Blessing and Rejoicing

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, inspire our search for the signs today of the continuing call to conversion and surrender to truth, love, and compassion.

Call to Conversion

The readings from the Prophet Zechariah shares themes of the First Three Visions.

* [2:15] Many nations…my people: a way of expressing God’s relationship to people in covenant language. The covenant between God and Israel (see Jer 31:33; 32:38) is here universalized to include all nations.

* [2:16] The holy land: the Lord’s earthly territory, a designation found only rarely in the Old Testament. (Zechariah, CHAPTER 2, n.d.)

The response is from the Book of Judith.

* [13:12–20] Elements from chaps. 8–9 are echoed here. The assembly of the people at Judith’s return parallels the meeting of the town officials summoned by Judith in 8:10. Uzziah blesses Judith in 8:5 and again in 13:18–20. (Judith, CHAPTER 13, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke proclaims the announcement of the Birth of Jesus and relates Mary’s Visit to Elizabeth.

* [1:26–38] The announcement to Mary of the birth of Jesus is parallel to the announcement to Zechariah of the birth of John. In both the angel Gabriel appears to the parent who is troubled by the vision (Lk 1:11–12, 26–29) and then told by the angel not to fear (Lk 1:13, 30). After the announcement is made (Lk 1:14–17, 31–33) the parent objects (Lk 1:18, 34) and a sign is given to confirm the announcement (Lk 1:20, 36). The particular focus of the announcement of the birth of Jesus is on his identity as Son of David (Lk 1:32–33) and Son of God (Lk 1:32, 35).

* [1:32] Son of the Most High: cf. Lk 1:76 where John is described as “prophet of the Most High.” “Most High” is a title for God commonly used by Luke (Lk 1:35, 76; 6:35; 8:28; Acts 7:48; 16:17).

* [1:34] Mary’s questioning response is a denial of sexual relations and is used by Luke to lead to the angel’s declaration about the Spirit’s role in the conception of this child (Lk 1:35). According to Luke, the virginal conception of Jesus takes place through the holy Spirit, the power of God, and therefore Jesus has a unique relationship to Yahweh: he is Son of God.

* [1:36–37] The sign given to Mary in confirmation of the angel’s announcement to her is the pregnancy of her aged relative Elizabeth. If a woman past the childbearing age could become pregnant, why, the angel implies, should there be doubt about Mary’s pregnancy, for nothing will be impossible for God.

* [1:43] Even before his birth, Jesus is identified in Luke as the Lord.

* [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).

* [1:46–55] Although Mary is praised for being the mother of the Lord and because of her belief, she reacts as the servant in a psalm of praise, the Magnificat. Because there is no specific connection of the canticle to the context of Mary’s pregnancy and her visit to Elizabeth, the Magnificat (with the possible exception of v. 48) may have been a Jewish Christian hymn that Luke found appropriate at this point in his story. Even if not composed by Luke, it fits in well with themes found elsewhere in Luke: joy and exultation in the Lord; the lowly being singled out for God’s favor; the reversal of human fortunes; the fulfillment of Old Testament promises. The loose connection between the hymn and the context is further seen in the fact that a few Old Latin manuscripts identify the speaker of the hymn as Elizabeth, even though the overwhelming textual evidence makes Mary the speaker. (Luke, CHAPTER 1, n.d.)

Maureen McCann Waldron comments that the difference between what God asked of Mary and what God asks of us is our response - Mary was willing to turn her life over completely to God. She said Yes. We tend to squirm, to hedge, fight for control and insist on doing it alone, on our own, without help from God. It is our independence from God, our rebellious streak that makes our lives more of a struggle. What would it take for us to put aside our own fears about how we will look and how well we might succeed and to take up the request Jesus has given us - to follow his example in caring for the poor, to love the unlovable and to invite the marginalized into our lives?

