The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today bring
great joy as the authors present praise to God for constant faithfulness to the
life of people. Zephaniah acclaims God who brings the sign of Presence, the Ark
of the Covenant to Jerusalem in the hands of David. Friar Jude Winkler tells us
that this transformation of Jerusalem was from a pagan community to the center
of the Kingdom of Israel. The Gospel from Luke tells of the action of Mary who
lives hospitality and service to her cousin as she travels to the hill country outside
Jerusalem to minister to Elizabeth, an elderly woman, who is carrying the child,
John the Baptist. The recognition of Jesus Presence by the unborn prophet is
the declaration that the New Ark of the Covenant, Mary, awaits outside Jerusalem
for three months, as Friar Jude reminds, was the situation for the Ark
delivered by David. The Magnificat, the hymn to praise God, which Luke places
in this passage, brings to our voice many of the Divine attributes. The
paraenesis of Paul to the Romans, wherein he hands on some behaviourial wisdom
to his disciples shows that Mary is the one who leads us into a life of witness
in service to the care of the Divine for the “little ones of Yahweh”. We are
those who live in the gracious love of the Presence celebrated in humble
service today.
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