Claire Smith

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Scripture:

Zechariah 2:14-17 or Revelation 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab
Luke 1:26-38 or Luke 1:39-47

Reflection:

“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”  But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.  Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 

                                      (Mary’s dialogue with the Angel) 

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.  May it be done to me according to your word.”  Then the angel departed from her.

She was an impoverished Jewish teenage girl who loved God and was betrothed to a young Jewish carpenter.  In the space of a few minutes of conversation with an angel she moved from being “greatly troubled” to accepting the will of God.  Also, in the space of those same few minutes, and her almost immediate acceptance of God’s will, she changed the future of humanity for all eternity.  What did she understand?  What did she not understand?  What did she ponder about this mystery in the ensuing days, weeks, months and years? 

Mary is quoted only five more times in the New Testament after the dialogue with the angel: twice during her visit with her pregnant cousin Elizabeth; once when the young Jesus was found in the temple; and twice at the wedding feast at Cana.  Yet we venerate her, not only for her response to the angel, but for her resilient participation in her Son’s ministry from His birth in Bethlehem, then throughout His entire life, including His passion, death and resurrection.  Isn’t hers a life to be modeled? 

The marvel of this wondrous virgin Mother of God is not only what we understand from scripture, but from what she has shared with us in the 43 reported apparitions that have occurred over the centuries.  Included in those is one to a peasant named Juan Diego on December 9, 1531.  Was Juan Diego’s surprise and disbelief of that first apparition similar to her own “greatly troubling” encounter with the angel?  Yet young Juan Diego, like Mary, said yes to the message that she gave him.  When Juan Diego, attending to his mortally ill uncle, missed the planned 4^th apparition with Mary by diverting his route three days later on December 12th, she intercepted him on his detour.  After explaining his reasoning for the deviation, Mary gently chided him “Am I not here, I who am your mother?”  Juan Diego’s uncle was healed, the Basilica that she had asked for was built, and is now the most visited Catholic shrine in the world, “Our Lady of Guadalupe” has been named the Patroness of the America’s and of the unborn, and Juan Diego was canonized on July 31, 2002, at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City by Pope John Paul II.

Dearest mother Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, inspire me to say “yes” to God’s holy will as you and so many others have done over the centuries.

Bill Berger has had a life-long relationship with the Passionist Family.  Bill and his wife, Linda, are currently leaders of the Community of Passionist Partners (CPP’s) in Houston, Texas.

Scripture:

Isaiah 40:25-31
Matthew 11:28-30

Reflection:

During Advent, the Prophet Isaiah takes center stage in the Old Testament. He is, in a real sense, the Advent Prophet. Today’s first reading is a lovely example of Advent preparation.

By way of background, the Book of Isaiah focuses on the Babylonian exile of the Jews, which began in 586 BC, when Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple, and enslaved the Jews for more than 50 years.

Isaiah had warned the Jews of God’s judgment if the people were to continue placing their trust in secular rulers rather than God. They continued to disobey. Consequently, Babylon became God’s instrument of punishment against Judah.

Chapters 40-55, (Second Isaiah), which are most quoted passages during Advent, include today’s reading. These are words of encouragement, meant to lift up the promise of redemption for a people experiencing their harsh judgment.

God, through Isaiah, inspires the dejected Jews to take heart. The end of their exile is near. “Those who wait for God will renew their strength and will mount up with wings like eagles (27-31)

These verses call the exile to faith in the midst of defeat and servitude.

“He gives strength to the fainting; for the weak he makes vigor abound. Though young men faint and grow weary, and youths stagger and fall, they that hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint.”

The day is coming when they will return home, home to Jerusalem.

We, too, as with the Jewish exiles, await the coming of the Lord. In fact, we look forward to three Advents — in the historical past, in the present, and the future.

The first coming is the one that happened more than 2,024 years ago in Bethlehem. The second Advent is the one for which we prepare our hearts and souls to receive the Lord now.

The third coming will take place at the end of the age, when God will call us home, in a new heaven and new earth

We are a people in the in between time, between the past and the future. Now is when we lift our voices to sing the Advent anthem — “O Come, O Come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here.”

Now is the time for us to prepare for the coming through prayer, quiet reading and meditation on the Scriptures, and in silent, anticipatory contemplation.

And just as importantly, we are to prepare by caring for one another, lifting one another’s spirits and hope — as in the words of yesterday’s reading In Isaiah called us to do: “Comfort, give comfort to my people, says the Lord.”

Deacon Manuel Valencia is on the staff at Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, Sierra Madre, California.

Scripture:

Isaiah 40:1-11
Matthew 18:12-14

Reflection:

My recent retreat experience happened to coincide with reading a powerful book (I highly recommend Richard Gaillardetz’ While I Breathe, I Hope: A Mystagogy of Dying). Theycombined to challenge me to look at all the ways I identify myself and see how many of them will die when I die.

As scripture tells us: “All flesh is grass, and all their glory like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower wilts.” Does that mean the grass and flowers are not magnificent and life-giving? Of course not. They are good and necessary, but they aren’t eternal. As we entered fall, I watched as the grass gave up its green color, the flowers faded away, and the magnificently colored leaves fell to the ground in brown piles.

Likewise, my earthly life will end. My body will wither and fade away. My accomplishments will slide into the past. My life and love will remain within those I love as memories (hopefully fond, helpful ones!) Yet all of my possessions, accomplishments, outer appearance, and roles will die.

When I cling too much to my self-identity, even my identification as a loving and healing person, I can get offended, hurt, and angry when someone challenges or denies that identity. When I cling too much to my accomplishments, I get discouraged when someone else accomplishes more or else I assume I’m not worthy of love unless my accomplishments top the heap. When I cling too much to my bodily appearance or believe I must meet a certain standard of beauty, I am embarrassed by my increasingly sagging skin, ever-forming wrinkles, grey hairs, and changes that age brings.

It’s human nature to want to carefully craft one’s identity in the world, insist that everyone else agree with that identity, and hang onto it tightly. But it will all die when I die. What will not die? The radiant core of my true identity – my identity with Christ in God – the Spirit living inside of me – the little slice of the Divine that incarnated itself in my fleshy body – the eternal love that sets me free. In other words, what we call the soul. That’s the only thing that ultimately lasts.

So, this Advent, my focus is the incarnation – both the wondrous incarnation of the eternal God in the person of Jesus, and also God’s in-dwelling presence within me. I’m trying to let go of my deep attachment to the externals of myself and my life. I’m trying to spend at least as much attention on my inner being, my soul, and my identity in God as I spend on the external things that will die when I die.

What about you? With what external aspects of your body and life are you too deeply attached? To what do you cling even though it will die when you die? How can you re-focus your prime attention so you can give more of yourself to the things that last, to your eternal soul and your identity with Christ in God? If we can all do that, God’s love is free to shine through us into this world. Then we, too, can lives as Jesus did and participate in bringing the Reign of God to this earth.

Amy Florian is a teacher and consultant working in Chicago.  For many years she has partnered with the Passionists.  Visit Amy’s website: http://www.corgenius.com/.