28. The Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary

FIRST READING

You are the highest honor of our race.

Judith 13:17-20
      
All the people were greatly astonished.
  They bowed down and worshiped God, saying with one accord,
     "Blessed are you, our God,
     who today have brought to naught the enemies of your people."
  Then Uzziah said to her:
     "Blessed are you, daughter, by the Most High God,
     above all the women on earth;
     and blessed be the LORD God,
     the creator of heaven and earth,
     who guided your blow at the head of the chief of our enemies.
  Your deed of hope will never be forgotten
     by those who tell of the might of God.
  May God make this redound to your everlasting honor,
     rewarding you with blessings,
     because you risked your life
     when your people were being oppressed,
     and you averted our disaster,
     walking uprightly before our God."
  And all the people answered, "Amen! Amen!"
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Commentary on Judith 13:17-20

This short hymn of praise from the Book of Judith (who rescued the faithful people) is predictive of the blessed role Mary will play in human salvation. In the story immediately preceding these verses, Judith offers to sacrifice herself for the salvation of the people and is here found praiseworthy for her willingness to do so.

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RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Luke 1:46-48a, 48b-49,50-51,52-53, 54-55

R. (49) The Almighty has done great things for me.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

my spirit rejoices in God my savior.

For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness;

R. The Almighty has done great things for me.

Behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.

The Mighty One has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

R. The Almighty has done great things for me.

The Lord's mercy is from age to age

to those who fear him.

He has shown might with his arm,

dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.

R. The Almighty has done great things for me.

He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones

but lifted up the lowly.

The hungry he has filled with good things;

the rich he has sent away empty.

R. The Almighty has done great things for me.

The Lord has helped Israel his servant,

remembering his mercy,

according to his promise to our ancestors,

to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.

R. The Almighty has done great things for me.

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Commentary on Lk 1:46-48a, 48b-49,50-51,52-53, 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, 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

 

A                                 Blessed is the womb that bore you.

 

Luke 11:27-28

 

While Jesus was speaking,

a woman from the crowd called out and said to him,

"Blessed is the womb that carried you

and the breasts at which you nursed."

He replied, "Rather, blessed are those

who hear the word of God and observe it."

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Commentary on Lk 11:27-28

This short saying of Jesus is not a contradiction of the woman who blesses Mother Mary; rather it is an assertion by the Lord that the message is more important, in his eyes, than that biological relationship. Mary is more blessed because she heard “the word of God” (see also Luke 1:28-29 and Luke 1:42-45). This passage is consistent in meaning with Luke 8:19-21.

"In the course of her Son's preaching she [Mary] received the words whereby, in extolling a Kingdom beyond the concerns and ties of flesh and blood, he declared blessed those who heard and kept the word of God (cf. Mark 3:35; Luke 11:27-28) as she was faithfully doing (cf. Luke 2:19, 51)" (Lumen gentium, 58)"[1].

 

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Luke 2:46-51

 

B       The mother of Jesus treasured all these things in her heart.

 

After three days they found him in the temple,

sitting in the midst of the teachers,

listening to them and asking them questions,

and all who heard him were astounded

at his understanding and his answers.

When his parents saw him,

they were astonished,

and his mother said to him,

“Son, why have you done this to us?

Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”

And he said to them,

“Why were you looking for me?

Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

But they did not understand what he said to them.

He went down with them and came to Nazareth,

and was obedient to them;

and his mother kept all these things in her heart.

And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor

before God and man.

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Commentary on Lk 2:41-52

In this account Jesus is discovered after three days (possibly symbolic of the three days in the tomb). This narrative from St. Luke tells the only story from the gospels of Jesus growing up as a boy, part of the family with Mary and Joseph. (There are numerous stories found in the apocryphal gospels that attribute miraculous abilities and acts to the young Jesus but these are considered to be of a tradition similar to the boyhood stories of other ancient heroes such as Cyrus and Alexander by those affirming the canon of the Bible.) In this account Jesus is discovered at the temple, engaged in discourse with “teachers,” implying he was in the outer halls of the temple. This would have been completely consistent with Jewish law. The implication, based on Joseph's and Mary’s reaction to Jesus' actions in the temple, is that they do not completely understand their son’s mission at this point in his life.
 

We note that he is listening and answering questions and is not presuming upon his station to brag or put himself forward. When Mary and Joseph found him, we are told that Jesus asked “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” This statement connotes a familiarity with God the Father, for the first time identifying that relationship over the role fulfilled by St. Joseph, his foster father.
 

Above all, the Blessed Virgin Mary treasures the gift of her son, knowing the greatness in him and beginning to understand the sorrow that had been predicted.
 

