June 23, Nativity of John the Baptist, , June 24, and Corpus Christi, June 25
15. Acts 13:22-26. Luke 1:57-66.80:
Luke takes us to the event of the birth of John the Baptist. In this he is
unique among the evangelists and will parallel this birth with that of
Jesus. He is always painting diptychs within his early chapters of the
Gospel that he wrote. We learn that Mary, the mother of Jesus is related
to Elizabeth who is of the priestly line. She is married to Zachariah who
will give us the hymn used at the official morning prayer of the Church
(the Benedictus) which will be paralleled with the hymn of Mary (the
Magnificat). Mary goes with haste to help her cousing Elizabeth and as
they meet, John already leaps for joy in his mother's womb; thus already
participating in announcing the coming of one greater than he. Elizabeth
has great faith and proclaims that Mary's faith is what makes her blessed.
Both have remembered the promises of God made to Abraham; both are pregnant
with great hopes for the future in the birth of their babies. It is
Elizabeth who takes the initiative in naming her child for the graces she
has received, he will be Johann or the one graced by God just as his mother
was graced by the visit of the mother of the Lord, Mary, her cousin. It is
one of the greatest scenes in the New Testament and great painters and
artists have helped us to see the joy and love of these two women in their
magnificent artistic paintings. Zachariah writes that he agrees with the
naming of their child and thus another parallel with the naming of
circumcision of Jesus is set up through John with Jesus.
We can easily see the rereading of Isaiah in the light of this child named
John. In Isaiah the prophet is given a name even while he is in his
mother's womb and a role that would announce the Messiah as the light for
the nations as well as for his people Israel. The same will be said of
John and later of Paul.
In the most personal and intimate psalm in the Psalter we learn the beauty
of the conception and birth of a child. The psalm is perfect for the
greatest choice we can make to give and to continue life from its very
inception. No wonder we need to recall the birth of John the Baptist, that
of Jesus, and that of the unknown one who wrote about his own birth in this
psalm. All in the psalm fits the birth of John, Jesus, and of every child
who is conceived.
The excerpt from the Acts of the Apostles shows us the history of John the
Baptist, that is, who he became-- a precursor, a proclaimer, and a witness
(by martyrdom) to the one greater than he, the Messiah, Jesus the son born
of Mary of Nazareth. John will preach a baptism of conversion and reform,
that is of repentance for one's sins. He wants people to turn to God and
away from sin and themselves. John will call Jesus the Lamb of God who
takes away both the sin (original?) and the sins of the world as we say in
each Mass. The Messiah is more than a lamb, he is also a Servant of God--
the word used in Aramaic means both lamb and servant...a both ... and name.
We do well to pray with Zachariah the Benedictus on this day in
thanksgiving for the birth of the greatest born of woman (after Jesus, of
course), John the Baptist. Amen.
Scripture: Lectionary 376. Genesis 18:1-15. Resp. the Magnificat. Matthew
8:5-17:
Sarai (Sarah) makes us laugh for she laughed and will name her son after
this experience of being told she will have a son in her advanced age this
time next year by an unnamed angel of the Lord. There were three
messengers who visited Abram and Sarai and received their outstanding
hospitality. The promise of the nations is awaited in the birth of the
Patriach and Matriarch of all monotheistic believers. Sarah says to the
angel, "I did not laugh." The omniscient messenger knows better and gently
reminds her, "Oh, yes you did!" It is funny no matter how this verse is
translated and shows us the humor of God in revelatory lines from one of
the most pondered books of the Hebrew Scriptures, that of Genesis. We have
the whole story or saga of Abram (Abraham) and Sarai (Sarah) in chapters
12-24 in Genesis. This is good reading for it shows us how the man and
woman of faith grow and how much they loved each other.
We are reminded of the mother of Jesus who was pregnant and who sings out
in her hymn of magnifying the Lord that God is always faithful to his
promises and specifcally in the one made to Abraham and his descendants
forerver. Both Sarah and Mary realize that nothing is impossible with God.
