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| Our Lady of Mt. St. Francis |
In the wake of yesterday's Supreme Court decision:
Even a good decision badly made is a bad decision. When leaders impose their preferences on a body of people whose opinions are not yet formed, and the decision is still in process, they must meet the opposition of many.
The Court's 1973 Roe v Wade was wrong in many ways; it had to be revisited. Tragically, the United States has suffered with legalized abortion, hoping it was the right choice, only to see a rise of violence and our solidarity demolished. Mass shootings and suicide are the most obvious consequence as the brutality of abortion fosters greater violence. Religious people might suppose these plagues are God's punishing wrath.
It will take more than a half-century to repair the damage; and much can never be undone.
I hope that this and all other nations will finally develop a deeper reverence for human life and a deeper respect for the difficult process of democracy. Both are narrow paths, available only to those courageous enough to be kind.
Cry out to the Lord;
moan, O daughter Zion!
Let your tears flow like a torrent
day and night;
Let there be no respite for you,
no repose for your eyes.
On this feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary the first reading follows the cycle of weekday readings we have been following through the Ordinary weekdays. And the gospel, selected for the feast, recounts Mary and Joseph's desperate search for Jesus in Jerusalem. The challenge for the preacher is to find the spiritual connection between these readings:
The Book of Lamentations, recalling the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC, describes the city as "Daughter Zion." (Zion means "highest point;" it was the hill on which the city was built.) The Evangelists will refer to this daughter motif in their depiction of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Luke tells of her several visits to the City. As poor and inconspicuous as she might have been, she knew Jerusalem. When the magi searched for the new born king they found him in the arms of the New Jerusalem with her husband Joseph, a descendant of Zion's most famous citizen, King David.
Neither the City nor the Woman is unfamiliar with cruel, indiscriminate punishment. Luke describes Simeon's prophecy -- "a sword shall pierce your heart" -- and John tells us she stood at the foot of the cross. The psalms and several accounts among the histories and prophetic writings describe Jerusalem's suffering; Lamentations is especially poignant and graphic.
The Christian's Jerusalem is Mary, the Mother of God, and her suffering is ours. She will not allow an indifferent distance to come between us.
"If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy." (1 Cor 12:26)
Mass shootings of defenseless bystanders pierce the Immaculate Heart of Mary as they pierce ours. The nation that lives by the gun is dying by the gun. She feels the same anguish of not knowing why or when the attack might come. She hopes with us that the fatal momentum of a demoralized nation might be reversed as we turn to her Son for mercy and direction.
In prayer we abide with Mary as she adores her child in Bethlehem, nurses him in Egypt, teaches him in Nazareth, and blesses his mission to Jerusalem. She travels with us and, like her son, will never abandon us.
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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.