Hope-filled Holiday

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anxious, Elizabeth, endure, Mary, Memorial Day, pandemic, persevere, re-connect, rejoice, St. Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Zephaniah

Zephaniah, the ninth of the twelve minor prophets, is a rarely quoted text in the daily lectionary. Thus, it is a memorable moment when we read a message like the joyful one that is the first reading for today. Listen:

Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem…Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged! The Lord, your God, is in your midst. He will rejoice with you with gladness and renew you in his love. He will sing joyfully because of you…

It was significant today for me to read such an account of emotional experiences as I had just spent a heartfelt half-hour reading about families and other groups that have been spending this weekend re-connecting with loved ones. All across our country people are gathering in celebration of the incipient end of the pandemic. One after another, families and friends tell of the joy they have experienced upon spending time with one another. The stories are full of hugs, kisses, laughter and new stories from over the past year when such behaviors were not allowed. Love was the over-arching theme and the possibility of actually touching one another seemed almost miraculous. All of it gave credence to the second reading for this day from Paul’s letter to the Romans. We would do well to take his words to heart:

Brothers and sisters: Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality…

Above and beyond all that, there was the consummate example of love and hospitality—my favorite in the entire gospel (at least today…) where Mary “went in haste” to her cousin Elizabeth. Mary was a pregnant teenager seriously needing solace and she found it in Elizabeth (undoubtedly held tightly in her arms). How similar are some of today’s stories to Mary’s, how needy are we all of comfort after the past sixteen months!

May we find joy in the Lord as Zephaniah did, camaraderie as Paul and the early followers of Jesus did, and comfort at the possible end to the pandemic as Mary did in the person of her relative. And may we all remember on this Memorial Day to thank God for all the good that has been done for us.

Close Cousins

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a voice crying in the desert, David Haas, Elizabeth, Jesus, John the Baptist, Mary, the chosen one, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

As the Church celebrates the birth of St. John the Baptist, I start thinking about the relationship of John to his cousin, Jesus. I find it hard to talk much about it as there are few mentions in the Scriptures but this morning I decided to use what I have read about them together and go from there.

It doesn’t seem that they were close in childhood, unless Elizabeth and Mary wrote a lot of letters describing their “boys” to one another and sharing them with the kids. It’s so much easier for us in the age of technology. We can watch children grow up in pictures and videos and as soon as they can write, they can enjoy a relationship – if they have the tools. I wonder what the mothers of these two shared, if anything. And what, as they grew, were the stories about them in their neighborhoods?

John certainly knew his place in adulthood. “A voice crying in the desert” is how he described his role and he never seemed to mind that Jesus was “the chosen one” and he the “sidekick,” the associate, the one to do the bidding of God in Jesus. He went to prison because of Jesus. He was beheaded for loving him. It doesn’t seem that they had much time together but when they met it seemed like they knew each other immediately on a deep level. And I’m so glad to know that John had the privilege of baptizing Jesus. What an honor and a humbling event, for sure!

All that makes me think of a David Haas song that speaks of the relationship we might have with Jesus. It’s the words and the music of the refrain that cause a stirring in my heart. And when I think of John the Baptist I can imagine that if he never even met Jesus (although how wonderful for both of them that he did!) he would have sung this refrain.

Without seeing you, we love you. Without touching you, we embrace. Without knowing you, we follow. Without seeing you, we believe.

The Company of Women

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companions, Elizabeth, full of grace, Luke, Mary, motherhood, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Visitation of Mary, women

I am grateful today for all the wonderful women in my life who have played a part in my development and have nurtured me from before my birth until today. Why? Today’s gospel recounts that rich and meaningful story of Mary and Elizabeth, both pregnant with their first child. Elizabeth, the barren, aging one, has longed for motherhood and finally knows it is coming to her. Mary, her teenage relative, comes to visit in turmoil. She, with child when hardly more than a child herself, wonders how this has all happened and needs the solace of an elder woman who will, perhaps, help her to understand. Wonder of wonders, Elizabeth recognizes what is happening in Mary because of the gifted one she herself is carrying!

The story of the Visitation (LK 1:39-56) could be seen as a model for woman-to-woman relationships in all manner of situations. Sharing the fears and joyful expectations of motherhood, the trials and accomplishments of growing children, the prayer and struggles of women at work when challenges come – women need companions in these complex times. Younger women need older, wiser women for wisdom and elders need the young to help them accept the realities of aging.

Whether in a corporate office of a large company or in the kitchen chatting over paring vegetables, women need each other to help them feel whole. I love this gospel because if she had not had Elizabeth whose openhearted welcome greeted her, where would Mary have found the strength to manage what faced her? “Full of grace” herself, Mary recognized the one who recognized her with loving acceptance. And both were blessed.