Mary, on this feast of Guadalupe, help me to remember how much I am poor and powerless. Help me to fall into the loving embrace of your son and to turn my life over to him. Let me open my eyes to those around me who need me and not be afraid to respond with my whole life. Come, Lord, Jesus, and fill my heart. (McCann, 2024)

Don Schwager quotes “Mary conceives the Creator of all things,” by an anonymous early author from the Greek church

"Gabriel flew down from the vault of heaven and came to Nazareth; standing before the virgin Mary, he cried to her, 'Rejoice! You shall conceive a son more ancient than Adam, the Creator of all things and Savior of those who cry to you. Rejoice, pure virgin!' Gabriel brought from heaven good tidings to the Virgin, and he cried out to her, 'Rejoice! You shall conceive him whom the world cannot contain; he shall be contained within your womb. You shall bear him who shone forth from the Father before the morning star!' (Psalm 110:3).

"The co-eternal Word of the Father who has no beginning, not being parted from the things on high, has now descended here below, in his boundless love taking pity on fallen humankind. He has assumed the poverty of Adam, clothing himself in a form strange to him." (excerpt from STICHERA OF THE ANNUNCIATION) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Zechariah 2:14-17 comments that to prove she was real, Mary had Juan Diego gather flowers into his ordinary cloak, or tilma, for the local bishop. When Juan Diego opened the garment, the flowers fell to the floor, revealing an image of Mary emblazoned on the cloth. Amazingly, that image was full of Aztec symbolism, from the royal color of her gown to the ribbon around her waist, from the stars and rays of sun on her mantle to the flowers on her robe.

As we celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe today, let’s pray that all the nations will join themselves to the Lord as his people. Let’s ask Mary to bless missionaries all around the world with the wisdom and grace to win over the hearts of those Jesus is calling to himself!

“Lord, may all nations be joined to you!” (Meditation on Zechariah 2:14-17, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the connection between “daughter Zion” and Mary in the action of God to come and rescue His People. The perfect tense of the greeting of the angel to Mary is the scriptural basis for her Immaculate Conception. Friar Jude reminds us of the Ark of the Covenant imagery for Mary and her role as the “Queen of the anawim”.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés who writes of enduring comfort found through images of the Divine Mother.

She is known by many names and many images, and has appeared in different epochs of time, to people across the world, in exactly the shapes and images the soul would most readily understand her, apprehend her, be able to embrace her and be embraced by her. 

She wears a thousand names, thousands of skin tones, thousands of costumes to represent her being patroness of deserts, mountains, stars, streams, and oceans. If there are more than six billion people on earth, then thereby she comes to us in literally billions of images. Yet at her center is only one great Immaculate Heart…. (Rohr, n.d.)

We reflect on the role of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the transformation of faith for the people of Mexico and implore the Spirit to guide conversion in our time and within our environment.

A short clip from episode 4 of Rev.. Robert Barron's superb "Catholicism" series. This episode is called, "Our Tainted Nature's Solitary Boast - Mary, the Mother of God".

References

Judith, CHAPTER 13. (n.d.). USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/judith/13?18 

Luke, CHAPTER 1. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 12, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1?26 

McCann, M. (2024, December 12). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Retrieved December 12, 2024, from  https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/121224.html 

Meditation on Zechariah 2:14-17. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 12, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/12/12/1150088/ 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Our Divine Mother. Retrieved December 12, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/our-divine-mother/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). For with God Nothing Will Be Impossible. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 12, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=dec12a 

Zechariah, CHAPTER 2. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 12, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/zechariah/2?14 

Surrender and Conquest

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, share the hope of transformation of our lives in greater faith, hope and charity through our response to the prompting of the Spirit for our surrender to the Will of God.

Piazza di Santa Maria Maggiore

The reading from the Prophet Zechariah shares the themes of the First Three Visions calling the people to Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion!

