August 15, 2010
An apocryphal text from the Book of Revelation shouts out the message to the faithful believers who are under threat of persecution that the kingdom of the Christ has begun. Though many readers may attribute the “woman” in the text to be Mary, the Mother of God, the “woman” is more probably in reference to the nation and people of Israel, who gives birth through its pains to the Messiah. The huge red dragon that is ready to devour the newborn is most likely a foreign nation that has conquered the nations of the earth and threatens Israel, sending her into the desert for safety. However, with all that said, it is comforting for many to read this as Mary’s protective care of her son who would become the Messiah. In apocryphal language, it is also consoling to consider Mary’s protective concern for us who are left on this earth subject to the great forces of evil that threaten our lives and stability.
Mary’s joyful song at the dawn of her motherhood is a preview of what God will do for all humankind and it is sung on this day as a way of showing that God was true to Mary’s belief about the Lord. For her fidelity to her vocation, God rewarded her in a way that truly lifts up the lowly. She is able to express the heart of God poetically to reveal God’s overarching preferential concern for us who are the poor of the world. Her magnificat previews the order and structure of life in God’s kingdom. The beauty of Mary’s life was that she lived a completely earthly life as mother of Jesus, which caused her to continuously outwardly extend her compassionate care for others. In the Gospel we see her rejoicing with Elizabeth about their common experience of pregnancy. Though there were divine interventions in their situations, their experiences of pregnancy were fully human and they praised God for the sacred reality that is motherhood. By cherishing what was fully human, they were able to find God in the midst of it.
For her fidelity, Mary is said to have been assumed body and soul into heaven like other holy men of the Jewish Scriptures. We struggle over what this really means for our salvation and we ponder what our own resurrection means. I wrestle with this particularly this week as I reflect upon the tragic death of my cousin’s 16 year old son. We Christians place our hope in the resurrected life that allows us to live in a world that is both ‘now and one that is to come.’ We know that death of a loved one still hurts. We also know Christ has destroyed death and precedes us into the everlasting kingdom, and while that is enough for us, it is consoling to know that Mary, who bridged his world with the next by her assumption, is with her Son and Lord in the eternal kingdom watching over us and making sure that we continue to escape the grips of the evil one. I know for my part, I want to belong to Christ so I may join him in the life that is to come.
Quote for the Week
To celebrate Mary’s principal feast, I attach a poem called “Mother and Maiden,” Anonymous, early 16th century
I sing of a maiden that is matchless.
King of all kings for her son she chose.
He came all so still where his mother was,
As dew in April that falleth on the grass.
He came all so still to his mother’s bower,
As dew in April that falleth on the flower.
He came all so still – There his mother lay,
As dew in April that falleth on the spray.
Mother and maiden was never none but she;
Well may such a lady God’s mother be.
Themes for this Week’s Masses
First Reading: Ezekiel’s wife, the delight of his eyes, died and he remained faithful to the instructions of the Lord to refrain from mourning. The prophet is instructed to tell the prince of Tyre that he is merely a man and not a god and that the foreigners will rise up against him to put him in his rightful place. Ezekiel then tells the leaders of Israel that they have not been true shepherds so God will come against these shepherds and God will save the sheep from those selfish shepherds. To prove God’s holiness, he will take the sheep of his flock and will sprinkle clean water on them to cleanse them of all their impurities. In his prophecy Ezekiel is brought to a field of dry bones that upon hearing the word of the Lord are brought back from the grave. He then finds himself at the East Gate of the Temple where the Lord makes a magnificent entrance and God declares “this is where my throne shall be.”
Gospel: Jesus has compassion on the young man who approaches him with a desire to enter into eternal life, but walks away saddened when he cannot live up to the demands of discipleship. The disciples of Jesus are perplexed because they wonder if they will be saved. Jesus replies that the one who has given up everything for the kingdom will inherit eternal life. Jesus tells a difficult parable about workers at a vineyard who arrive late to begin work and get the same wage as those who have toiled laboriously from the beginning. Though it may seem unfair, the kingdom is open to all. He tells another parable to the chief priests and elders about the wedding feast for the king’s son in which messengers went out in search of guests. One ill-attired guest was chastised for not properly being disposed for such a wedding and was cast into darkness. The Pharisees set out to test Jesus and asked him about the greatest commandments. Jesus addresses the audience by telling them to beware of the actions of the Pharisees but to follow their words.
Saints of the Week
Monday: Stephen of Hungary, became the first King of Hungary and is responsible for uniting the Magyars, of which he is a member of one of the families. He established the church in Hungary under the direction of Pope Sylvester II. Stephen reformed the government, trained priests, built churches, and initiated programs that care for the poor.
Wednesday: Alberto Hurtado, priest, was a Chilean Jesuit priest who was a lawyer, social worker, writer, and founder of Hogar de Christo that provided shelters for children in need of food and safety. Inspired by Catholic social teaching, he entered the labor movement where he combined intellectual reflection with practical actions.
Thursday: John Eudes, priest, became an Oratorian in 1623 and spent years in pastoral work while helping women found a new religious congregation called Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge, which has several spin-off congregations. John founded the Congregation of Jesus and Mary in 1643 that was set up to train clergy.
Friday: Bernard, Abbot and Doctor, entered the Benedictine order at age 22 and was appointed abbot of a new monastery in Clairvoux three years later. His strict observance of monastic life dominated the religious life of Western Europe. He wrote many letters, treatises, sermons and commentaries that helped define Catholic Europe.
Saturday: Pius X, pope, was elected to the papacy in 1903 and is known for his strict interpretations of doctrine. He encouraged pious devotions and frequent reception of communion for adults.
This Week in Jesuit History
· Aug 15, 1821. Fr. Peter DeSmet sailed from Amsterdam to America. He hoped to work among the Native Americans. He became the best known missionary of the northwest portion of the United States.
· Aug. 15, 1955: The Wisconsin Province was formed from the Missouri Province and the Detroit Province was formed from the Chicago province.
· Aug. 16, 1649: At Drogheda, Fr. John Bath and his brother, a secular priest, were shot in the marketplace by Cromwell's soldiers.
· Aug. 17, 1823: Fr. Van Quickenborne and a small band of missionaries descended the Missouri River to evangelize the Indians at the request of the bishop of St. Louis. On this date in 1829, the College of St. Louis opened.
· Aug. 18, 1952: The death of Alberto Hurtado, writer, retreat director, trade unionist and founder of El Hogar de Christo, a movement to help the homeless in Chile.
· Aug. 19, 1846: At Melgar, near Burgos, the birth of Fr. Luis Martin, 24th General of the Society.
· Aug. 20, 1891: At Santiago, Chile, the government of Balmaceda ordered the Jesuit College to be closed.
· Aug. 21, 1616: At Pont a Mousson in Lorraine died Fr. William Murdoch, a Scotsman, who when only 10 years of age was imprisoned seven months for the faith and cruelly beaten by the order of a Protestant bishop. St. Ignatius is said to have appeared to him and encouraged him to bear the cross bravely.
Vows of Jesuit Novices
Jesuit novices from across the U.S. will profess perpetual vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience this weekend completing a two-year period of formation and probation. Following vows, most will be sent to a First Studies program in which a Jesuit scholastic will begin philosophy studies.
August 15th is the date that Ignatius and his first companions pronounced First Vows at Montmartre outside of Paris following their studies at the University of Paris and before they set out for their intended pilgrimage to the Holy Lands. They chose the Feast of the Assumption to honor Mary, Queen and Mother of the Society.
Please pray for the vovendi as they ready themselves to be received as Jesuit scholastics and brothers.
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