What Do You Say?

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Ahaz, angel of the Lord, aquiescence, Elizabeth, Isaiah, Luke, Mary, reaction, response, sign from God, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, trusted

Today’s readings got me thinking about reaction vs. response and about the difficult job of those messengers in the Bible who spoke for God. First there is Isaiah, human prophet, whose job was to warn people about coming destruction and then in the gospel “an angel of the Lord’ whose message was quite a bit more unbelievable – at least from my vantage point.

Nobody wants to hear bad news but if there seems to be a way out that involves God, it seems sensible to take the advice of the one bringing that message. I’m always surprised at what seems to be hubris on the part of Ahaz (but I would need to put it in context of the whole situation to be sure). When Isaiah tells Ahaz to ask for a sign from God, the king says, I will not ask; I will not tempt the Lord! Isaiah is clearly frustrated as he retorts, Is it enough for you to weary people; must you also weary my God? (IS 7: 10-14) In the end, he gives Ahaz the message anyway.

Then there’s Mary, whom we celebrate today as the one who heard the message that she was to be the mother of God in Jesus. I often think that the Scriptures are a bit like literary cliff notes: those wonderful summaries that high school and college students used to use (still do?) instead of reading the whole text of a book. I can’t imagine the conversation that Mary had with the angel being as brief as it appears in the gospel of Luke (1:26-38). Think about it. Some sort of presence appeared and gave this teenager the news that the Hebrew people had been awaiting for centuries. In the first place she must’ve been startled – but the angel sounded really kind, telling her not to be afraid, that God was favoring her, that her kinswoman, Elizabeth, was also the recipient of God’s favor…Still, it had to be a scary moment and she was clearly confused because she was a virgin so the only question that is recorded from her side of the conversation was about how this could possibly happen to her. Simple answer: God will take care of the details – so she said “Yes.”

The comparison is stark: a prophet’s message to a king who refuses to bow to the message and a young girl whose response to an unimaginable moment of God’s favor is wholehearted acquiescence because God is the center of her life. What does it call for? The first word that comes to me is humility and a close second is willingness.

The website of the US Bishops Conference has a video presentation for today that rivals the brevity of these exchanges and challenges our response. When I clicked on it, I was surprised that the only message was written across the screen on three frames – no talking, just one sentence about Mary and a question for us.

When the angel came to visit Mary, she trusted God to work in her life and through her actions. How do we respond to God’s work in our lives?

O Key of David…Come!

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Ahaz, David, God, help, Isaiah, Lord, O Antiphons, philosophy, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

One of the most memorable moments in my college days (which were pretty straightforward since I was a novice in a religious community) was a breakthrough in understanding. Other novices and I were in the midst of an Introduction to Philosophy class taught by a very poor teacher. The novice director, having a sense of our struggle, gave an unheard of permission for the five of us to stay up after the night silence and study together. She knew that the brightest among us would be able to help. I don’t remember the content but I do recall the amazing moment when the light went on for me as a result of Sr. Susan Elizabeth finding the right key to open my mind to the content that had escaped me. I don’t imagine that we had complained to our novice director about the professor or the class; novices generally didn’t do that. Somehow, though, Sister Elizabeth Thomas always knew what was going on without our input. I count that night as an example of her wisdom in setting aside a rule for a greater good.

I love the first reading for this morning (Is. 7:10-14) as it points up how much God is willing to help us and I imagine it as a bit of a comedic dialogue. I have to quote the whole text to show the significance.

The Lord said to Ahaz, “Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God; let it be deep as the nether world or high as the sky!” But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!” Then Isaiah said, “Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary men, must you also weary my God? The Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.

All those exclamation points indicate an excited conversation. It’s as if someone has a great surprise to share and keeps saying, “Ask me what I know! Go ahead! Ask!” and I say, “Nah, not interested.” or “You’d better tell someone else; I’m not the person you should tell.” The frustration of the teller is, of course, that the information is great news for you! It may even be the key that opens the door to a whole new future for you!

All of the above may seem like a roundabout way to get to today’s O Antiphon, but it all works for me. O Key of David, opening the gates of God’s eternal kingdom: come and free the prisoners from darkness! Whatever our prison – be it of the mind or spirit – Christ is longing to come and free us from it. All we need do is ask. The door will then be open in invitation to live in the heart of Christ – the place from which all darkness turns to light.

Go Ahead: Ask!

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Ahaz, ask, Gabriel, God, Hebrew Bible, Hebrew Scriptures, Jesus, Lord, Mary, sign from God, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

It’s my joy to be back to writing after nearly a week of “technical difficulties.”

In this morning’s Scripture readings there is a connection between Ahaz in the Hebrew Scriptures and Mary in Luke’s gospel, as both are confronted with messages from God. In the first, God tells Ahaz to ask for a sign from God. Ahaz refuses saying, “I will not ask. I will not tempt the Lord!” The next part of the conversation puts one in mind of a child saying, “Ask me what I have behind my back” or “Ask me what I did today.” Even if you refuse to ask, the child will tell you, and that’s exactly what happened with Ahaz. God said, “I’m going to tell you anyway!” and the message is a foreshadowing of the birth of Jesus. The gospel recounts the familiar conversation between Mary and the angel Gabriel, wherein Gabriel tells Mary (unbidden) that she is to be the mother of God’s Son. Unlike Ahaz, she does not refuse but she does question how it can happen since she has not had relations with a man. Gabriel’s explanation is certainly incredible but it ends with an assurance of what Mary must have already believed, because it caused her to assent to what was being asked of her. The angel said: “Nothing is impossible for God.”

Today is a good day to examine our willingness to assent to what is asked of us but also a day to ask for what we think we need from God. We must, however, be mindful in our asking of the fact that God knows what is good for us and what will keep us on our path toward God – even if our vision is cloudy in the asking. Willingness to surrender to God always trumps our personal will when dealing with God. Knowing that God is for us and will keep us close even in the most unthinkable events of our lives will guide us toward the maturity of asking the right questions.