'A shoot will sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.'-Isaiah 11:1
Jesse was the father of King David, an early ancestor of Jesus. He is often described as the first person in the genealogy of Jesus. He was the son of Obed and the grandson of Ruth, and he was from Bethlehem.
This relationship between Jesse and Jesus intrigued Church artists throughout the 11th century. One popular image was a tree growing from a reclining figure of Jesse. Each branch represented members of Jesus' family tree, such as David (symbolized by a harp),Jacob (ladder), Solomon (crown), Mary (lily) and Joseph (hammer or saw).
At the top of the tree was the figure of Jesus.
Jeremiah was called by God to be a Prophet at a very young age--somewhere in his twenties.
When God called Jeremiah and said that he was appointed to be a Prophet to the nations, Jeremiah's response is: "Ah, Lord God! I know not how to speak; I am too young." and God says, "Have no fear before them, because I am with you." (Jeremiah 1:4-8)
I AM WITH YOU.
It's one of those Who me? moments. Who, me? asks Elizabeth at the time of the Visitation. Who, me? asks Mary of the Angel Gabriel. Who, me? asks Juan Diego when Mary appears to him.
Even today, we can feel like Jeremiah when faced with God's will--too young, too unworthy, too unqualified. Good and holy works are not expected of us. They're for "Saints". But we are sons and daughters of God. We have been placed by God in this time, in history, in these circumstances, to do God's work. And we don't have to do it alone.
I WILL BE WITH YOU. God is with you now.
THE PROPHET'S ROLE
"It was I who took you from the pasture and from the care of the flock to be commander of my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you went, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you." (2Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a 16)
It is about 1000 B.C., 250 years after God led the people from slavery in Egypt to the freedom of the Promised Land. It took a long time for these people from different tribes to unify as a nation. The turning point in the process came when David became king.
In the passage above, the Prophet Nathan speaks to David on God's behalf, assuring the king that God will preserve David's dynasty. Nathan will speak to David several more times, but he won't always bring a message David wants to hear.
Sometimes Nathan's job seems a thankless one. Prophets in the biblical tradition do not have their own agenda. Prophets, like Nathan, let God act through them to accomplish what God wants to do, and what only God can do.
That's why true religious Prophets usually didn't want to be Prophets. It's not a career they had in mind. They simply accepted a call to be a channel of God's word, God's power, God's peace...and they let God work through them.
We can learn from this.
As a person of faith, do I simply try to use Christian principles to carry out my own agenda? Or do I turn to the Lord in what I am about each day?
Do I seek out Jesus and let him act through me? Or do I know better myself? This deserves a lot of thought.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS AT HAND
Back in the glory days of David and his son Solomon a thousand years before Jesus, they had once been a great kingdom But that kingdom was no more.
After Solomon's death, civil war had split that kingdom in half--the north and the south. Then, seven centuries before Christ, the northern kingdom was overrun and was no more. Five centuries before Christ, the southern kingdom was lost. From then on, Israel was ruled over by one country after another. This was the way it was at the time of Jesus.
But Jesus did not preach the kingdom of David, Jesus came to preach that "the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God is at hand." He said it over and over. His coming marked a great turning point in the struggle against darkness. His coming was the ultimate victory over evil.
Whatever the circumstances of your life, the key to happiness and to a sense of fulfillment is this: To know that I can be a part of this great enterprise of God.
We can celebrate being part of something that magnificent.
HANNAH'S PRAYER
'My heart exults in the Lord, my horn is exalted in my God. I have swallowed up my enemies; I rejoice in my victory. There is no Holy One like the Lord; there is no Rock like our God--(1Samuel 2:1-2)
MARY'S "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 form their thrones but lifted up the lowly...'(Luke 1:46-52)
Hannah was the second and favorite wife of Elkanah, and had trouble conceiving a child. When Hannah had visited this shrine previously, Eli the high priest had promised that she would bear a son. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son who would become the prophet Samuel.
Hannah dedicated her child to the Lord. Mary's Magnificat is said to be based on a song attributed to Hannah, and many Christians see Hannah as a symbol of Mary in the way that she offered her only son to God for his work.
There is a special focus on Mary in the final week of the Advent season. Catholics hold a special devotion to Mary, but we can approach our understanding of Mary through different doorways.
One doorway focuses on her as Mother of God. That role is based on family ties, and is absolutely unique to Mary. Nobody else is Mother of God.
Another doorway sees Mary as the first and best disciple of the Lord. The criterion for being a disciple is not based on family ties. Jesus himself was absolutely clear on that. This view of Mary as disciple also reminds us that discipleship may make for a difficult life. "You can't be my disciple", Jesus said, "unless you take up your cross and walk in my footsteps."
We should realize that Mary is the Mother of God. We might forget at times that She is also a faithful and courageous disciple of Jesus, her son. She can teach us a lot about being a disciple in our lives today.
The above post is information I read from a Catholic based book and thought that I would share it in this time of year. We are all reflections of God, whether we realize this or not. No man is an island and no man stands alone, because God is always ever watchful over all of us and tries to guide us towards Him. It is our duty to move towards God in everything that we do in our day to day lives and try to live our lives in peace and for a higher good.
No comments:
Post a Comment