Behold

By -
In a far distant time,
In a story so well known throughout the lands,
We hear once again about an angel
Who visits a young girl to announce God's plans. 

We hear about the angel's proclamation, "Behold..."  and her response, "Behold..."    

In both the Online Dictionary and in Merriam Webster dictionary the definition of BEHOLD is a transitive verb meaning:
1: to perceive through sight or apprehension : see
2: to gaze upon : observe

Literally, they are saying, "Watch, this will happen," it's an action on both sides; the Holy Spirit will come down and bring forth the pregnancy in Mary and, in turn, Mary will allow this in cooperation with God as His handmaid.  Human and divine working together for one purpose, love.

Behold, our God will bring us a savior, His name is Jesus!  Jesus loved us so much and He showed us in not so small ways throughout His earthly life.  Here, His mother begins His journey towards the goal of salvation!

The magnitude of these actions are dynamic yet are revealed in so humble a way that they can be misconstrued as simple, if not precious.  When looking at the big picture, this Advent cannot be precious, but amazing if not overwhelmingly incomprehensible!  This first step in the journey that leads us in so many ways in awe of what we have in salvation history, a faithful and loving Triune God who keeps His promises and loves us in a dimension not fully comprehended by man.

Throughout salvation history, we have witnessed the bravery, strength, and courage of so many of our brothers and sisters saying "Yes" to God's plan, empowering those around them and ourselves into the future to keep the faith and stay in the vineyards building the Kingdom of God in our midst.   Not only for ourselves, but those in the future generations who will need this more. The unknown is scary as the young Mary displayed in her conversation with Gabriel, but she pressed on for future generations, as we must too.  We must keep on fighting the good fight, pressing on with bravery, strength, and courage for the future generations that will need us more in the unknown times ahead.

"For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; for He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name.  And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation."

Behold!

Comments

  1. Anonymous12:58 pm, December 23, 2011

    Amen, I love Mary because God told me to.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SAINT ELIZABETH, MOTHER OF JOHN THE BAPTIST- Feast: November 5

By -
Image
Elizabeth appears in the Gospel of Luke, where she is described as “righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly,”.  I imagine that she was warm, loving and obviously a safe harbour for young Mary, who was not married when she conceived.  When Mary came to visit her, Elizabeth was pregnant with St. John the Baptist and in her sixth month: “Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And how have I deserved that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, the moment that the sound of thy greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who has believed, because the things promised her by the Lord shall be accomplished.” 
Read more

The Memorare

By Helen Gonsalves -
Image
This popular prayer, a favorite of many Catholics, dates back to the 15th century and takes its name from the first Latin word of the prayer, "memorare," which means "remember." The Memorare is of unknown authorship, although it has been attributed to St. Augustine (354-430), St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) and, with more reason, to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1090-1153). St. Bernard's sermons on Mary were famous, and it was his Cistercian monks in the monastery of Citeaux in the 12th century who popularized the name "Our Lady" for Mary. The Memorare has also been attributed to the French cleric Claude Bernard (1588-1641), known as the "poor priest" of Paris, whose homilies contain passages that echo its words. No matter who wrote this prayer, it was Father Bernard who did much to popularize it, teaching it in hospitals and prisons, where Mary's intercession was effective in working miracles of grace. The first manuscript of the Mem...
Read more

'Greater Love: Richie Fernando SJ', a joy-filled Filipino missionary

By -
Image
 I haven't been able to post for more than a week as I was giving an eight-day directed retreat to eight sisters of the Missionaries of Charity near Manila. While I had some access to the internet it was rather slow. I had intended to make a post here on the murder of Fr Fausto Tentorio PIME , a 59-year-old Italian priest, in the Diocese of Kidapawan, Mindanao, on Monday 17 October. I will save that post for a later date. As I was looking for a video about Father Fausto I came across one about Brother Richard Michael 'Richie' Fernando SJ, a Filipino Jesuit scholastic who died while trying to prevent a troubled and disabled young man in Cambodia from throwing a grenade. That was in 1996 - on 17 October. Father Fausto gave his life exactly 15 years later. I remember the mixture of sorrow and pride I felt when I read of the death of Brother Richie, pride as a missionary in the Philippines that a young Filipino seminarian had given his life so spontaneously in order to sav...
Read more