* [2:10] Land of the north: refers to Babylon (v. 11), in a geographic rather than a political sense, as the place from which exiles will return. The designation is “north” because imperial invaders historically entered Palestine from that direction (see Jer 3:18; 23:8).

* [2:15] Many nations…my people: a way of expressing God’s relationship to people in covenant language. The covenant between God and Israel (see Jer 31:33; 32:38) is here universalized to include all nations.

* [2:16] The holy land: the Lord’s earthly territory, a designation found only rarely in the Old Testament. (Zechariah, CHAPTER 2, n.d.)

The alternate reading from the Book of Revelation is the vision of the Woman and the Dragon.

* [12:3] Huge red dragon: the Devil or Satan (cf. Rev 12:9; 20:2), symbol of the forces of evil, a mythical monster known also as Leviathan (Ps 74:13–14) or Rahab (Jb 26:12–13; Ps 89:11). Seven diadems: these are symbolic of the fullness of the dragon’s sovereignty over the kingdoms of this world; cf. Christ with many diadems (Rev 19:12).

* [12:5] Rule,iron rod: fulfilled in Rev 19:15; cf. Ps 2:9. Was caught up to God: reference to Christ’s ascension.

* [12:6] God protects the persecuted church in the desert, the traditional Old Testament place of refuge for the afflicted, according to the typology of the Exodus; see note on Rev 11:2. (Revelation, CHAPTER 12, n.d.)

The response from the Book of Judith is the proclamation of Uzziah, ‘O daughter, you are blessed by the Most High God above all other women on earth

* [13:12–20] Elements from chaps. 8–9 are echoed here. The assembly of the people at Judith’s return parallels the meeting of the town officials summoned by Judith in 8:10. Uzziah blesses Judith in 8:5 and again in 13:18–20. (Judith, CHAPTER 13, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, the Birth of Jesus is foretold.

* [1:26–38] The announcement to Mary of the birth of Jesus is parallel to the announcement to Zechariah of the birth of John. In both the angel Gabriel appears to the parent who is troubled by the vision (Lk 1:11–12, 26–29) and then told by the angel not to fear (Lk 1:13, 30). After the announcement is made (Lk 1:14–17, 31–33) the parent objects (Lk 1:18, 34) and a sign is given to confirm the announcement (Lk 1:20, 36). The particular focus of the announcement of the birth of Jesus is on his identity as Son of David (Lk 1:32–33) and Son of God (Lk 1:32, 35). (Luke, CHAPTER 1, n.d.)

Larry Gillick S.J. reflects on the Gospel Reading from Matthew 21:23-27 that is not specific to the feast today. He notes that in December of 1531 five different appearances by Mary of Nazareth began to Juan Diego, a young man of Mexico. The stories of these miracles and the struggles of the official Church to accept them as real, form a fascinating retelling worth the reading. We might have questions about Mary’s appearance in Mexico and why not around here? Why did not Jesus just tell them that His authority is divine and comes from His Father? Why? Why? Why? This word is the third one little children learn with which to entertain and annoy parents and that word lies right below the surface of our spirits and minds, even in our older years.

When a little one hears a good answer, it creates a second and third use of the big three-letter power word. Advent? It is a time for longing and praying with our very personal and good questions and we wish that somebody, Mary, St. Juan Diego, somebody could help us let go of the Big W word which is exactly what Jesus is offering His questioners. Stand proudly with your questions and kneel humbly with your longing, emptiness and faith. Happy asking Advent! (Gillick, 2022)

Don Schwager quotes “Mary conceives the Creator of all things,” by an anonymous early author from the Greek church.

"Gabriel flew down from the vault of heaven and came to Nazareth; standing before the virgin Mary, he cried to her, 'Rejoice! You shall conceive a son more ancient than Adam, the Creator of all things and Savior of those who cry to you. Rejoice, pure virgin!' Gabriel brought from heaven good tidings to the Virgin, and he cried out to her, 'Rejoice! You shall conceive him whom the world cannot contain; he shall be contained within your womb. You shall bear him who shone forth from the Father before the morning star!' (Psalm 110:3).

