23 The Blessed Virgin Mary, Temple of the Lord

FIRST READING

A     A cloud filled the temple of the Lord God.

1 Kings 8:1,3-7,9-11

The elders of Israel and all the leaders of the tribes,
   the princes in the ancestral houses of the Israelites,
   came to King Solomon in Jerusalem,
   to bring up the ark of the LORD'S covenant
   from the City of David, which is Zion.
When all the elders of Israel had arrived,
   the priests took up the ark;
   they carried the ark of the LORD
   and the meeting tent with all the sacred vessels
   that were in the tent.
   (The priests and Levites carried them.)
King Solomon and the entire community of Israel
   present for the occasion
   sacrificed before the ark sheep and oxen
   too many to number or count.
The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD
   to its place beneath the wings of the cherubim in the sanctuary,
   the holy of holies of the temple.
The cherubim had their wings spread out over the place of the ark,
   sheltering the ark and its poles from above.
There was nothing in the ark but the two stone tablets
   which Moses had put there at Horeb,
   when the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites
   at their departure from the land of Egypt.
When the priests left the holy place,
   the cloud filled the temple of the LORD
   so that the priests could no longer minister because of the cloud,
   since the LORD'S glory had filled the temple of the LORD.

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Commentary on 1 Kgs 8:1,3-7,9-11

In the previous two chapters of the First Book of Kings (6 & 7) Solomon constructs his great temple to the Lord. “The transfer of the ark of the covenant into the newly constructed temple building, and the oracle of God's acceptance, and his act of possession, constituted the temple's solemn dedication, and made of it the abiding dwelling of God among his people for which David had hoped (2 Samuel 6:12-15; 2 Samuel 7:1-3). The concurrence of the feast of Booths marks an appropriate transition of God's dwelling among nomadic tribes to his permanent abode among a settled people.”[1]

CCC: 1 Kgs 8:10-61 2580; 1 Kgs 8:10-12 697

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B     Here God lives among his people.

Revelation 21:1-5a

I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth.

The former heaven and the former earth had passed away,

and the sea was no more.

I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem,

coming down out of heaven from God,

prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

"Behold, God's dwelling is with the human race.

He will dwell with them and they will be his people

and God himself will always be with them as their God.

He will wipe every tear from their eyes,

and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain,

for the old order has passed away."

The One who sat on the throne said,

"Behold, I make all things new."

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Commentary on Rv 21:1-5a

In this selection from St. John’s Revelation, John has a vision of the “new heaven” and the "new earth,” after Christ begins his reign at God’s right hand. The "new Jerusalem," is the image of God’s Church, viewed as the bride with Christ the bridegroom. In the "new Jerusalem" (the Church), God dwells, and there he will show his tender mercy (“He will wipe every tear from their eyes”). The old order is washed away: “Behold, I make all things new” (see also Isaiah 43:18ff, 2 Corinthians 5:17, and Galatians 6:15).

"This passage of the Book of Revelation strengthens the faith and hope of the Church--not only St John's own generation but all generations down the ages for as long as the Church makes its way through this valley of tears. The Second Vatican Council says: 'We know neither the moment of the consummation of the earth and of man nor the way the universe will be transformed. The form of this world, distorted by sin, is passing away and we are taught that God is preparing a new dwelling and a new earth in which righteousness dwells, whose happiness will fill and surpass all the desires of peace arising in the hearts of men. Then with death conquered the children of God will be raised in Christ and what was sown in weakness and dishonor will put on the imperishable: charity and its work will remain, and all of creation which God made for man, will be set free from its bondage to decay' ("Gaudium Et Spes", 39). [2]

CCC: Rv 21:1-22,5 117; Rv 21:1-2 756; Rv 21:1 1043; Rv 21:2-4 677; Rv 21:2 757, 1045, 2016; Rv 21:3 756, 2676; Rv 21:4 1044, 1186; Rv 21:5 1044

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RESPONSORIAL PSALM

 

Psalm 84:3, 4, 5 and 10, 11

 

R. Here God lives among his people.

My soul yearns and pines

for the courts of the LORD.