I will spend this day, both physically and virtually, in the company of the women who sit in my memory and my reality and I will give thanks for the richness that is mine because of them.

In Praise of Women

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Annunciation, beauty, blessed, child, courage, destiny, Elizabeth, God's name, hard grace, holy, justice, Luke, Mary, praise, pregnant, solace, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, willingness, womb, women

I love the feast that we celebrate today: the Visitation of Mary to her kinswoman, Elizabeth. This was no “stopping ’round for tea” visit. Mary traveled “to the hill country” and stayed for three months. Elizabeth was a woman past child-bearing age – whatever that meant in those long-ago days. In her 30s, perhaps, and probably concerned since she had heretofore been unable to conceive. Mary was just a teenager, and likely frightened by the process of carrying a child. For both of them this “favor” wrought by God was what many would have called “hard grace.” On a human level, how lucky they were to have each other! We speculate that Elizabeth was further along in her pregnancy so it must have been a relief to have Mary around to help her. The Scriptures intimate that Mary had rushed off to Elizabeth soon after receiving the message from God that she was pregnant. Her comfort would likely have been an older woman, who obviously loved her, to lean on and share with as she interiorized what was happening to her body and her life. Such a great story!

The gospel passage from Luke (1:39-56) doesn’t stop with this loving, relational scene, however. Perhaps it was on her trek from Nazareth to Elizabeth’s home that Mary’s process of acceptance that began with her “yes” at the Annunciation was fulfilled. Or perhaps it was Elizabeth’s recognition of the child Mary was carrying that caused her own baby to “leap” in her womb. Whatever the transformation in Mary, her testimony to the power of God that she sang out on that day of her arrival in response to Elizabeth’s greeting was that of a strong woman who knew her role in the great drama of religious history that was unfolding within her. From this day, she proclaimed, all generations will call me blessed, for the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is God’s name!

Those words are followed with a vision of God’s power to overturn the order of powerful and poor in a restoration of justice. Certainly, Mary did not know the specifics of how that would happen – nor did anyone, but she knew she had been chosen for a role in it. And the courage to speak, I believe, came not only from God’s grace but from the relationship of the older, more worldly-wise woman standing beside her.

Let us today (men and women alike) rejoice in those women in our lives who give us solace and courage when we need it and the companionship that keeps us on track in our living. Let us remember also, those who have gone before us who still stand as examples of the willingness to accept God’s grace in our lives that we might fulfill our destiny in praise and beauty.

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?

A Woman Like Us

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bless, Blessed Virgin, Elizabeth, hope, love, Nazareth, Paul, pregnancy, Romans, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Visitation of Mary

Today is one of the many church feasts honoring Mary, the mother of Jesus. I always remember the date of this one because it is the birthday of my cousin, Ginni – Virginia – named for Mary under the title of the “Blessed Virgin.” When I was young it was celebrated as the feast of the Mary, Queen of Heaven. I find it interesting that when the liturgical calendar was updated some years ago, this feast became instead the commemoration of the Visitation of Mary to her kinswoman, Elizabeth. I wonder if the rationale for the shift was the same as that of Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ in her book entitled Truly Our Sister: Mary in the Communion of Saints. Sister Elizabeth’s thesis is that although Mary is revered for the great honor bestowed on her by God she was a human being who lived a human life with the same joys and sorrows of women of the world in all eras of our history. The book is scholarly, to be sure, but my favorite section is the one that paints a picture of what life was like in Nazareth in the first century, including such images as the setup of the family home and the daily rituals, successfully bringing into focus Mary’s reality. It is a wonderful book, best read perhaps saving the first sections on theological considerations until after one has been treated to the world in which Mary lived and a consideration of all the biblical texts where she is mentioned and/or encountered.

The story of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth is indicative of the shift in the above-mentioned perception of her as a woman. Young, most likely terrified not only of the fact of her pregnancy but of its consequences in her culture, Mary flees “to the hill country” to an older relative, also miraculously pregnant and most likely somewhat anxious herself. One can only imagine the comfort they found in each other and how everyday tasks that they performed together became the solace needed to put their worlds right again. I picture them in the kitchen chopping vegetables and sharing their feelings about life and what the future might hold for each of them. As a backdrop for these thoughts, the words of Paul in his letter to the Romans (12: 9-16) seem particularly apt this morning. See if you don’t agree.