"The co-eternal Word of the Father who has no beginning, not being parted from the things on high, has now descended here below, in his boundless love taking pity on fallen humankind. He has assumed the poverty of Adam, clothing himself in a form strange to him." (excerpt from STICHERA OF THE ANNUNCIATION) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation from Zechariah 2:14-17 resonates with the familiar story of our Lady of Guadalupe. The bishop was slow to believe Juan Diego’s message, so Mary performed a miracle. She directed Juan Diego to a spot where roses were growing (they weren’t in season), arranged those roses in his cloak, and sent him back to the bishop. When Juan Diego unfolded his cloak, the roses spilled out, leaving behind a beautiful image of Mary as a pregnant native woman radiant in glory. Convinced, the bishop built a shrine as Mary had requested. This shrine, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, is said to be the most-visited Catholic shrine in the world. Mary’s words to Juan Diego showed her eagerness to reveal her son to the native inhabitants of the New World. She wanted them to know without a doubt the same thing that millions of people in other parts of the world already knew: that God was with them. The miracle of Juan Diego’s cloak, and the presence of the shrine that still houses that cloak, are an ever-present testimony to that fact.

God is with you no matter where you go. He has made you into his dwelling place, and he wants nothing more than to show you his love and mercy each and every day. So let him prove his faithfulness to you today.

“Lord, thank you for the gift of Our Lady of Guadalupe! Thank you for never abandoning me!” (Meditation From Zechariah 2:14-17, n.d.)

A YouTube video features Bishop Robert Barron narrating the Catholicism series segment on Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the awe and wonder in the passage from the Book of Zechariah declaring the Presence of God. The alternate reading from the Book of Revelation presents two levels of struggle between the devil and Mary and the Church. Friar Jude details the blessed status of Mary as revealed in Luke’s Gospel through the message of the angle Gabriel.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares how faith, hope, and love allow our participation in the benevolent nature of the universe. In the practical order, we find our Original Goodness, the image of God that we are, when we can discover and own the faith, hope, and love deeply planted within us:

A trust in inner coherence itself. “It all means something!” (Faith)

A trust that this coherence is positive and going somewhere good. (Hope)

A trust that this coherence includes me and even defines me. (Love)

Being created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26–27) gives everyone an equal and inherent dignity. However, in every age and culture, we have seen regressions toward racism, sexism, homophobia, militarism, ableism, and classism. This pattern tells me that unless we see dignity as being given universally, objectively, and from the beginning by God, we humans will constantly think it is up to us to decide. But our tragic history demonstrates that one group cannot be trusted to portion out worthiness and dignity to another. Our criteria tend to be self-referential and thus highly prejudiced, and the powerless and disadvantaged always lose out.

For the planet and for all living beings to move forward, we can rely on nothing less than an inherent original goodness and a universally shared dignity. Only then can we build, because the foundation is strong, and is itself good. Surely this is what Jesus meant when he told us to “dig and dig deep, and build your house on rock” (Luke 6:48). When we start with a positive vision, a resounding yes, we are more likely to proceed with generosity and hope, and we have a much greater chance of ending with an even bigger yes, which we would call “resurrection.” (Rohr, 2022)

We contemplate the goodness that flows from our acts of trust and loving action and express our gratitude for being able to participate in bringing fullness to life.

References

Gillick, L. (2022, December 12). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/121222.html 

Judith, CHAPTER 13. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/judith/13?18 

Luke, CHAPTER 1. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1 

Meditation from Zechariah 2:14-17. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/12/12/553212/ 

Revelation, CHAPTER 12. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/revelation/12 

Rohr, R. (2022, December 12). Foundational Trust — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/foundational-trust-2022-12-12/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=dec12a 

Zechariah, CHAPTER 2. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/zechariah/2?14