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In the footsteps of Mary
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Third Sunday of Advent
Advent’s third Sunday marks a change in tone, from preparation to rejoicing. From preparation and hope to rejoicing and joy. Even the colors change, from purple to rose.
Isaiah 61:1-2, 10
The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me. He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God … I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul.
These words were claimed and made famous by Jesus in his hometown synagogue. They inflamed his listeners because they represented his claim to be their messiah.
What is it like for me to read them? Are they also about me? The echoes of God’s touch upon man through Jesus reverberate in me too. In us all. We are anointed, and we are made to love and give and rejoice together.
We also identify with Jesus’ mother Mary. Here’s a wonderful poem from St. John of the Cross, the magnificent Spanish poet and mystic from the 16th century. Richard Rohr shared it in his own devotion yesterday. He suggests that we read slowly and meditatively, resting in the awareness of God’s presence within “our own soul’s womb.”
If
you want
the Virgin will come walking down the road
pregnant with the holy
and say,
“I need shelter for the night, please take me inside your heart,
my time is so close.”
Then, under the roof of your soul, you will witness the sublime
intimacy, the divine, the Christ
taking birth
forever,
as she grasps your hand for help, for each of us
is the midwife of God, each of us.
Yes there, under the dome of your being does creation
come into existence externally, through your womb, dear pilgrim—
the sacred womb of your soul,
as God grasps our arms for help; for each of us is
His beloved servant
never
far.
If you want, the Virgin will come walking
down the street pregnant
with Light and
sing . . .
— Translated by Daniel Ladinsky, Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West
Teach us to pray without ceasing, Lord. To give thanks always and never put out the Spirit’s fire. Give us words to proclaim your greatness. Make us holy, blameless, faithful. You fill the hungry with good things, Lord. Fill us.
http://www.christiancounselingservice.com/archived_devotions.php?article_id=1309