CCC: Lk 2:41-52 534; Lk 2:41 583; Lk 2:46-49 583; Lk 2:48-49 503; Lk 2:49 2599; Lk 2:51-52 531; Lk 2:51 517, 2196, 2599; Lk 2:52 472

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Immaculate Heart of Mary
artist and date unknown

 Reflection:

Today we celebrate the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all people. [2]   Scripture speaks to us of these things, some in the life of our Blessed Mother, and others in the lives of holy women of amazing virtue.

We cannot help but think about the story of St. John on Patmos.  It is reported that each day he would come down to the town square and deliver a message to his disciples.  He would simply say: “Love one another.”  After many days of doing this, one of his disciples said to him: “Master, you walked with the Lord for years and he must have taught you many things.  Why do you always tell that same commandment?"

John replied: “Because that was the most important lesson he taught us, and the one he spoke of most.”

We must believe that this statement was reemphasized to St. John by the Blessed Virgin, who was entrusted to him by our Lord as he hung upon the cross.  She, among all those who walked with the Lord in his earthly life, would have found that lesson most compelling.  She was the one who lived that message most completely, even in the face of fear. (She must have been terrified to hear that fateful address by the archangel Gabriel, later echoed by her cousin Elizabeth, as she recalled the consequence of being an unwed mother in those years.) 

Her pure and immaculate heart allowed her to understand when her young son disappeared for days, only to be found at the temple of the Lord.  “Love one another,” her son would say, and she demonstrated how this commandment was to be lived by her every action.

It is this lived response to the Lord that she brings to us.  It is her great gift, the gift of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that compels us to follow her Son, our Lord, Jesus, Christ!

Pax

 

[1] The Navarre Bible, Gospels and Acts (Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002), 431.
[2] Bainvel, Jean. "Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary," The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. (New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910).

27. The Blessed Virgin Mary, Image and Mother of the Church, III

FIRST READING

I saw the new Jerusalem, as a beautiful as a bride all dressed for her husband.

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). [1]

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

Isaiah 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6

R. (6b) Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

God indeed is my savior;

I am confident and unafraid.

My strength and my courage is the LORD,

and he has been my savior.

With joy you will draw water

at the fountain of salvation.

R. Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;

among the nations make known his deeds,

proclaim how exalted is his name.

R. Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;

let this be known throughout all the earth.

Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,

for great in your midst

is the Holy One of Israel!

R. Among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

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Commentary on Is 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6

This hymn of praise is a profession of faith: “My strength and my courage is the Lord, and he has been my savior.” It also does something interesting in that it challenges those who profess their faith in the Lord to proclaim it in the world: “among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name.”

This canticle emphasizes the peace and confidence found in his servant, enjoying the salvation of God. He sings his praise to God and exhorts all of Israel to praise him as they see his constant presence among them in the blessings they receive.

CCC: Is 12:3 2561

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GOSPEL

He will rule over the house of Jacob for ever.

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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[1] The Navarre Bible: “Revelation and Hebrews and Catholic Letters”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 118.

26. The Blessed Virgin Mary, Image and Mother of the Church, II

FIRST READING

With one heart the disciples continued in steadfast prayer with Mary,

the mother of Jesus.

Acts 1:12-14

After Jesus had been taken up to heaven the apostles

returned to Jerusalem

from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem,

a sabbath day’s journey away.

When they entered the city

they went to the upper room where they were staying,

Peter and John and James and Andrew,

Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew,

James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot,

and Judas son of James.

All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer,

together with some women,

and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

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Commentary on Acts 1:12-14

This passage provides part of the introductory comments of St. Luke as he begins the Acts of the Apostles. Like any well written story, he connects the events that have just taken place in his first volume – The Gospel of Luke – with what will follow. In the first verses Jesus ascended and told them to expect the gift of the Holy Spirit. In this selection the disciples with Mary the Mother of Jesus and his extended family return to Jerusalem and enter the locked room. Important to recognize is the presence not just of the apostles but of Mary, ever faithful to her son.

"Here we see Mary as the spiritual center round which Jesus' intimate friends gather: tradition has meditated on this 'tableau', and found it to depict our Lady's motherhood over the whole Church, both at its beginning and over the course of the centuries." [1]

CCC: Acts 1:14 726, 1310, 2617, 2623, 2673

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RESPONSORIAL PSALM

Psalm 87:1-2, 3 and 5, 6-7

R. (3) Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.

The LORD loves the city

founded on holy mountains,

Loves the gates of Zion

more than any dwelling in Jacob.

R. Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.

Glorious things are said of you,

O city of God!

But of Zion it must be said:

"They all were born right here."

R. Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.

The Most High confirms this;

the LORD notes in the register of the peoples:

"This one was born here."

So all sing in their festive dance:

"Within you is my true home."

R. Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.