My heart and my flesh

cry out for the living God.

R. Here God lives among his people.

Even the sparrow finds a home,

and the swallow a nest

in which she puts her young-

Your altars, O LORD of hosts,

my king and my God!

R. Here God lives among his people.

Blessed they who dwell in your house!

continually they praise you.

O God, behold our shield,

and look upon the face of your anointed. "

R. Here God lives among his people.

 

I had rather one day in your courts

than a thousand elsewhere;

I had rather lie at the threshold of the house of my God

than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

R. Here God lives among his people.

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Commentary on Ps 84:3, 4, 5 and 10, 11

Psalm 84 is a hymn in praise of the temple, a song of Zion. The psalmist sings of the joy felt by the faithful who can spend time with the Lord in his house. It is a hymn for those who depend on God (Blessed they who dwell in your house!). This selection captures the reverence for the temple that is part of the Hebrew tradition, a tradition carried on in part by reverence to church structures today.

CCC: Ps 84:3 1770

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GOSPEL

 

     The power of the Most High will overshadow you.

 

Luke 1:26-38

 

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God

to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,

to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,

of the house of David,

and the virgin’s name was Mary.

And coming to her, he said,

“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”

But she was greatly troubled at what was said

and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

Then the angel said to her,

“Do not be afraid, Mary,

for you have found favor with God.

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,

and you shall name him Jesus.

He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,

and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,

and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,

and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”

But Mary said to the angel,

“How can this be,

since I have no relations with a man?”

And the angel said to her in reply,

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,

and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

Therefore the child to be born

will be called holy, the Son of God.

And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,

has also conceived a son in her old age,

and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;

for nothing will be impossible for God.”

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.

May it be done to me according to your word.”

Then the angel departed from her.

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Commentary on Lk 1:26-38

This passage, from St. Luke’s Gospel, is the story of Mary being informed by the archangel Gabriel that she has been chosen for the great privilege of bearing the Savior of the world. St. Mary graciously accepts this honor, although with very human fear, indicating that her free will is at play. This response makes her obedience to God’s will more powerful. It is proposed that, with this acceptance, Mary entered into a vow of perpetual virginity because of the demands of Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel."

 

In St. Luke’s story of the Annunciation, the archangel Gabriel comes to Mary and tells her she will bear a son and name him Jesus (the eternal implication of this statement is made clear in the greeting which presupposes knowledge of Mary’s entire existence). Mary confirms the title “Virgin” as she questions Gabriel saying: “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” Even though she does not understand, Mary accepts her role and is told that the Holy Spirit will be the agent of the life within her. She then utters those amazing words: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."

 

This announcement parallels Zechariah’s news about John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-23), also delivered by the archangel Gabriel. This passage clearly identifies Jesus as Son of David and Son of God, thus linking it with the messianic predictions from the Old Testament.

 

CCC: Lk 1:26-38 497, 706, 723, 2571; Lk 1:26-27 488; Lk 1:26 332; Lk 1:28-37 494; Lk 1:28 490, 491; Lk 1:31 430, 2812; Lk 1:32-33 709; Lk 1:32 559; Lk 1:34 484, 497, 505; Lk 1:35 437, 484, 486, 697; Lk 1:37-38 494; Lk 1:37 148, 269, 273, 276; Lk 1:38 64, 148, 510, 2617, 2677, 2827, 2856

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Reflection:

"Virgin and Child"
by Adolphe-William Bouguereau, 1860's

From the time of Moses, the Hebrew people understood that their encounter with God was unique.  God did not reside in graven images; rather he was nearer to the people in certain places, high places where altars were set up, the tent of Moses' time, on holy mountains.  Later, the holy relic, the stone tablets restored to them after Moses smashed them at Mount Horeb, were carried with the people in the ark of the covenant.  The symbol of God’s presence was both comforting and motivating to them.  As we hear in the First Book of Kings, Solomon gave it a final place of honor by building the great temple in Jerusalem, a place where the faithful could encounter God individually and communally.  It was a place where the presence of the living God could be most keenly and intensely felt.

