A Challenge for Rational Thought

A challenge for this age is to move beyond the purely rational mind in our attempts to put together the mystery of life. The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary put this challenge before us both directly and indirectly. The Presence of the Divine in our lives was recently compared, using an allegory from CS Lewis to a lion in the room. The lion who represents the Divine Presence exhibits power, majesty and does not eat us. The figure of the Lion contains mystery and evokes caution. The salvation history cited in the reading from the letter to the Hebrews relates a struggle for humanity to understand and relate to the Divine. The psalmist declares praise and thanksgiving for the relationship with God which has saved him in times of stress feeling far from the Peace, yet he reminds that the Lord God is a jealous God who deals with those who claim a status beyond their place. The episode of Jesus encounter with the demoniac in the Gentile regions contains much upon which to ponder. The actions of the evil spirits in possession of this man are extremely powerful and aware of the battle between good and evil raged in the spirit realm. The details of the exorcism and the instructions to the man after his release are important lights to peer into the mystery of Divine Providence and human mission. This is an invitation to pause and meditate.

The Inheritance of the Meek

The Lectionary of the Roman Catholic Church marks the 4th Sunday in Ordinary time. This is about half way between Christmas and Lent. Certainly, the official liturgy of Catholicism and the traditions of worship and assembly are comforting to the human need for pattern and regularity. The caution, of course, is that observance of the rules is mistaken for living the relationship with Christ through the indwelling Spirit. The prophet Zephaniah, in the 7th century BCE, was presenting the continuing story of the loss of attention of the people of Israel on the keeping of the Covenant. The observance of the ritual laws and rules was not enough to renew the relationship with the Divine. The prophet calls for a living of the Covenant and a witness to the nations through this living as God directs. The letter to the Corinthians raises a paradox of living in relationship with the Divine. The sinner and the weak and the foolish and the outcast are the people from whom the love, compassion and wisdom of the Divine will be shown. The Gospel of Matthew begins to relate the Sermon on the Mount. Fr Larry Gillick SJ comments on the dialogue of invitations from Jesus to be alive and present in the world. The radical pairing of meekness, poverty of spirit and humiliation with a heavenly inheritance is even more mysterious when we understand that inclusion in that “Kingdom of Heaven” is an offer made and accepted now!

Faith the Foundation of the Journey

The text today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary from the Letter to the Hebrews presents a definition of faith as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”. The author goes on the relate the story of the faith of Father Abraham who really demonstrated “faith beyond what his senses and common sense could support. The canticle this morning from the Gospel of Luke brings the faith of Zachariah that the Lord God was acting through the person of his son, John the Baptist to fulfill the ancient promise. The disciples accepted the invitation to join Jesus and to share His journey to Jerusalem. The decision to give up everything and follow him was not based on a logical expectation. In the episode today from Mark’s Gospel it appears as if the humanity of these men surfaces in fear of the forces of a storm which has arisen on the lake where they have worked as fishermen. The call to Jesus is familiar to many. The response is to bring peace and to invite us to challenge the doubt which may be encroaching on our faith built on the heritage of Abraham.

Parables Experience and Trust

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today bring the qualities of Experience and trust to mind. The theme that our experience of the love, compassion and forgiveness of our intimate relationship with the Divine is not to be forgotten or replaced with rules and religiosity. The difficult times when we “walked in the valley of the shadow of death” were times when we knew the Presence that was our guide. The psalmist declares that God delights in our way. That way is not best described by following this rule or that superstition but by a resonance of the indwelling Spirit with the Divine about which words are inadequate to write. This is the domain where poets, musicians and storytellers have a way to approach the documentation of experience. The parable does not give the seeker a “yes” or “no” because the deep understanding and Truth is not a subject for “dual” thinking

Progress and perseverance

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today focus on two realities. We are both not worthy of the invitation to approach intimacy with the Divine and we are called to do so. The author of Hebrews encourages perseverance. Some specific ways in which we have difficulty are mentioned not to dishearten but to recall our initial zeal. The psalmist proclaims the nature of those who seek the deep intimacy with the Divine have clean hands and a pure soul. The Gospel of Mark brings us to the reality that there are no secrets between the person and God. All is known and all is to be transformed into the light which brings the direction to revisit the deficiencies cited in Hebrews and to move toward the state proclaimed by the psalmist.