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Commentary on Ps 87:1-2, 3 and 5, 6-7

This post-exilic song was probably sung by pilgrims from around the known world returning to Jerusalem to celebrate in God’s holy city the joys of his bounty. The psalm proclaims the centrality of Jerusalem (Zion) as the source of holiness. The psalmist sings of how Jerusalem is the mother of faith and that, by implication, all are joined to her in faith.

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GOSPEL

The mother of Jesus was there, and his disciples believed in him.

John 2:1-11

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee,

and the mother of Jesus was there. ,

Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.

When the wine ran short,

the mother of Jesus said to him,

"They have no wine."

And Jesus said to her,

"Woman, how does your concern affect me?

My hour has not yet come."

His mother said to the servers,

"Do whatever he tells you."

Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings,

each holding twenty to thirty gallons.

Jesus told them,

"Fill the jars with water."

So they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them,

"Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter."

So they took it.

And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine,

without knowing where it came from

(although the servers who had drawn the water knew),

the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him,

"Everyone serves good wine first,

and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one;

but you have kept the good wine until now."

Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee

and so revealed his glory,

and his disciples began to believe in him.

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Commentary on Jn 2:1-11

The author gives us the story of Jesus' first revelatory action following his baptism by St. John the Baptist in the Jordan. Jesus and his disciples are invited to a wedding and the wine runs out. Jesus’ mother lets her son know that the time has come for his revelation, even though Jesus does not think so. The Greek in the exchange between Jesus and his mother is ambiguous; some would interpret it, "‘What concern is that of mine or yours?’, but it is more probably to be understood as a Hebrew idiom, ‘What have I to do with you?’, that is, ‘Leave me alone, do not interfere with me’, as in Matthew 8.29, and in many passages of the Old Testament." [2]

Significantly the stone water jars were there for the ceremonial cleansing, the very Hebrew custom John the Baptist used in his call to repentance. The Hebrew custom was symbolic (as was St. John's invitation to be baptized in the Jordan); the Lord would later make baptism efficacious as sins were forgiven. We also note the Hebrew numerology applied to this scene. The number six represents one less than the perfect number seven. It was not yet Jesus’ time. The water became wine, not his blood which was yet to be poured out for the salvation of mankind.

The final statement in this story: “his disciples began to believe in him,” is the only time in the Gospel of St. John where there was any doubt about the Lord’s true identity on their part.

CCC: Jn 2:1-12 2618; Jn 2:1-11 1613; Jn 2:1 495; Jn 2:11 486, 1335

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Reflection:

Have you ever wondered what our world and faith would be if not for the Mother of Jesus, our Blessed Virgin Mary?  It is amazing, if you think about it, the sometimes subtle role she played in our ability to understand the person and image of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  In the passage from the Acts of the Apostles we see the apostles and the tiny group that is the very seed of Christianity gather.  We note that Mother Mary was included and explicitly named.  She was certainly venerated and deferred to by those who traveled with Jesus.  She was their heart, the heart that suffered with a mother’s love as he endured his passion, a heart that had seen God’s vision for his adopted people from the very beginning.

While it is not stated directly, it has long been understood that Mary’s role in the formation of the Church cannot be underestimated.  What we know about her from the short pieces of the bible that speak about her actions paints a clear picture.  While humble and completely dedicated to God (“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord. My spirit rejoices in God my savior…”), we also see she was not shy when it came to making sure God’s purpose was achieved.  The story of the Wedding Feast at Cana demonstrates that clearly.  

Jesus was invited to this wedding along with his disciples.  It was probably a follower of his teachings who was getting married.  That would explain why Jesus, his disciples and his mother would have been on the guest list (there were probably other women from that community of followers there as well).  When Mary becomes aware of the “wine problem” she immediately takes steps. (Oh, and by the way, anyone who has been to a gathering of families who are close would recognize the fact that the mother of one of the guests would become aware of this problem before almost anyone else is totally realistic.  She was probably helping out with preparations.) She obviously knew that her son could resolve the issue.  She did not have to be pushy.  All she said to the Lord was: “They have no wine.”  This would have been a real embarrassment to the new couple.  

Mary knew the heart of our Lord.  Out of love, he was compelled to act. Mary’s next action proved how well she knew the mind of her son by her next action.  We see her making the profound statement to the servants “Do whatever he tells you.” It is a direction each of us must hear if we are to be the Lord’s disciples.  It is the mission statement for Holy Mother Church.  It is the most difficult thing we will ever be asked to do because of the great love he has for all things in God’s creation.

We are stung by the words of the Mother of Jesus and driven by them.  Indeed, her dedication to our Lord is the image of the Church, whose mother she is.

Pax

[1] The Navarre Bible, Gospels and Acts, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p. 722.

[2] Knox Bible footnote on Jn 2:4