Then God sent his Only Begotten Son into the world.  Not just words on a stone tablet, God’s living and breathing presence incarnate. In this sense, the Blessed Virgin Mary became the ark of the new covenant.  She became our new temple in which our God truly existed, was made present to all mankind. St. John saw this new temple in his Revelation.  God gave renewed hope and from the new temple came our salvation. 

Our Blessed Mother brought the fulfillment of God’s promise to us as she carried and delivered her Son into the world.  She is revered because she obeyed the Lord, offering herself as temple and shelter for God’s revelation.  We now thank God for her faithfulness, and hold her up as the example of how we must strive to be temples of the Lord ourselves; temples of the Holy Spirit taking light into the world.

Pax
 

[1] See NAB footnote on 1 Kings 8:6-9.
[2] The Navarre Bible: “Revelation and Hebrews and Catholic Letters”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 118.

22. Holy Mary, Handmaid of the Lord

FIRST READING

     I stood praying to the Lord, and the Lord granted my request.

1 Samuel 1:24-28; 2:1-2,4-8

Hannah brought Samuel with her,

   along with a three-year-old bull,

   an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine,

   and presented him at the temple of the LORD in Shiloh.

After the boy's father had sacrificed the young bull,

   Hannah, his mother, approached Eli and said;

   "Pardon, my lord!

As you live, my lord,

   I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD.

I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request.

Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;

   as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD."

Hannah left Samuel there;

   and as she worshiped the Lord, she said:

   "My heart exults in the Lord,

      my horn is exalted in my God.

   I have swallowed up my enemies;

      I rejoice in my victory.

   There is no Holy One like the Lord;

      there is no Rock like our God.

   "The bows of the mighty are broken,

      while the tottering gird on strength.

   The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,

      while the hungry batten on spoil.

   The barren wife bears seven sons,

      while the mother of many languishes.

   "The LORD puts to death and gives life;

   he casts down to the netherworld;

      he raises up again.

   The LORD makes poor and makes rich,

      he humbles, he also exalts.

   He raises the needy from the dust;

      from the ash heap he lifts up the poor,

   to seat them with nobles

      and make a glorious throne their heritage.

   He gives to vowers their vows,

      and blesses the sleep of the just.

   "For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S,

      and he has set the world upon them."

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Commentary on 1 Sm 1:24-28; 2:1-2,4-8

In this passage from First Samuel, we see Samuel’s mother, Hannah, dedicating the boy to God. The reference she made to Eli: “I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the Lord,” refers to her prayer that she would be allowed to bear a son for God (1 Samuel 1:9ff). Her prayer answered, she now dedicates him and leaves him to be trained in the faith.  Hannah leaves the young Samuel at Shiloh.  Shiloh at that time was a sanctuary for the people of Israel and a tabernacle for the Ark of the Covenant (Joshua 18:1; 22:9).  It was served by priests and was central to Jewish worship prior to the building of the Temple at Jerusalem.

The selection continues with a hymn of praise to God.  “A hymn attributed to Hannah, the mother of Samuel, as her thanksgiving to God because she has borne a son despite her previous sterility. She praises God as the helper of the weak (1 Samuel 2:1-2), who casts down the mighty and raises up the lowly (1 Samuel 2:3-5), and who alone is the source of true strength (1 Samuel 2:8-10); the hymn ends with a prayer for the king (1 Samuel 2:10). This canticle has several points of resemblance with Our Lady's Magnificat.”[1]

CCC: 1 Sm 1 489

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RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Luke 1:46-47, 48-49, 50 and 53, 54-55

R. (see 48a) The Lord has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior."

R. The Lord has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

"For he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name."

R. The Lord has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

"He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty."

R. The Lord has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

"He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

The promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever."

R. The Lord has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

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Commentary on Lk 1:46-47, 48-49, 50 and 53, 54-55

The responsorial is the Magnificat, the beautiful Canticle of Mary. Her song of thanksgiving and humility captures the saintliness that has become synonymous with our image of Mary the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven, and the Mother of the Church. In her dedication to service, she offers herself to God as vessel of the Messiah. She sets the stage for the humble birth of Jesus.

