Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion!
See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD.
Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day,
and they shall be his people,
and he will dwell among you,
and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.
The Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary gives us fresh opportunity to celebrate the Virgin Mother of God, even if the Jewish people never presented baby girls in the temple as they did their first born sons. Some Catholics cannot celebrate Jesus unless they complement it with a similar honor to Mary. Somehow this memorial got passed the liturgists who suppressed the commemorations of Saint Christopher and Saint Philomena.
As we prepare for Advent, it is good to notice the many ways in which Mary is honored. She is the nation, the city, and the temple that receives the Lord. She is the dwelling to satisfy the promise we hear in today's first reading, "I am coming to dwell with you." Can the Lord dwell among us without a dwelling?
If we accept a literal translation of John 1:14, she is the Lord's tent, when the Lord pitched his tent among us. And that verse evokes the memory of the Ark of the Covenant which Moses built to house the Stone Tablets. Whenever the Hebrews paused in the Sinai Desert they pitched the sacred tent and sheltered the Ark within it.
Speaking of which, she is the Ark of the Covenant, as you know from the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She appears in Revelations 11 and 12 as the Ark of the Covenant within the heavenly temple, and as a woman about to give birth.
Mary is the Daughter of Zion who fulfills the prophet Zechariah's prophecy. In the Gospel of John, the Lord speaks of her, "Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him."
The daughter and handmaid of God the Father, Mother of Jesus, and Spouse of the Holy Spirit receives the indwelling of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Honored throughout the world, many nations join themselves to the Lord to call her blessed. Living in our world, she makes our world worthy to receive the Most High God. Who would not be grateful for that?
To contemplate Mary is to take a break from considerations of our seemingly hopeless situations that close on us from every direction. "With God all things are possible!" the Angel Gabriel assured the young virgin. Not only could an old woman become pregnant, so could a young virgin. Mountains are moved by her faith in God's word.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.