Living the Life in the Kingdom

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today mark the feast of Saints Timothy and Titus. Letters are in the New Testament to both early leaders of the Church. The message is to live as people in the Kingdom of God. The psalmist proclaims many praises for the marvellous works, the power and might and the judgement of God in His Kingdom. Luke reports the directions to the circle of disciples known as the 72. The power of the Kingdom of god is witnessed in the impact of the simple examples of community life demonstrated by the peace and healing brought by the disciples to the people they visit. Paul exhorts Timothy to remember the joy, love, power and self control received by Timothy within his indwelling Spirit through the invocation of the Holy Spirit, the laying on of hands, which energized the resonance of strength to live and resolve to rely on the direction and movement of the Spirit in the spreading of the Kingdom among people.

Paul is Conversion

The texts of the Roman Catholic lectionary today are celebrating the feast of the conversion of St Paul. The episode related in Acts shows the change in Paul from persecutor of the Way to preacher of the Good News. The encounter of the indwelling Spirit of Paul with the person of Jesus is at the root of this change of heart and direction. The records of the works and words of Paul documented in the New Testament offer some of the most engaging and compelling descriptions of Life in the Spirit as heir of the Divine and sibling of Jesus, living eternally in the Body of Christ. Mark’s Gospel declares a form of the Great Commission which was lived by Paul and is the mission for all the baptized. The Good News lived by Paul must be proclaimed by example in life to all people.

Blasphemies and heretics

The Gospel of Mark in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today addresses the accusation against Jesus that he was able to cast out demons through an association with the Evil One. The dialogue points out that a kingdom, even an evil one, cannot exist when it is divided against itself. The Roman Catholic Church celebrates the feast of Saint Francis de Sales who preached and taught in defence of the Roman Catholic Church in Geneva during the development of the Reformed Churches This was a time when heretics were around every corner. In the time since the Reformation the Church has realized that the division in the family is not as intended by the Founder. The unity among brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ is far greater than the divisions. Even the teaching of Saint Francis de Sales contains much on piety and love that all Christians can embrace. We stand as the psalmist today and “Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody”. We consider with the author of the Hebrews the radical relationship with the Divine lived in Christ through the Holy Spirit and the disputes with brothers and sisters become opportunities to attempt together to peer through the dark glass with which our human nature looks to the Eternal.

Divisions and Outcasts

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today have themes of discord and delight. The Book of Isaiah tells of a time when the faithful will see the delight of the Lord shine on people and place thought forgotten or outside the concern of Israel. The psalmist praises the Lord who fills his life with strength and confidence. He petitions the Lord to for the privilege of being in the House of the Lord all the days of his life and exhorts that people need to wait for the action of the Divine. Paul writes to the Corinthians about the apparent divisions in the followers of Christ. There are those who follow one or another leader and Paul that “there should be no divisions among you, but that you should be united in the same mind and the same purpose.” As the annual time of prayer for Christian Unity concludes, the unity of Christianity is a relevant question. What path of action, what time of waiting, what prophesy can we make about the life of the Body of Christ? The Body inherits the Promise to Abraham, the Exodus with Moses, the exile of Isaiah and continues to move as Jesus indicates in the Gospel from Matthew to bring the marginalized by location (i.e. “Galilee of the Gentiles”) or occupation (fishermen) to their synagogues and to healing and membership in the Body. The unity in the Body is the work of the Divine and the indwelling Spirit of Greek, Jew, free, slave, male and female respond in a unity of recognition of the Father which then as now includes all tribes and nations in the delight of the Divine.

He has gone out of his mind

He has gone out of his mind


The Gospel of Mark in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today is very short. It concludes with a popular opinion that Jesus must be “out of his mind”. The understanding of the action of Christ as Son is to incorporate the understanding of God and priest from the texts of Hebrews and the psalms with a human presence that is healer and One with power and authority to forgive and enter the “Holy of Holies” is to see a being that is beyond normal human experience yet is the model for human destiny.