CCC: Lk 1:46-55 722, 2619, 2675; Lk 1:46-49 2097; Lk 1:48 148, 971, 2676; Lk 1:49 273, 2599, 2807, 2827; Lk 1:50 2465; Lk 1:54-55 706; Lk 1:55 422

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GOSPEL

    Behold the handmaid of the Lord.

Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God

to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,

to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,

of the house of David,

and the virgin’s name was Mary.

And coming to her, he said,

“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”

But she was greatly troubled at what was said

and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

Then the angel said to her,

“Do not be afraid, Mary,

for you have found favor with God.

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,

and you shall name him Jesus.

He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,

and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,

and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,

and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”

But Mary said to the angel,

“How can this be,

since I have no relations with a man?”

And the angel said to her in reply,

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,

and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

Therefore the child to be born

will be called holy, the Son of God.

And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,

has also conceived a son in her old age,

and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;

for nothing will be impossible for God.”

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.

May it be done to me according to your word.”

Then the angel departed from her.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commentary on Lk 1:26-38

This passage, from St. Luke’s Gospel, is the story of Mary being informed by the archangel Gabriel that she has been chosen for the great privilege of bearing the Savior of the world. St. Mary graciously accepts this honor, although with very human fear, indicating that her free will is at play. This response makes her obedience to God’s will more powerful. It is proposed that, with this acceptance, Mary entered into a vow of perpetual virginity because of the demands of Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel."

 

In St. Luke’s story of the Annunciation, the archangel Gabriel comes to Mary and tells her she will bear a son and name him Jesus (the eternal implication of this statement is made clear in the greeting which presupposes knowledge of Mary’s entire existence). Mary confirms the title “Virgin” as she questions Gabriel saying: “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” Even though she does not understand, Mary accepts her role and is told that the Holy Spirit will be the agent of the life within her. She then utters those amazing words: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."

 

This announcement parallels Zechariah’s news about John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-23), also delivered by the archangel Gabriel. This passage clearly identifies Jesus as Son of David and Son of God, thus linking it with the messianic predictions from the Old Testament.

CCC: Lk 1:26-38 497, 706, 723, 2571; Lk 1:26-27 488; Lk 1:26 332; Lk 1:28-37 494; Lk 1:28 490, 491; Lk 1:31 430, 2812; Lk 1:32-33 709; Lk 1:32 559; Lk 1:34 484, 497, 505; Lk 1:35 437, 484, 486, 697; Lk 1:37-38 494; Lk 1:37 148, 269, 273, 276; Lk 1:38 64, 148, 510, 2617, 2677, 2827, 2856

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Reflection:

The Assumption of the Virgin 
by Charles Le Brun

As modern Christians, we constantly challenged to become disciples of Jesus in a society where the teachings of our Lord, those teachings we pledge to study and live by, are increasingly unpopular, and in some cases are becoming questionably legal.  Looking at our Blessed Mother, Mary, we see that, by taking on the role of “handmaid of the Lord,” she expressed her total submission to the will of God.  Not only submission, but a handmaid was expected to completely know the mind of the one she served so she could anticipate her master’s needs and desires.

By expressing her submission to God’s will in all things, she shows us the next step, beyond discipleship.  As we see in Sacred Scripture, the disciples frequently disagreed with the Lord; they didn’t understand and in some cases argued with Jesus.  It is a good example of the student-teacher relationship.  Mary not only accepts the Lord’s will without question, she has demonstrated perfect humility, offering herself as “lowly servant,” and loyal member of God’s closest household. 

In her example, the Blessed Virgin asks us to follow her example, to submit to God’s will without questioning, with complete faith.  Oh, what a difficult thing she asks of us in that perfect example of faith.  She has denied her human nature, becoming the mind of God in her desire to anticipate his will and please him.  When we feel we have achieved some level of understanding of what God calls us to, all we need do is look at the handmaid of the Lord to see the distance we have yet to travel so we may stand in company with all the saints in the Heavenly Kingdom.

Pax

 
[1] See NAB footnote on 1 Sm 2:1