Thursday, December 12, 2019

12 December 2019 - ark sight



God's temple in heaven was opened,
and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.

It was not the old ark, containing the rod of Aaron, the manna from the desert, and the law. It was Mary, the new ark, containing Jesus, who is the word of God, the new law, the bread from heaven, who slays his enemies with the breath of his mouth.

A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet,
and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

Just as the old ark was important in securing victory for Israel over their enemies, so too the new. With the old, the ark was holy for the sake of what it contained rather than for its own sake. So too the new, for Mary brought the presence of Jesus with her.

And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

From Elizabeth we hear echoes of the Old Testament:

And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the LORD come to me?” (see Second Samuel 6:9).

Just as the ark was protected from even being touched by those who were not pure so too was Mary.

The woman herself fled into the desert
where she had a place prepared by God.

Mary allowed herself to be emptied of her own self-will so that God would find room within 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.

Most of us are invited to be filled with Jesus and we give a partial and qualified response. Often it is, 'Yes, fine, for one hour on Sunday.' But Mary's 'Yes' was exhaustive, complete, and unchanging. The way her life was changed was irrevocable, and she embraced that change.

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

Mary wants to go with us into battle against the Evil One and his works. Not only that, she wants to show us how we ourselves can better be tabernacles for the presence of Jesus. This is where victory over emptiness and lies, over sin and suffering, and over pain and death can be found. It is found here and here alone.

"Now have salvation and power come,
and the Kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed."




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