Promise Renewed

The texts in the Roman Catholic lectionary today point to the renewal of the Covenant between the Divine and humanity through the action of the Spirit in the priesthood of Jesus. The Letter to the Hebrews recalls the salvation history, which continues today of the invitation from God to intimate relationship with people and the drifting away from the Promise. The events of the Passover and the Promise made to Moses are recalled along with the vision of Isaiah that the Lord God would write the Law on the hearts of people. Mark presents the journey of Jesus up the mountain, usually and traditionally a place of prayer and intimate contact with the Divine through the indwelling Spirit, where the “twelve” are chosen to be His close associates. The parallel nature of Jesus and Moses, the mountain and Mt Sinai and the apostles with the “twelve tribes of Israel” is intentional.

Human priest Divine mission

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today celebrate the Presence of the Divine in ways that highlight the mystery of this relationship. The letter to the Hebrews documents the nature of Jesus as high priest who is able to bring the promises of the Covenant to humanity without the burden of sin that is a challenge for every human priest. The sacrifice of the sinful priest for the sins of humanity is changed to the sacrifice of the Son according to the will of the Father for the sins of humanity. This is a one for all sacrifice which paradoxically has effect in all time. The psalmist reveals some of the timelessness of this relationship in the declaration that the law of God is written on the hearts of humanity. The resonance of the indwelling Spirit with the Divine takes us to an understanding, for now as through a glass darkly, of our need for the priestly action to feed us with the Word as Jesus is shown in Mark’s Gospel doing with A Multitude at the Lakeside . The account from Mark shows tensions between the Priest who brings Word of life with eternal significance and the “healing Priest” who brings comfort and healing to the afflicted today. Living this tension is the daily walk in Faith.

Priests and a Withered Hand

This passage from the texts of the Roman Catholic lectionary reads “The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.” As related in Mark’s Gospel, this decision was made after Jesus cured the man with the withered hand. The laws observed by the religious authorities of Jesus time had lost sight of the “priesthood” which is announced today in the Letter to the Hebrews and is praised for its strength and mighty power of God by the psalmist. The recognition of the Divine gift of ministry to others through the priesthood can be lost in making the priesthood the arbiter of rules and regulations. The service of the priest is to be the channel for the realization of the Presence and the love, forgiveness and healing which is that relationship with the Divine. Human attempts to control and limit the desire of the Divine to delight in the children of God are futile.

The Beginning of Wisdom

In the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the psalmist proclaims “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom”. This statement requires some consideration. He notion of fear as understood in the modern age is not exactly correct here. Another approach to this ‘fear’ which is both helpful and imperfect is the “fear” of loss of the presence of God in life. The Hebrew Scriptures, and the Letter to the Hebrews in the texts today speak of the Covenant in which God proclaims that He is the God of the people of Abraham and they are His people. This relationship with the Divine is a necessary component of full human life. The joy and wisdom of knowing the Immanent is celebrated today. The Gospel of Mark points out that the ritual and religious observance which surrounds our exploration of the relationship with the Divine is for the seekers not for God.

Priest Obey

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today offer themes of obedience and priesthood. The author of the letter to the Hebrews carefully explains the call to priesthood. The one who acts as priest is called to the position by God through the community. The complement to being chosen into the order of priests is obedience to God. Obedience is a difficult practice. It may be particularly foreign to modern life philosophy. The difficulty of the disciples to fast is hinted in the Gospel of Mark. The explanation for their lack of obedience to the fast is a helpful understanding of the need to in touch with the situation of the indwelling Spirit in relation to obedience. The resonance of the indwelling Spirit with the Divine opens the door to the messages of obedience which lead to the full development of the seeker as child of the Divine in whom the truth and the way are found.

