See the Ark

“Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple”( Revelation 11.19) Friar Jude Winkler commenting on the texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today which is theFeast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in North America, describes the return of the Ark of the Covenant as the time of the Day of the Lord in Jewish tradition. The triumph of the Anointed One over the forces of evil in the Book of Revelation is the consequence of the Church giving birth to the Word. Friar Jude positions this triumph in the place of Jesus on the cross and places the suffering of the faithful, especially the martyrs, as participation in this victory. The promise in the Book of the Prophet Zachariah today that God will call all peoples to the New Jerusalem is underlined by Friar Jude to reassert that salvation is for all, Gentile and Jew. The Gospel from Luke takes us away from the “Yes” of Mary who gives birth to the Anointed One to the encounter between Jesus in her womb and the unborn child John the Baptist growing through the miraculous pregnancy of Elizabeth. The Canticle of Mary, the Magnificat, which begins at the close of the text today, is associated with the Anawim of Yahweh, who are the poor who are close to God and with whom God shows the victory over pride, power and privilege which is so dramatically portrayed in Revelation. Benedict XVI gave ageneral audience (Feb 16 2006), which he dedicated to comment on the Magnificat. He quotes St Ambrose who preaches that according to faith all souls engender Christ. Or we all, like Mary, give birth to the Word in the world to combat evil. The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe reinforces the role of Mary as Mother and Model of the Church who makes God present so we can see the Ark of the Covenant.