Sunday, June 12, 2005
MATTHEW 1:1-16, 18-23
The introduction for today's celebration in the Roman Missal writes: "The Church, in keeping a solemn feast for the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrates the dawning of the Redemption over the world when, after a long period of waiting, she who was to be the Mother of our Savior was born. The Blessed Virgin occupies a unique place in the history of salvation. Heaven rejoices at her birth. The Lord reserves for her the highest mission ever commended to any creature. We rejoice in the certainty that the Mother of God is our Mother too."
God made an "oracle", as recorded in the Book of Genesis, when Adam and Eve committed sin in the Garden of Eden and were banished. This "oracle" offered a ray of hope that the relationship of men with God would be restored. It mentions of a "woman who will bear a son and there will be enmity . . . between her seed and the serpent's and his feet will crush the serpent's head." For the people in the past, this statement would appear to be a riddle. All throughout the centuries, a guessing game ensued. Even when the "Virgin" gave birth to the "Emmanuel" no one knew the truth except those whom God had chosen to reveal the Messiah to. Of course, for those who had been given the blessings and grace to be educated on the history and meaning of our Salvation, we are indeed very privileged compared to others in the past.
God had already planned in advance our salvation from imminent "death". Just as Mary had been chosen before her birth to be the Mother of God, God also prepares for the salvation of all people. "I knew you even before you were born." Today's feast helps us be aware of that preparation and our response to it. We are not merely recipients of salvation; like Mary, we are also transmitters. The gospel presents to us the genealogy of Jesus. As we look deeper into the stories of each and every one of Jesus' human ancestors, which includes Abraham and David, we see how God prepares and delivers His people, preserving the transmittal until His final plan would be realized. Through Mary's Immaculate Conception the incarnation of Christ as a human being reminds us that we too had been created in God's Holy image. With this in mind, we are all encouraged to pursue and live out Christ's love because that is what God had meant for us to be.
Have we considered this lately? Have this fact given some purpose and direction to our human existence? Or are we content to live our lives based on how others think we should live?
God made an "oracle", as recorded in the Book of Genesis, when Adam and Eve committed sin in the Garden of Eden and were banished. This "oracle" offered a ray of hope that the relationship of men with God would be restored. It mentions of a "woman who will bear a son and there will be enmity . . . between her seed and the serpent's and his feet will crush the serpent's head." For the people in the past, this statement would appear to be a riddle. All throughout the centuries, a guessing game ensued. Even when the "Virgin" gave birth to the "Emmanuel" no one knew the truth except those whom God had chosen to reveal the Messiah to. Of course, for those who had been given the blessings and grace to be educated on the history and meaning of our Salvation, we are indeed very privileged compared to others in the past.
God had already planned in advance our salvation from imminent "death". Just as Mary had been chosen before her birth to be the Mother of God, God also prepares for the salvation of all people. "I knew you even before you were born." Today's feast helps us be aware of that preparation and our response to it. We are not merely recipients of salvation; like Mary, we are also transmitters. The gospel presents to us the genealogy of Jesus. As we look deeper into the stories of each and every one of Jesus' human ancestors, which includes Abraham and David, we see how God prepares and delivers His people, preserving the transmittal until His final plan would be realized. Through Mary's Immaculate Conception the incarnation of Christ as a human being reminds us that we too had been created in God's Holy image. With this in mind, we are all encouraged to pursue and live out Christ's love because that is what God had meant for us to be.
Have we considered this lately? Have this fact given some purpose and direction to our human existence? Or are we content to live our lives based on how others think we should live?
# posted by F O O D F O R T H O U G H T @ 6:26 PM 