Making Light of us

The texts today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary suggest the path for those who have seen the relationship with the Divine in their lives. Christian tradition signs this understanding in Baptism. The revelation of the indwelling Spirit in the Book of Isaiah is that the light is here and the Presence of God is with you. The path forward will be marked with this Presence and as the psalmist echoes, the light created by this relationship is for the great congregation is see and be inspired. Paul in the introduction to the letter to the Corinthians proclaims the direction is to be saints! A block to growth in holiness is the need to be reconciled to God for the actions which are not those of the light. John uses the voice of John the Baptist, the Prophet of Reconciliation to point to Jesus as the Lamb and to invite people to see the Lamb which is atonement for the sin of humanity. The sinners and sick, whom Jesus comes to heal, become the light which draws more of us to a deeper relationship with the Father, through the Son and in the Spirit.

This Gospel begins the long series of invitations to “Come and see”. We want to see how we are doing. God wants us to see the Epiphanies of God and in time, become Epiphanies ourselves. We have seen and the Light encourages us to keep watching as well as keep being seen in the Light. (Gillick SJ, 2011)



Gillick SJ, L. (2011, January 16). Daily Reflection. Retrieved January 16, 2011, from Creighton University's Online Ministries : http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/011611.html

Not calling the righteous

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary highlight some of the mystery and wonder of the radical relationship to which the Divine invites humanity. The letter to the Hebrews reminds us of the “double edged sword” of the living Word which is a relationship with a priest Son of the father who has all human experience to bring to our intimacy. The Gospel of Mark recounts the calling of the tax collector Levi, one who was unclean and a sinner for his working with the Romans. Jesus creates a relationship in which Levi is attracted and Jesus is present to the outcast where he lives. A mysterious relationship with radical action is our heritage.

Hebrews raise questions

A religious commentator on the CBC Tapestry program concluded recently that God should leave the searcher with the great questions and not answers to the eternal mysteries. The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invoke some of those questions. The letter to the Hebrews builds on the caution in Psalm 95 that those of hard heart shall not enter into the “rest” of the Divine. The question of exclusion from the delight and intimacy of the Divine is addressed in many ways by believers. The fear of God has been described by some searchers as the fear of the absence of the Presence in day to day life. The All Present and Eternal would seem by nature to never be completely absent. The Gospel of Mark brings the questions of blasphemy and the assertion of an apparently human person into the role of forgiveness and healing which is the domain of the Divine. It was the offence of blasphemy that eventually lead to the execution of Jesus on Calvary. There is no question that humanity often tries to place our earthly motives in the hands of God and to justify acts of greed and idolatry with a attempt to link it to the Will of God. Keep the questions coming.

Not always staying the course

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today remind us the human tendency to drift in our resolutions and commitments. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews cautions “we hold our first confidence firm to the end”. It is human to be enthused and even infatuated when new relationship and to lose interest as our needs and our plans surface again. The psalmist reveals the source of the biblical quote in Hebrews to be Psalm 95. The prayer tradition of Christian Prayer recites this Psalm on a daily basis. The reminder not to harden our hearts apparently needs frequent repetition. Mark relates the hope and expectation instilled in the outcast leper by the person of Jesus. In the rush of the power of the resonance of the indwelling Spirit of the marginalized with the Divine Spirit of Jesus Presence the man is given courage to approach and proclaim the power his Spirit has recognized. The heart of the man who is teacher and authority is extended in healing in the growing relationship. The directions for completion of the healing are those of the Law and the leper is asked to retain the details of the event in confidence. Mark relates the inability of the leper to do this and expresses that this may have caused a difficulty in the continuation of Jesus mission in the towns of Galilee.

A Preaching Tour in Galilee

The psalmist in the texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary proclaims the faithfulness of God to Israel. The author of the Book of Hebrews continues the exploration of this faithfulness and presents the intimate relationship of Creator to creature as such that the Son of God would enter into humanity and be the sacrificial lamb of the Hebrew tradition who could because of His Divine nature be atonement for the sins of the people against the relationship with the Divine. The Gospel of Mark relates the actions of Jesus to draw people back to the intimacy desired by the Father. Jesus visits the people in their homes and synagogues, attends to prayerful communication with the Father, and heals sickness and evil contamination of the indwelling spirit. The person of the Divine is present to the people in the events of their lives as He is also today.

