Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!
Sing joyfully, O Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has removed the judgment against you,
he has turned away your enemies....
Of all the Old Testament types of Mary, from Eve to Sarah to Judith and Esther, the City of Jerusalem is the most important. She is the one who suffers the great sorrow of a very long history, and enjoys the promise of forgiveness, vindication, redemption, and exaltation. As the prophets foretold, all nations will call Jerusalem blessed, the Holy City, and the true pole of the earth.
It is no accident that the setting of today's gospel is Jerusalem. She too rejoices in the coming of the Lord, although the pregnant Mary is greeted only by Elizabeth. The old woman's happiness and the unborn child's dancing welcome the One who will save the City from her sins.
Our tradition also speaks of the city as the type of the Church, which itself prefigures the New Jerusalem, "coming down from heaven as beautiful as a bride prepared to meet her husband." We see the Church and the New Jerusalem in the young woman as she goes to see the wonderful sign Gabriel has given her.
She is also the pilgrim Church who leads us on the road of penance, almsgiving, and trusting forgiveness. Whatever stories the Galilean lass has heard of the wicked city, she dismisses. She knows the Lord will protect her as she travels; he will guide her safely to her destination. And so she travels fearlessly. She does not forget Gabriel's command, "Do not be afraid."
We can go with her to discover our destiny, with the same courage. We shall enjoy an unimaginable worthiness to enter the heavenly Jerusalem.
Our Church likes to remind us that Christmas doesn't end on Christmas day; it will continue until Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord. But neither does it begin on December 25, for as we hear the Infancy Narratives of the Evangelists Matthew and Luke during this octave, we are filled with Christmas cheer. Indeed, how can I keep from singing the praises of Mary?
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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.