Journey with expectant joy

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to be open to the joy to which we can connect in our relationship with Jesus in expectation of birth of a child or walking contemplatively in a “holy land”.

Journey to joy in birth

The Prophet Zephaniah declares Jerusalem to be that holy land where joy is found in restoration by the Lord.

The description of Love in the Song of Songs is filled with the joy of the approach of the spouse.

* [2:8–13] In this sudden change of scene, the woman describes a rendezvous and pictures her lover hastening toward her dwelling until his voice is heard calling her to him.1

In the Gospel from Luke, John the Baptist in the womb of his mother Elizabeth responds to the Holy Presence within the pregnant Mary.

* [1:45] Blessed are you who believed: Luke portrays Mary as a believer whose faith stands in contrast to the disbelief of Zechariah (Lk 1:20). Mary’s role as believer in the infancy narrative should be seen in connection with the explicit mention of her presence among “those who believed” after the resurrection at the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:14).2

Dave Armstrong, Catholic author and apologist, comments that it was fitting and proper for Mary, the ark of the new covenant, Theotokos (“bearer of God”), who had the sublime honor of carrying God incarnate in her womb, to be exceptionally (perfectly) holy.

2 Samuel 6:10-11 So David was not willing to take the ark of the LORD into the city of David; but David took it aside to the house of O’bed-e’dom the Gittite. And the ark of the LORD remained in the house of O’bed-e’dom the Gittite three months . . .
Luke 1:39, 56 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, . . . And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her home.3

Vivian Amu asserts one thing for sure is that we can’t help but feel a movement in our souls when we read the scripture today. This movement feels like the Holy Spirit, and the fruit of this movement is Joy; leaping exuberant Joy.

I must confess that my week has been a bit trying.  I have felt the need to persuade myself to be in a good mood ---after all, it is advent, and Christmas is around the corner.  I had grown weary of waiting and people telling me about perseverance, and then, I read today’s readings. These readings are like a good friend leading me by the hand, skipping to a place called hope.  The readings leave no room for us to hide in our pain, or wallow in the darkness, or cover our faces. The readings call us to rise because we are beloved; to rise and journey with joy in our hearts because we are beloved.  We are to go through life with exuberance and triumph, because any darkness in our life is about to be cancelled by the incoming radiance of light; any sadness is about to be turned into jubilation. We are to rise, rejoice, and remember our gift of joy.4

Don Schwager quotes “John prophecies from the womb,” by Maximus of Turin (died between 408-423 AD).

"Not yet born, already John prophesies and, while still in the enclosure of his mother's womb, confesses the coming of Christ with movements of joy - since he could not do so with his voice. As Elizabeth says to holy Mary, 'As soon as you greeted me, the child in my womb exulted for joy.' John exults, then, before he is born. Before his eyes can see what the world looks like, he can recognize the Lord of the world with his spirit. In this regard, I think that the prophetic phrase is appropriate: 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you came forth from the womb I sanctified you' (Jeremiah 1:5). Thus we ought not to marvel that after Herod put him in prison, he continued to announce Christ to his disciples from his confinement, when even confined in the womb he preached the same Lord by his movements." (excerpt from SERMON 5.4)5

A visit to Ain Karim and connection to  the Ark of the Covenant is described in the book “Stations of the Crèche” by Thomas A. Stanly, S.M.

It was to this place that Mary came after leaving Nazareth and it was there that Mary stayed for three months until the birth of John the Baptist. Mary is the ark of the new covenant and her three-month visit echoes the three months the ark of the ancient covenant had remained in the house of Obed-Edom during its journey from Abu Gosh to Jerusalem in David's time.6

The Word Among Us Meditation on Psalm 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21 advises that we don’t underestimate God’s desire to draw close to you and to reveal more of his love at Christmas.

Advent miracles really do happen, even in the midst of our busyness and stress. So ask God to give you what you need to embrace him on Christmas Day. Be open to his grace in those ordinary moments so that as Christmas dawns, you can say with the psalmist, “In him my heart rejoices; in his holy name I trust” (see Psalm 33:21)!7

Friar Jude Winkler discusses the Hebrew Testament understanding of the dove as the symbol of Love in the Song of Songs. The response of John the Baptist when Mary encounters Elizabeth is source for meditation on the value of the unborn. Friar Jude declares the blessedness of Mary who believed.

Cynthia Bourgeault observes that we could really summarize Centering Prayer as kenosis in meditation form.

[Centering Prayer’s] simple but powerful pathway of transformation illumines . . . what it means to “put on the mind of Christ.” . . . The theological basis for Centering Prayer lies in the principle of kenosis, Jesus’s self-emptying love that forms the core of his own self-understanding and life practice. . . .
Saint Paul explains this principle by way of his beautiful hymn in Philippians 2:6-11, prefacing his comments by saying, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus”:

Our spiritual journey of joy, generosity, expectant hope and discovery of our true self is explored in the images of movement for Love today.

References

1 (n.d.). Song of Songs, chapter 2 - United States Conference of Catholic .... Retrieved December 21, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/songofsongs/2

2 (n.d.). Luke 1. Retrieved December 21, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/luke1.htm

3 (2018, February 13). Amazing Parallels Between Mary and the Ark of the Covenant. Retrieved December 21, 2018, from http://www.ncregister.com/blog/darmstrong/amazing-parallels-between-mary-and-the-ark-of-the-covenant

4 (n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved December 21, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

5 (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 21, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/

6 (n.d.). Pilgrimage Sites in the Holy Land : University of Dayton, Ohio. Retrieved December 21, 2018, from https://udayton.edu/imri/mary/p/pilgrimage-sites-in-the-holy-land.php

7 (n.d.). 3rd Week of Advent - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily Meditations .... Retrieved December 21, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

8 (2017, December 30). 2018 Daily Meditations - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 21, 2018, from https://cac.org/2018-daily-meditations/