Relationship detects an Unclean Spirit

The author of the Book of Hebrews, one of the texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary today is positioning Jesus as the action of the Divine to bring about the full relationship with God which Jewish tradition has known and anticipated. The entry of God into the history of humanity is a manifestation of the love and delight with which the Divine relates to creation as proclaimed by many psalmists. The Creator puts humanity in creation with gifts of knowledge and understanding to live as co-creators and maintainers. The Gospel of Mark portrays the ordinary humanity of Jesus and the extraordinary link to the spiritual universe which draws the indwelling Spirit of humans. The evil spirits which possess human will, at times, are also disturbed by the Presence brought intimately by Jesus. Mark and the author of Hebrews exhibit Jesus redemptive power to triumph over evil and sin.

Nothing ordinary here

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today marks the beginning of “Ordinary Time”. This time is not ordinary in the sense of banal, but is “ordinal” in that the days and weeks are counted. The texts come from the first chapters of the Gospel of Mark and the letter to the Hebrews. The authors have different audiences, Gentiles for Mark and Jews for Hebrews, but both proclaim Jesus as the Son of God. This message in Mark is also complemented by images of the humanity of Jesus. The first disciples are called, in today’s episode, not by clever persuasion or the dictates of a Law, but by the invitation to a relationship with the person of Jesus. These texts present the core of Christian understanding of Jesus as fully Divine (Son of God) and fully human (living among and with the working people of Galilee). The understanding of Jesus as a member of a Divine Trinity (Father, Son, Spirit) always in existence and the force of Creation (Spirit moving on the water) establishes relationship as the essence of the Divine. Jesus moves among his fellow humans and draws them into the relationship which is both human and Divine through the resonance of the indwelling Spirit with the Spirit of the Trinity. The psalmist proclaims the greatness of God!

The Baptism of Jesus

The Liturgical Cycle of the Roman Catholic Church marks the end of the Christmas Season with the feast of the Baptism of Jesus. A reflection on the aspect of baptism which involves embracing a movement of “listening-to” is suggested by the readings from the Roman Catholic Lectionary. Matthew recounts the episode of Jesus being baptized in the Jordan River by John. A reflection by Larry Gillick, SJ points to this liturgy as Jesus listening to the Jewish traditions and entering into the Tradition as He listens to the voice of the Father through the action of the Spirit. The “Light to the Nations” as described in one of the Servant texts from the book of Isaiah is presented publically to the Jews by the Evangelist to the Jews. The onetime zealous Pharisee, Paul, proclaims that the Gentiles, those outside the Jewish tradition, are called to listen to the invitation in the Life of Jesus to become a listener and hear of the “mission” which is offered to the listeners to be the love and peace which is within the intimate relationship of Divine and creature in which God delights. The psalmist presents the transcendent nature of God as the assurance that the power is available even to change the hearts and minds of humanity.

Competition and Conquest

The texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today suggest themes of conquest of sin and the misunderstanding of competition in following the promptings of the Spirit. The letter of John proclaims that we need just ask for the help in doing the things which are according to the will of God and we receive. The movement against the will of the Divine is sin. The development of the intimacy between human and Divine through the indwelling Spirit makes to presence of those motions away from the relationship more visible. John warns, as the ancient texts caution, that idols, putting others before the Divine, are the underlying force to damage the relationship. The Gospel of John describes the misunderstanding of some of Jesus time that there are ‘competing preachers’ from whom the people can draw the best message for themselves. It may also be a vision of the state of spiritual seeking in the world today. The movement is from the Divine to humanity. The psalmist proclaims the ‘delight’ of the Lord in His people. This movement according to the prompting of the indwelling Spirit, has John seek to decrease as Jesus, who is the Messiah, Son of God, increases according to the Will of the Father.

Presence that conquers the world

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary offer insight into the question posed in the first letter of John. “Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:5). The texts indicate that both Divine Immanence and Transcendence conquer the pitfalls of human life. The psalmist proclaims the peace and prosperity known by the nation Israel who attends to the blessings and word of God. The Transcendent is the one of strong arm and mighty hand to which the protection and prosperity of a nation is a Divine action. The Immanent is asked to heal in a personal encounter with the marginalized and Luke relates the intimate touching of body and Spirit in which the Divine chooses to assist humanity to conquer the individual challenges in the world.