Mary accepts this at once and actively embraces the mystery. Sarah laughs
about it showing us her humanness but does not doubt that it is possible if
God says she will be pregnant. Maybe she is realizing that sometimes
angels are the actual presence of God in a person's life. Mary conceives as
a young woman who is a virgin; Sarah conceives as a very old woman who was
barren. What a wonderful miracle that initiates faith in God through the
promise of a child-- is there any better promise fulfilled than the birth
of a child? And even moreso of the birth of Mary's child who will be one
with God, the Son of God?
Thomas a Kempis makes a comment that is helpful for pondering this mystery
of faith and birthing: "If the works of God were such as might be compared
with reason they could not be called wonderful."
Thus Abraham believed, Sarah conceived, Mary magnified the Lord (our
response for the day). Blessed are they who believed and showed us how to
continue to believe in the promises of God. We believe because of our new
birth in Baptism and we grow in our faith through the Scriptures and the
Eucharist that celebrates them. What may seem impossible for us, is
possible for God. This is what angels tell us too, and Mary shows us how to
respond to an angel by not laughing but by saying "yes." Blessed is she
who believed that the promises made to her would be fulfilled. Amen.
Scripture: Lectionary # 168: Feast of the Body and Blood of the Lord,
Corpus Christi, June 26, Sunday (2011)
Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b. -16a, Psalm 147: 12-13.14-15.19-20. I Cor.
10:16. .17. Lauda Sion. John 6:51-58:
The sacrament of the Eucharist is a great confirmation of the mystery we
call the "Incarnation." John tells us "The Word became flesh and dwelt
among us." Our Gospel passage in John 6:51-58 is shockingly realistic; so
much so, that Jesus loses most of his follows in this announcement: "Unless
you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life
in you." The realism of the Eucharist is never so stark and powerful as in
this passage. It is this mystery that is so confusing to others just as it
was confusing to those who heard if from Jesus on the hills of Galilee.
Jesus is telling us he is the true Paschal Lamb who will give us freedom
through our partaking in his own life--his flesh and blood. He will be
sacrificed for all of us. This lamb nourishes us with his flesh and sates
our spiritual yearning and thirsting with his precious gift of life
symbolized in his Scriptures as blood, which is the source of life for the
Jew Jesus and for all his contemporary listeners. We hear these words and
through our faith and knowledge of the sacrament of the Eucharist we affirm
that we believe what Jesus said. It has nothing to do with cannabilism as
some have mistakenly interpreted his words and left him. Many do the same
today but for different reasons. Jesus keeps breaking through with his
living voice, "My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink...whoever
eats this bread will live forever."
Paul always remained faithful to his Jewish roots and laments that his own
countrymen do not follow him in turning to Jesus and his words and deeds.
Paul too explains what Jesus is saying to us today, "For the cup of
blessing ( remembering the cup(s) at the Passover Festival) is it not a
participation in the blood of Christ? And int he breaking of the bread (the
barakah) is it not a participation in the body of Christ?" We remember
then these words and re-enact them in the Mass and participate in what they
are in our communion where we partake of the life of Jesus--his flesh and
blood. Mystery and sacrament , Yes. Cannabalism --never was, never shall
be.
Our Psalm tells us that God feeds us with the best of wheat and grants
peace in our borders. Jesus' total self-giving in this sacrament feeds us,
unifies us, and gives us peace. Thomas Aquinas sings of this in our Lauda
Sion and in his theological statments tells us the sacrament of the
Eucharist is our unity and our peace. And as we turn back to Deuteronomy,
we learn from Moses that we are fed not by natural bread alone but by every
word that pours forth from the mouth of God. Jesus is more than words of
God; he is the Word become flesh of the Virgin Mary for the salvatiion of
humankind. This is what Corpus Christi is all about; this is our
celebration called the Eucharist. Amen.
posted by Fr. Bert SM at 2:45 PM
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