May 31, 2007 Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

  2007년 5월 31일 목요일 복되신 동정 마리아의 방문 축일

 

 제1독서 스바니야 3,14-18ㄱ<또는 로마 12,9-16ㄴ>
14 딸 시온아, 환성을 올려라. 이스라엘아, 크게 소리쳐라. 딸 예루살렘아, 마음껏 기뻐하고 즐거워하여라. 15 주님께서 너에게 내리신 판결을 거두시고, 너의 원수들을 쫓아내셨다. 이스라엘 임금 주님께서 네 한가운데에 계시니, 다시는 네가 불행을 두려워하지 않으리라.
16 그날에 사람들이 예루살렘에게 말하리라. “시온아, 두려워하지 마라. 힘없이 손을 늘어뜨리지 마라.” 17 주 너의 하느님, 승리의 용사께서 네 한가운데에 계시다. 그분께서 너를 두고 기뻐하며 즐거워하신다. 당신 사랑으로 너를 새롭게 해 주시고, 너 때문에 환성을 올리며 기뻐하시리라. 18 축제의 날인 양 그렇게 하시리라.

 

 복음 루카 1,39-56
39 그 무렵에 마리아는 길을 떠나, 서둘러 유다 산악 지방에 있는 한 고을로 갔다. 40 그리고 즈카르야의 집에 들어가 엘리사벳에게 인사하였다.
41 엘리사벳이 마리아의 인사말을 들을 때 그의 태 안에서 아기가 뛰놀았다. 엘리사벳은 성령으로 가득 차 42 큰 소리로 외쳤다. “당신은 여인들 가운데에서 가장 복되시며 당신 태중의 아기도 복되십니다. 43 내 주님의 어머니께서 저에게 오시다니 어찌 된 일입니까? 44 보십시오, 당신의 인사말 소리가 제 귀에 들리자 저의 태 안에서 아기가 즐거워 뛰놀았습니다. 45 행복하십니다, 주님께서 하신 말씀이 이루어지리라고 믿으신 분!”
46 그러자 마리아가 말하였다.
“내 영혼이 주님을 찬송하고 47 내 마음이 나의 구원자 하느님 안에서 기뻐 뛰니 48 그분께서 당신 종의 비천함을 굽어보셨기 때문입니다. 이제부터 과연 모든 세대가 나를 행복하다 하리니 49 전능하신 분께서 나에게 큰일을 하셨기 때문입니다. 그분의 이름은 거룩하고 50 그분의 자비는 대대로 당신을 경외하는 이들에게 미칩니다.
51 그분께서는 당신 팔로 권능을 떨치시어 마음속 생각이 교만한 자들을 흩으셨습니다. 52 통치자들을 왕좌에서 끌어내리시고 비천한 이들을 들어 높이셨으며 53 굶주린 이들을 좋은 것으로 배불리시고 부유한 자들을 빈손으로 내치셨습니다.
54 당신의 자비를 기억하시어 당신 종 이스라엘을 거두어 주셨으니 55 우리 조상들에게 말씀하신 대로 그 자비가 아브라함과 그 후손에게 영원히 미칠 것입니다.”
56 마리아는 석 달가량 엘리사벳과 함께 지내다가 자기 집으로 돌아갔다.

 

 

 

 May 31, 2007

 Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 Reading 1
Zep 3:14-18a

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;
The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,
you have no further misfortune to fear.
On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
He will sing joyfully because of you,
as one sings at festivals.

or

Rom 12:9-16

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.
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.

Responsorial Psalm
Isaiah 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6

R. (6) Among you is the great and Holy one of Israel.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R. Among you is the great and Holy one of Israel.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R. Among you is the great and Holy one of Israel.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy one of Israel!
R. Among you is the great and Holy one of Israel.

Gospel
Lk 1:39-56

Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”

And Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.”

Mary remained with her about three months
and then returned to her home.

