AMDG
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| A statue of Mary in the patio in front of the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth. Different manifestations of Mary from different countries are on the walls. |
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| A street in Nazareth, leading up to the Basilica of the Annunciation in the background. |
Today is Gaudete Sunday, the Third Sunday in Advent. That puts us at the half way point in our
wait with joyful anticipation for the birth of Christ. It won’t be long now.
The Annunciation, the First Joyful Mystery of the Rosary. In the fullness of time God sends the
Archangel Gabriel to make an astonishing request of a poor obscure teen aged
virgin in Nazareth in about the year 3 BC.
Mary is startled, but realizes that the Archangel Gabriel is sent by
God. The deceased prophets and thousands
more hold their breaths at the gates of Heaven as Mary has to make a decision
that would change the world and open the gates at the Resurrection of Christ. Humanity has been waiting for the fulfillment
of the promise made by God 4000 years before…… that He would send a redeemer.
The
Archangel of the Lord declares unto Mary:
"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord
is with thee. Blessed art thou among
women." But she was greatly
troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might
be. Note that the greeting is the
first two sentences of the Hail Mary prayer.
Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found
favor with God. Behold, you will conceive
in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus (a powerful name taken from the Hebrew word for, “God is
salvation” that defined His mission on earth).
He will be great and will be called Son of the
Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and
he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be
no end." (Luke
1:28-33). Thus He will be Christ the
King, whom the Knights of Columbus serve as we also should do.
But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations
with a man?" And the angel said
to her in reply, "The Holy Spirit
will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your
relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth
month for her, who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God." (Luke 1:34-37).
Mary does not doubt as Zachary did.
She only wondered how this can be, knowing that nothing is impossible
for God.
Mary
said, "Behold, the handmaid of the
Lord. Be it done to me according to your word." Then the angel
departed from her
(Luke 1:38). This is Mary’s “fiat” or
YES to God’s request. God has given each
one of us a special mission, but we have the freedom to accept or reject that
mission. Mary’s decision is YES and at
that very instant Mary is conceived by the Holy Spirit. “The word was made flesh and He dwelt among
us.” Thus Mary becomes the Mother of God
the Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity, i.e., in His human nature.
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| Behind the main altar is the spot believed to be where the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary with the epic news and a request. |
Mary is destined to suffer with her son, Jesus. As God’s servant, Mary accepts anything that He might ask of her. She trusts God without question…….that all will work out according to His plan and thus for the best since she is confident of His great love. Notice that the principal elements of the Angeles prayer that is said at noon in much of the world is contained in (Luke 1:28-38). This biblical passage comprises the First Joyful Mystery of the Rosary, the Annunciation. Mary can teach us so much when we meditate on that mystery as well as all the other mysteries of the Rosary.
The Visitation, the Second Joyful Mystery of the
Rosary. Mary learned from the Archangel Gabriel that
her aging cousin Elizabeth miraculously conceived and is six months
pregnant. Mary sees Elizabeth in need of
help, especially at her age. Thus Mary
travels (notice the painting on the façade of the church above) to Ein Karem to
help Elizabeth. The 80 mile journey by
donkey is difficult over crude roads and there is a danger of being attacked
and robbed. However, as shown in the
mural, Mary is protected by angels. Let
St. Luke the Evangelist describe their meeting.
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| The Church of the
Visitation in Ein Karem. The façade
depicts Mary traveling on a donkey for her visit to her cousin St. Elizabeth
who is pregnant with St. John the Baptist.
It’s about an hour and a half by car, days by donkey.
During those days 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 (St.
John the Baptist) in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken
to you by the Lord would be fulfilled" (Luke 1:39-45).
The baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaps for joy. Babies in utero can hear what’s going on
outside. The infant in utero must have
sensed that something epic was happening or God actually inspired him with the
joyous news. This is a beautiful
testimony for a human being in the womb.
The above passage contains the second and third sentences of the Hail
Mary prayer.
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| Inside the Church of the Visitation is a painting of Mary greeting her cousin Elizabeth. |
Mary’s
womb is effectively a tabernacle of the most high. Centuries before King David hid the Ark of
the Covenant in Ein Karem for three months; Mary stayed with Elizabeth for
three months. We look on Mary as the new
Ark of the Covenant. The original Ark
contained manna, the Ten Commandment slabs written by God, and the staff of
Aaron, shepherd and priest.
As the new
Ark of the Covenant, Mary carries in her womb not manna, but the bread of life;
not the slabs, but the word incarnate who will later speak for God; not the staff of Aaron,
but the good shepherd and priest who will offer himself in 33 years as the
victim to make reparation for all the sins of the world past, present, and
future in order to open the gates of Heaven for us if only we follow Him.
And
Mary says the most beautiful canticle of all time and a gem of literature, the Magnificat.
"My soul proclaims the greatness
of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
For he has looked upon his
handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
The Mighty One has done great things
for me, and holy is his name.
His mercy is from age to age to
those who fear him.
He has shown might with his arm,
dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.
He has thrown down the rulers from
their thrones but lifted up the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good
things; the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped Israel his servant,
remembering his mercy,
according to his promise to our fathers, to
Abraham and to his descendants forever" (Luke
1:46-55).
Appendix
See http://paulrsebastianphd.blogspot.com/2011/12/50-meditations-of-joyful-mysteries-of.html
- (50) Meditations For the Rosary I: The 1st and 2nd Joyful
Mysteries, The Annunciation and the Visitation.
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