The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary on the World Day for Consecrated Life remind us of how our role as parents and friends involves acting to recognize and practice our consecrated calling.
 |
| Becoming parents |
The Prophet Malachi describes the Messenger of the Covenant to the expectant Jewish community.
* [3:1] My messenger…before me: Mt 11:10 applies these words to John the Baptist; Mt 11:14 further identifies John as Elijah (see Mal 3:23). Some take God’s messenger in v. 1a to be a person distinct from “the lord” and “the messenger of the covenant” in v. 1b; others hold that they are one and the same person. Some consider “the lord” and “the messenger of the covenant” to be divine, while others hold that in the text’s literal sense he is a messianic earthly ruler.1
The Letter to the Hebrews connects Jesus to human experience as our priest and sacrifice.
By sharing human nature, including the ban of death, Jesus broke the power of the devil over death (Heb 2:4); the author shares the view of Hellenistic Judaism that death was not intended by God and that it had been introduced into the world by the devil. The fear of death (Heb 2:15) is a religious fear based on the false conception that death marks the end of a person’s relations with God (cf. Ps 115:17–18; Is 38:18). Jesus deliberately allied himself with the descendants of Abraham (Heb 2:16) in order to be a merciful and faithful high priest. This is the first appearance of the central theme of Hebrews, Jesus the great high priest expiating the sins of the people (Heb 2:17), as one who experienced the same tests as they (Heb 2:18).2
The Gospel of Luke recounts the witness of an elderly man and woman to Presentation of Jesus in the Temple.
* [2:22–40] The presentation of Jesus in the temple depicts the parents of Jesus as devout Jews, faithful observers of the law of the Lord (Lk 2:23–24, 39), i.e., the law of Moses. In this respect, they are described in a fashion similar to the parents of John (Lk 1:6) and Simeon (Lk 2:25) and Anna (Lk 2:36–37).3
The Carmelite brothers Lectio Divina on the presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple concludes with a prayer for families.
Father, we praise You and we bless You because through Your Son, born of woman by the working of the Holy Spirit, born under the law, has ransomed us from the law and You have filled our life with light and new hope. May our families welcome and remain faithful to Your designs; may they help and sustain in their children the new dreams and enthusiasm, wrap them in tenderness when they are fragile, educate them in love for You and for all creatures. All honor and glory to You, Father. Amen.4
Luis Rodriguez, S.J. notes that we are also told that the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him. This is really a soft way of saying that they did not understand, that they were “not getting it”.
This not-understanding had become a Leitmotiv in Mary’s life, but she kept pondering in her heart ...all the way to Calvary. This pondering in her heart led her to move from not understanding to not needing to understand. We need to pray for this gift of pondering in our hearts, so we can be led from not understanding –and there will be such moments– to not needing to understand.5
Friar Jude Winkler addresses the question of who is the figure identified by Malachi. The Jewish customs were not well understood by Luke. The difficulty of Mary is highlighted by the sense for the Hebrew people that the heart was the centre for thought and the Shema Israel exhorted Jews to worship One God. Friar Jude observes that the Nunc Dimittis is one of three hymns inserted in the Gospel of Luke.
Don Schwager quotes “Christ who was rich became poor, “ by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD).
"For this reason it seems wonderful that the sacrifice of Mary was not the first offering, that is, 'a lamb a year old,' but the second, since 'she could not afford' (Leviticus 5:7) the first. For as it was written about her, Jesus' parents came 'to offer a sacrifice' for him,'according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."' But this also shows the truth of what was written, that Jesus Christ 'although he was rich, became a poor man' (2 Corinthians 8:9). Therefore, for this reason, he chose both a poor mother, from whom he was born, and a poor homeland, about which it is said, 'But you, O Bethlehem Ephratha, who are little to be among the clans of Judah' (Micah 5:2), and the rest. (excerpt from HOMILIES ON LEVITICUS 8.4.3)6
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 2:22-40 asks what did Mary make of this? Perhaps her first reaction was fear, but she didn’t dwell on that. Instead, she shifted from fearful thoughts to probing questions.
Like Mary, your future holds both joys and sorrows. Even if you have already faced a few “swords” in your life—as well as a few miracles—you can be sure that more are coming. So how can you follow Mary’s example of faith and trust? The most important thing you can do is get in the habit of pondering the ways God has been faithful to you in the past. Recall the times when you have said, “God definitely shielded me there” or “Thank you, Jesus; your plan was so much better than mine.” Keep the memories of his goodness and unwavering love in the forefront of your mind as you offer him your yes, again and again.7
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that within Western Christianity, the body’s sensations, needs, and longings are often suppressed. He wonders if this might be related to our difficulty putting Jesus’—and our own—humanity and divinity together. Many churches emphasize mental beliefs and worded prayer while discouraging dance, yoga, or other forms of embodied prayer.
I invite you to explore some form of physical movement as contemplative practice today. Here are just a few examples: walking, dancing, stretching, singing, drumming. As you move, turn your attention to different sensations and parts of your body. You might choose to notice just one element—like your breathing or your feet—for the entire practice, or change focus every few minutes. If your mind starts to wander, return your attention to physical sensation.
We are not simply souls having a spiritual experience, but physical beings whose very breath is given by the Divine. In order to incarnate God, we are called to be fully human. We are humus—of the Earth, soil, ground.8
The events of Jesus life inspire our pondering of our mission or consecrated role. In contemplative prayer we find a technique to assist our movement to live truth, beauty, and light.
References
1
|
(n.d.). Malachi, chapter 3 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved February 2, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/malachi/3
|
2
|
(n.d.). Hebrews, chapter 2 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved February 2, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/2
|
3
|
(n.d.). Luke, chapter 2 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved February 2, 2019, from http://usccb.org/bible/luke/2
|
4
|
(n.d.). Lectio Divina: The Presentation of the Lord | THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE .... Retrieved February 2, 2019, from http://ocarm.org/en/content/lectio/lectio-divina-presentation-lord
|
5
|
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved February 2, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
|
6
|
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 2, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
|
7
|
(n.d.). 3rd Week in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved February 2, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/
|
8
|
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive: February 2019 - Center for Action and .... Retrieved February 2, 2019, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/2019/02
|
No comments:
Post a Comment