 

 

 Commentary

 

 Our God has come and it is cause for joy and gladness; it is the end to fear and we are to be renewed in God's love. God comes to Zion, the city of Jerusalem described as 'O daughter of Zion' (a title given to Mary who bears a mighty savior in the midst of the people). It is the savior that is the cause for rejoicing: for Mary, for Elizabeth and John and for all of us who seek to bring the Word into our world.
Paul's letter is a litany of commands about how we are to live. If all of us, the beloved children of God, could do only a few of them, the world would know that our savior has come to us, our God dwells with us and there is great cause for rejoicing. We are to live in hope, in joy, in love, in resistance, clinging to the good, looking to the needs of others, offering hospitality, blessing our persecutors, being compassionate with all, and staying close to the lowly (the meek, the nonviolent). These are all the characteristics of Elizabeth and John, as well as of Jesus and Mary's visit to one another. We learn how we must meet and embrace each other, bringing the Word, sharing the peace/resurrection proclamation, confirming and inspiring each other to sing the praises of God and all that God has done and is doing and will always do for all creation and all that he has made.

 

 

 Listening to the Music

If we listen carefully, the scriptures today provide much music. The words of Mary in the Gospel, sometimes known as the Canticle of Mary, are sung by Christians throughout the world as part of Evening Prayer. Each day, with Mary, the whole Church “proclaims the greatness of the Lord.”

But another kind of music lies hidden in the reading from Zephaniah. The prophet calls the Lord’s people to rejoice at the nearness of the Lord. And in a tender phrase, the prophet speaks of that nearness by declaring: “[The Lord] will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals.” The Lord sings “because of you,” full of joy. What might it sound like to hear the Lord singing because of us, any one of us? How can we “hear” such a sound?

Have you noticed that sometimes we do hear “inner music,” a song or a tune that just “stays with us”? Perhaps the song is overtly religious; perhaps it is not overtly religious, but it seems to “speak” to us or move us toward the Lord. Could we not imagine that song, even one so human and “ordinary,” as the Lord’s song sung to us? Could this be the Lord using our “inner hearing” to communicate his joy “because of [us]”?

So, as today begins or moves forward, perhaps we can listen attentively, even to that passing song or tune that seems to be moving through our minds and hearts. As we listen attentively, we might pay attention to how and where it moves us. Perhaps there we will hear the Lord “sing joyfully because of you.”

 

 by
Rev. Richard Gabuzda
Institute for Priestly Formation

 

 

 Joyful Anticipation of the Messiah

Do you recognize the indwelling presence of the Lord Jesus in your life?  Blessed are you if you see and recognize the Lord with the "eyes of faith". The word "blessed" [makarios in Greek] literally means "happiness" or "beatitude". It describes a kind of joy which is serene and untouchable, self-contained, and independent from chance and changing circumstances of life.  There is a certain paradox for those "blessed" by the Lord.  Mary was given the "blessedness" of being the mother of the Son of God.  That blessedness also would become a sword which pierced her heart as her Son died upon the cross.  Anselm, a great teacher and Archbishop of Canterberry (1033-1109), spoke these words in a homily: "Without God's Son nothing could exist; without Mary's son, nothing could be redeemed."  To be chosen by God is an awesome privilege and responsibility.  Mary received both a crown of joy and a cross of sorrow. Her joy was not diminished by her sorrow because it was fueled by her faith, hope, and trust in God and his promises.  Jesus promised his disciples that "no one will take your joy from you" (John 16:22).  The Lord gives us a supernatural joy which enables us to bear any sorrow or pain and which neither life nor death can take away. Do you know the joy of a life given over to God in faith and trust?

What is the significance of Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth before the birth of Jesus?  When Elizabeth greeted Mary and recognized the Messiah in Mary's womb they were filled with the Holy Spirit and with a joyful anticipation of the fulfilment of God's promise to give a Savior.  What a marvelous wonder for God to fill not only Elizabeth's heart with his Holy Spirit but the child in her womb as well.  John the Baptist, even before the birth of the Messiah, pointed to his coming and leapt for joy in the womb of his mother as the Holy Spirit revealed to him the presence of the King to be born. The Holy Spirit is God's gift to us to enable us to know and experience the indwelling presence of God and the power of his kingdom. The Holy Spirit is the way in which God reigns within each of us. Do you live in the joy and knowledge of God's indwelling presence with you through his Holy Spirit?

"Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me joy in seeking you more closely. Increase my faith in all your promises, my hope in the joys of heaven, and my love for You as my All."

Psalm 33:2-3,11-12,20-21

2 Praise the LORD with the lyre, make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
3 Sing to him a new song, play skilfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
11 The counsel of the LORD stands for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
20 Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and shield.
21 Yea, our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.

 

 

 Does this sound familiar?

"My heart exults in the Lord;

my strength is exalted in my God….

The bows of the mighty are broken,

but the weak are girded with strength.

The well-fed must labour for bread,

but the hungry need work no more.

The Lord makes poor and makes rich;

he brings low, he also exalts….” (1 Sam 2:1-10)

It is the Canticle of Hannah, mother of Samuel, and it is the source on which Mary’s Magnificat is based.  Mary is shaped, you might say, by the best of the Old Testament.

            But she is also a figure looking to the future.  She is an image of the new community, the Church.  That is a community where the topsy-turvy logic of the Gospel is intended to hold sway: the first is the last, the weak is the strong, the greatest is the least, the poorest is the richest, the lowest is the highest.... “God has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly.”  But when we look at the Church  -  at ourselves  -  sadly, we see that we live mostly by straightforward logic: power and privilege, palaces, badges and titles of honour....

Mary, the greatest revolutionary figure, still has many revolutions to accomplish.

 

 

 There are several levels in the mystery of the Visitation.   The first level is obvious: It is an act of charity and hospitality.   Mary travels great distances to be of assistance to her elderly relative (Elizabeth) at the time of the birth of John the Baptist.   Another level is the encounter of the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, symbolized by the unborn John (last of the Old Testament prophets) and Jesus (bearer of the New Covenant).    John leaps in his mother’s womb, a sign of the gladness of the old which will be replaced by the new.   Still another level is the superlative language in which Mary is portrayed in the scene.  Luke has used language taken from II Samuel 6 and I Chronicles 13.   These Old Testament passages describe the coming of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.   By use of such language, Luke intends us to think of Mary as the new Ark of the Covenant, the dwelling place of God-in-the-flesh.   Finally, of course, there is the beautiful canticle of Mary, the Magnificat.   It is modeled after the song of Hannah in I Samuel 2:1-10.   Mary proclaims that God almighty has done great things for her, and she will be called blessed for all time.   Her life, her soul, magnifies the Lord.   In other words, by her positive assent to all that the Lord wills, she makes him better known and loved.

 

 

«The baby within me suddenly leapt for joy»

Today, we contemplate the Virgin Mary's Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth. As soon as she was told she had been chosen by God Father to be the Mother of the Son of God and that her cousin Elizabeth had also received the gift of motherhood, she decidedly set out for the hills to congratulate her cousin, to share with her the joy of having being blessed with the gift of maternity and to serve her.

The salutation of the Mother of God provokes that the infant Elizabeth carried in her womb, leapt with joy within his mother's entrails. God's Mother, who also carried Jesus in her womb, is a cause for joy. Families are happy when the arrival of a new life is announced. Christ birth certainly produces «good news of great joy» (Lk 2:10).

And yet, now a day, motherhood is not duly prized. Quite often other interests, which are an ｅxpression of convenience and selfishness, oppose to it. Parent's love implies an eventual renunciation scaring many married couples that, perhaps, should be more generous with the goods they have received from God and say "yes" to new lives in a more responsible way. Many families stop being "shrines of life". His Holiness John Paul II confirms that birth control and abortion «have their roots in an hedonist and irresponsible mentality with respect to sexuality and presuppose a selfish concept of liberty, that sees in procreation an obstacle to the development of their own personality».

During five months Elizabeth did not leave her home, and thought: «Look what the Lord has done for me!» (Lk 1:25). And Mary said: «My soul glorifies the Lord (...) for He has been mindful of the humble state of his servant» (Lk 1:46-48). The Virgin Mary and Elizabeth value and are grateful for what God has given them: maternity! It is necessary that we, Catholics, find again the significance of life as a sacred gift from God to human beings.