in our day, the birth of a child is often looked upon as something to be avoided. And yet, the whole world still celebrates Christmas, even in a secularized form.
It has become commonplace to consider the child in the womb as an abstraction, a being that has no value or worth until it is brought to birth. Every mother knows that the child in her womb is a living being, a unique and unrepeatable gift. She acknowledges this deep within, even if she does not consciously hold this view. Women who have rejected their children at one level still long for them and mourn for them when they are gone at the level of being.
The simple fact that God chose to become one of us makes the birth of every human being something of eternal significance. It is the hope of Eternity that enables us to see goodness in the world. We want children to be born so that they and we may live our earthly lives and reach a fulfillment in Eternity. This same hope promises healing for those who make another false and deceptive "choice."
Mary and Joseph gave Jesus a place, albeit a humble place chosen by default. The Angels sang the truth of Salvation and the Glory that was revealed in that humble birth. Shepherds acknowledged the birth of the Good Shepherd, Christ the Lord. Magi journeyed from afar to acclaim the Universal King and Savior. We are invited to accept the One born in Bethlehem of Judea into our own lives. And so, Christ is born in us. In Him, Time and Eternity meet. Our time makes sense in the light of Who He Is and all that He reveals. He makes known to us the Truth of who we are and all that God wants for us. Born in Time, He brings us to birth in Eternity.
The birth of a child deserves to be met with joy by all. Each new human being should be recognized as a miracle, a precious reminder that God is still in the business of bringing forth our human nature, no matter how badly we may be responding to His generous Love. Sadly, in our day, the birth of a child is often looked upon as something to be avoided. And yet, the whole world still celebrates Christmas, even in a secularized form.
It has become commonplace to consider the child in the womb as an abstraction, a being that has no value or worth until it is brought to birth. Every mother knows that the child in her womb is a living being, a unique and unrepeatable gift. She acknowledges this deep within, even if she does not consciously hold this view. Women who have rejected their children at one level still long for them and mourn for them when they are gone at the level of being.
The simple fact that God chose to become one of us makes the birth of every human being something of eternal significance. It is the hope of Eternity that enables us to see goodness in the world. We want children to be born so that they and we may live our earthly lives and reach a fulfillment in Eternity. This same hope promises healing for those who make another false and deceptive "choice."
Mary and Joseph gave Jesus a place, albeit a humble place chosen by default. The Angels sang the truth of Salvation and the Glory that was revealed in that humble birth. Shepherds acknowledged the birth of the Good Shepherd, Christ the Lord. Magi journeyed from afar to acclaim the Universal King and Savior. We are invited to accept the One born in Bethlehem of Judea into our own lives. And so, Christ is born in us. In Him, Time and Eternity meet. Our time makes sense in the light of Who He Is and all that He reveals. He makes known to us the Truth of who we are and all that God wants for us. Born in Time, He brings us to birth in Eternity.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
The Visitation
After hearing and responding to the Archangel's invitation to cooperate with God's Plan for the Coming of the Messiah, Mary immediately made ready to pay a visit to her cousin Elizabeth. The news that Elizabeth's barrenness was over brought Mary joy and she had to go to share it in person. What a lovely scene unfolds when they encounter one another! We are not told of Elizabeth's own experience of Heavenly messengers--all Luke tells about is her husband Zechariah's encounter in the Temple. But somehow she already knew about Mary and the Gift, the Presence of the Lord, secretly within her. The moment the voice of Mary reached her ears, the joy burst forth and the infant in the womb could be in that instant exactly who he was created to be, the precursor to the Bridegroom, leaping in joy.
Here it is the priesthood and the voice of prophecy, leaping in joy before the Ark of the Covenant and the Son of David Who is the Son of the Most High Present in that Ark. The Visitation highlights the wonderful Mystery of fulfillment of hopes and dreams and longings too deep for words, and the intuition of Truth deeper than awareness that has the power to remove all reproach. Elizabeth's acknowledgment of Mary's role and her blessed response to the Promise elicits from Mary a prayer of praise that highlights God's gift of Salvation. Her song is still sung each evening by the Church at prayer.
Visiting with those who have experienced the touch of God in their lives is a joy that I experience daily as a priest in a parish. Today, I visited with children in our elementary school who had witnessed the Baptism of a Second Grader at their School Mass yesterday morning. Everyone was so moved by the experience and the children were full of insights and questions. They all saw that something very special had happened to all of them as the Sacrament took place in their hearing. The young man who was baptized told our Religious Ed Director that he has he has been wanting to be baptized "for years." The fact that it worked out to happen in the presence of his classmates and of the whole School was a gift to all of us. The Second Grade teacher said, "They'll never forget it!"