Brothers and sisters, let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold onto what is good, love one another with mutual affection, anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly; do not be wise in your own estimation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of Kings and Mothers

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birth, canticles, Christ the King, cornerstone, Eli, Elizabeth, Hannah, human, infant, leader, Luke, Mary, mothers, O Antiphons, Samuel, sons, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

A familiar adage says that “behind every good man there stands a good woman.” In today’s Scripture readings we meet two of them. Hannah was barren, longing for a child and promising God that if she finally bore a son she would dedicate him to God. Soon after, she became pregnant and bore the child, Samuel, whom we meet later with the prophet Eli. Hannah’s gratitude to God is expressed in a canticle (1 Samuel 2) that is quite similar to Mary’s song of praise (Luke 1) announcing the news of her pregnancy to Elizabeth. Both of these women bore and raised extraordinary sons – with the help of their loving husbands, to be sure. In Biblical times there was little notice given to women and little written of their steadfast care and sacrifice for their families as well as service to their God. I will take some time today to chant (even if on one steady tone) these canticles, praising God for mothers and other wonderful women.

The above reflection has merit as well in a reflection on the O Antiphon for today where we consider Jesus as “the cornerstone” of God’s house. This is the stone that joins the walls of a building at its base. It is seen metaphorically as the quality or feature upon which a particular thing (e.g. Christianity) depends or is based. As we pray the antiphon today, we might see Mary welcoming her infant son into her arms at his birth and standing behind him throughout his life as a support beam giving him the strength and courage to fulfill his mission.

O King of the Gentiles and Desired of All, You are the cornerstone that binds two into one. Come and save poor humanity whom You fashioned out of clay.

O Leader of Nations, you are the long-awaited messiah, the one like a cornerstone that joins the sides and foundation of a building. Come, make our human race all one family.

Greatly Blessed

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Assumption, Elizabeth, gratefulness, Luke, Mary, mindfulness, Mother of Jesus, opportunities, presence, sacred space, The Magnificat, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Today is the traditional feast for Christians of the Assumption of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, into heaven where she reigns as Queen. As I have grown in years and in my knowledge of Scripture, I often think that Mary might be uncomfortable with that title. While it is true that Luke’s gospel for this morning quotes Mary proclaiming, in what has come to be known as The Magnificat, “From this day, all generations shall call me blessed,” she clearly gives the glory to God for every honor that has come to her. (“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked upon my lowliness…”) It is also true that the setting for this speech of Mary is the home of her kinswoman, Elizabeth, to whom she has fled upon learning that both of them are pregnant – Mary the teenager and Elizabeth the older woman, past the normal age for bearing children. It is only Elizabeth (no great crowd) that hears the words from Mary’s mouth about the favor of God. (LK 1:36-52) I love to think of them in Elizabeth’s kitchen, perhaps preparing a meal, sharing their fears and misgivings over their unexpected physical state but grateful for the presence of one another as trusted companions. It must have been a great comfort for both, but maybe especially for Mary as her situation was even more weighty than that of Elizabeth.

Presence in time of need is a precious gift, one of which I was quite mindful this week as I shared the family waiting room at the hospital where my sister had a hip replacement on Thursday. It was a quiet place, a kind of “sacred space,” but one where the entire room breathed deeply and gratefully each time a doctor appeared to share good news. It also extended beyond the hospital as other relatives and friends who had pledged prayer were waiting as well. I had a long list of texts to write in the end, many of which received immediate responses to my “great success” messages at the good news.

Today I hope to be mindful of the importance of the many opportunities to be present to the people I encounter, with the purpose of helping them to recognize the importance of who they are and what their presence can mean to stranger, friend or family for this woman who is feeling greatly blessed.

What’s in a Name?

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Elizabeth, forerunner, Isaiah, John the Baptist, Luke, message, name, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Zachariah

I’ve heard there was talk when I was born that my mother wanted to name me Valerie. As I went through my early years fielding questions like, “Hey, Lois, where’s Superman?” I might have wished my mother’s choice had prevailed. I was, however, the only Lois I knew – not like some of the girls who shared their names with five or six other girls in my class at school. Whether I liked it or not, my name was Lois.

Today the Scripture readings celebrate John the Baptist, the “forerunner” of Jesus, the one who announced him to the world. The prophet Isaiah could have been speaking of John when he wrote, “The Lord called me from birth; from my mother’s womb he gave me my name. ‘You are my servant,’ he said to me.” (IS 49:1-6) You may remember that when John was actually born there was some dissension about what his name should be. Zachariah had been struck dumb when he was told his wife, Elizabeth, was pregnant since she was so old; he was to remain so until the baby was born. That message culminated in the instruction that the baby was to be called John. (Everyone thought he should be named after his father.) I can imagine Zachariah gesticulating wildly for something to write with to have his say. When someone got him a tablet, he simply wrote: “His name is John.” (LK: 1:57 ff)

Names are important. When someone I love says my name, it sounds different from the address of others. Children can tell when they’re in trouble for something by the way their parents call out their names. Some of us have secret names from childhood, shared only with imaginary friends. I remember in a conversation once being asked, “What is the name by which God calls you?” – surprising then, but something to ponder. I am grateful that now, as I have come to know myself, loving all of my life as a gift from God, I can respond wholeheartedly, “My name is Lois.”