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| Ice, leaves, rocks in a frozen creek |
The man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no shame.
I suspect there is a lot more nakedness in ordinary human life than we suppose. Not only do married spouses appear naked before one another, but infants and small children are often naked and unashamed before their parents. And, in their latter years, parents before their caring children. Nurses respectfully assist their unclad patients in the shower and toilet; for most hospital patients modesty is an unnecessary and bothersome luxury.
There is a false kind of nakedness as when professional models and actors strip before consumers, but their audacity shields them from vulnerability. If they appear attractive to the unwary and seem available to the foolish, they wear an armor of brazenness. Their insolence signals do-not-touch. Feeling no shame, they have abandoned their bodies and feel nothing at all. They cannot imagine the beauty that Love alone sees.
The woman in Saint Mark's story today appears shameless before Jesus. Her desperation is a kind of nakedness, but it's a sacrifice she makes for her daughter's welfare. She will not be put off by his rebuff. Perhaps she knows what he has yet to discover, that his mission is to the entire world and not only to the children of Abraham. Her need is overwhelming and her demand compels him to see beyond his destiny in Jerusalem to the entire world.
This nameless woman represents every child of Eve since the Fall to the Judgment Day. Jesus sees in her particular tragedy what he will see again from the tree on Calvary, that he must die not only for his beloved nation, but for every human being and for all creation. Nor will he suffer shame as he sets his face like flint and endures that final humiliation.
In that terrible moment he will be as naked as the baby who lie in Mary's arms, when he gladly suffered the indignity of his diapers being changed and suckling at her breasts. In fact, she will be there with him to clothe him with affection when all the world sees nothing but their futile helplessness. She will receive his broken body and lay him in a tomb as the indifferent world, sated by the amusing sight of its naked victim, goes its way.
Come, all who pass by the way,
pay attention and see:
Is there any pain like my pain,
which has been ruthlessly inflicted upon me,
With which the LORD has tormented me
on the day of his blazing wrath? (Lamentations 1:12)
As we pray with Mary and fix our eyes on Christ Crucified we see how we appear before the majesty of God. We recover the innocence of Eden.
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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.