When we begin to realize the power of the Sacraments and the joys that are ours in the sharing of the action of God's Spirit, we are renewed in hope. The burdens and struggles we face are lessened by the fact of our oneness in joy. God is with us. He has a Plan. Our "Yes" has already been said. Now we await the unfolding of the Mystery. God is worthy of our trust. We are blessed.
With Mary and Elizabeth, we can already taste the joy of Salvation. May our hearts be lifted by a proclamation of praise and a discovery that we are not alone.
Here it is the priesthood and the voice of prophecy, leaping in joy before the Ark of the Covenant and the Son of David Who is the Son of the Most High Present in that Ark. The Visitation highlights the wonderful Mystery of fulfillment of hopes and dreams and longings too deep for words, and the intuition of Truth deeper than awareness that has the power to remove all reproach. Elizabeth's acknowledgment of Mary's role and her blessed response to the Promise elicits from Mary a prayer of praise that highlights God's gift of Salvation. Her song is still sung each evening by the Church at prayer.
Visiting with those who have experienced the touch of God in their lives is a joy that I experience daily as a priest in a parish. Today, I visited with children in our elementary school who had witnessed the Baptism of a Second Grader at their School Mass yesterday morning. Everyone was so moved by the experience and the children were full of insights and questions. They all saw that something very special had happened to all of them as the Sacrament took place in their hearing. The young man who was baptized told our Religious Ed Director that he has he has been wanting to be baptized "for years." The fact that it worked out to happen in the presence of his classmates and of the whole School was a gift to all of us. The Second Grade teacher said, "They'll never forget it!"
When we begin to realize the power of the Sacraments and the joys that are ours in the sharing of the action of God's Spirit, we are renewed in hope. The burdens and struggles we face are lessened by the fact of our oneness in joy. God is with us. He has a Plan. Our "Yes" has already been said. Now we await the unfolding of the Mystery. God is worthy of our trust. We are blessed.
With Mary and Elizabeth, we can already taste the joy of Salvation. May our hearts be lifted by a proclamation of praise and a discovery that we are not alone.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
The Solemnity of the Annunciation
I have wondered about blogging and whether it would be a good idea for me to try it out. Since I have now heard that there is something called twittering too, I decided I had better blog first and then check out whatever twittering may be.
The Annunciation is the moment when Time and Eternity met formally, utterly and in such a dramatic form that nothing has ever been the same since. Reflecting on the Annunciation in praying the Rosary, I am always struck by just how complete this Mystery is. It contains all the others "in seed." The Virginal Conception of Jesus Christ, the God-Man, the Eternal Son of the Father in the flesh is the start of everything. God did it. But human nature had a role--and still does!--in the act of saying "Yes." I believe that in spite of appearances, this has served to recreate the universe. Nothing that happens after this moment can take away the "invasion" of space and time by Eternity. And we all have a share in it.
Thank you, dear Mother Mary, for your "Yes." Pray for us now, that we may continue to respond to the grace that was given to all through the Incarnation of your Son.
For what it's worth, in this, my first act of blogging, I add my "Yes" to yours. May the Word made flesh continue to claim my heart, and may I hear the whisper of the Spirit laying claim to my humanity. May my "Yes" be clear and complete in the rest of the time allotted to me and in Eternity. Amen.
The Annunciation is the moment when Time and Eternity met formally, utterly and in such a dramatic form that nothing has ever been the same since. Reflecting on the Annunciation in praying the Rosary, I am always struck by just how complete this Mystery is. It contains all the others "in seed." The Virginal Conception of Jesus Christ, the God-Man, the Eternal Son of the Father in the flesh is the start of everything. God did it. But human nature had a role--and still does!--in the act of saying "Yes." I believe that in spite of appearances, this has served to recreate the universe. Nothing that happens after this moment can take away the "invasion" of space and time by Eternity. And we all have a share in it.
Thank you, dear Mother Mary, for your "Yes." Pray for us now, that we may continue to respond to the grace that was given to all through the Incarnation of your Son.
For what it's worth, in this, my first act of blogging, I add my "Yes" to yours. May the Word made flesh continue to claim my heart, and may I hear the whisper of the Spirit laying claim to my humanity. May my "Yes" be clear and complete in the rest of the time allotted to me and in Eternity. Amen.
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