Psalm 33 from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today praises
the awesome position of God who is the hope for nations to prosper. The
lectionary offers a choice of two joyous readings about the presence of God in
Love. The Prophet Zephaniah proclaims the glad tidings that God is in the midst
of the remnant returning to Jerusalem after the exile to Babylon. The Lord has
removed the judgements against the people and promises a reign of peace in
relationship with God. The Song of Songs, according to Friar Jude Winkler, is likely
an ancient wedding hymn which proclaims the visitation of Love to the young
couple. Love is personified as the dove which is the representation of the Holy
Spirit in Christian texts. The Gospel of Luke recounts the visitation of Mary
to Elizabeth and the recognition of the Presence of God by the Prophet John the
Baptist while he is still in the womb. Friar Jude discusses some of the reasons
for this visit. Other scholars understand this visitation text to be extremely
dense with Mary taking on the role of the New Ark of the Covenant as the Last Prophet
of the Hebrew Testament in the priestly traditions of Zachariah and Elizabeth,
affirms Jesus as the fulfillment of the Promises to Abraham and presents Mary as
the “burning bush” and the model for believers to carry Christ to all people.
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