O Key of David

By Unknown -


O come, Thou key of David, come, and open wide our heav’nly home, make safe the way that leads on high, that we no more have cause to sigh. 
I recently came across a very ugly antithesis of the Incarnation, presented to me (actually shouted in Church) as Mary’s shame. According to this thesis, Mary was ashamed at the Incarnation, at her pregnancy. Instead of knowing, accepting, welcoming, and rejoicing in the Incarnation, participating in it with her whole soul, strength and body, she was, according to this thesis, ashamed of it, and in fact, she remained ashamed of the whole work of redemption up to and including the culminating moment on the Cross. In the same context as this thesis was presented to me, a “New Age” notion was given as the illusory hope we can have in life as Christians.  According to this notion there is no White Ladder to Heaven but only a drill that we must use to drill our way to the center of the earth, where we are supposed to find something glittering… When my children describe the spatial dimensions of the spiritual realm, they say that Heaven is up, Hell is down, and Purgatory is sideways. Interpreting the New Age notion of Salvation with this key, we are to find hope in hell. Interesting.
The Incarnation was God’s first act in His work of redemption, which made it possible also for us to be born anew. Had He not first sprung as the bridegroom from his bridal chamber—our Lady’s womb—we could not be born anew of Her, or at all. Without the Incarnation there would be no White Ladder or Salvation for us, it is true. But we believe that the Word was made flesh. This is the fundamental belief of the Church. In a Latin phrase, Caro Cardo Salutis—Salvation hinges on the flesh—Jesus’ “enfleshment”—His marriage with His creation.

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