Faith Conquers the World

The first letter of John from the Roman Catholic lectionary for today advises “those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also”. Luke recounts the visit of Jesus to the synagogue in Nazareth where He proclaims the beginning of His public ministry by recalling the words of the prophet Isaiah in the description of the actions of those who are anointed to act in the name of God. The actions described are those of love especially to the marginalized. The tension described here between the ‘anointed’ and those who observe the ordinary is one which exists for all believers. The faith of the anointed, all Christians, conquers the world when the action of that faith is seen in love that is offered without condition. It is a struggle. It is effective.

Compassion sees and solves the hunger

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are revealing love and compassion as the characteristics of our relationship with the Divine. John writes to proclaim that God is love. The psalmist praises God who will bring goodness and peace to the whole world. The desire for loving relationship is deep in humans. When we discover or need for relationship and the poverty of our state in regard to relationship we are open to see the compassion with which the Divine sees us as “sheep without a shepherd” to use the description of the people who had become physically hungry seeking the spiritual nourishment that Jesus was presenting to them.

Feeling the Love

The texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary use the Gospel of Matthew to introduce the beginning of Jesus public ministry. The model for Christian ministry is Jesus. Matthew writes his Gospel to Jews and uses the concept of the Kingdom of God to convince the Jews that Jesus is their Messiah King, the Anointed One, the Christ, the Son of God and founder of the kingdom of God. The actions, which in the Hebrew culture spoke stronger than words, were to call the weak, sick and dispossessed to health and wholeness. The Kingdom of God is calling the sick and the sinners in the dark areas and in the synagogues to a relationship with the Messiah King. Love is the attraction to this Kingdom. The love is offered without condition. In the letter of John, the text advises that those who abide in Jesus obey His Commandment to love one another. Those who abide in Jesus are the ministers who can continue to bring about the Kingdom for the weak, sick, sinners and all of us. John advises that the spirits need to be tested. Many spirits of legalism, fundamentalism and religiosity abound. The test is love. Feel it?

The Visit of the Wise Men

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany. The tradition recalls the visit of the wise men to Jesus. Matthew provides his account in the Gospel today. The wise men from the east bring a confirmation that the person who has been born in Bethlehem is special, marked by celestial phenomena and gifted with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The gold is the gift for a king. Matthew, who has addressed his Gospel to Jews, is showing Jesus place as the Messianic King of the line of David for whom the Hebrew people have waited. Frankincense is used in prayer. The wise men give thanks for the encounter this meeting has been with the Divine. Myrrh is used in preparation of bodies for burial. This hints at the division and death which will start with Herod’s response to the news of Jesus birth and will eventually lead to the execution of Jesus. The texts from the prophet Isaiah and the proclamation of the psalmist indicate that a time will come of justice, peace and righteousness when the lost and displaced Hebrew people will reunite under God and the people of all nations will come in joy to recognize this and praise God. Paul writes to the Ephesians that this mystery has been revealed through the indwelling Spirit to be that the Gentiles are also full heirs to the relationship of joy, peace and righteousness as the Jews have anticipated. This relationship will grow through the communion of the indwelling Spirit with the Divine through Jesus.

A Mother's View starts the New Year

The Lectionary of the Roman Catholic Church on New Year’s Day presents texts for the celebration of the feast of Mary, Mother of God. The texts contain an ancient Hebrew blessing, the exhortation of the psalmist that all the peoples should praise God, the declaration of Paul to the Galatians that we are children of God and heirs who can speak to the Father as “Abba” and from the Gospel of Luke the message that Mary treasured in her heart all the experiences and revelations surrounding Jesus Nativity. The Roman Catholic tradition sets aside many days as opportunities to approach our better understanding of the intimate relationship we are invited to have with Jesus, through the eyes and life of Mary. We can see so much of the Son through the eyes and reaction of Mary. This approach is rich as it moves toward the great mystery of the Incarnation, Emmanuel and Divine Immanence from a human place which is the view of the Mother. Mary focuses frames and gives a human path to the Divine. It is not about Mary. It is about how Jesus is encountered through His Mother.