Tuesday December 12, 2017
It is a general human tendency that, when our friends and relatives lose out, we feel bad, but when they succeed, we feel worse. Envy is always just around the corner.
Fortunately, we do not find even a trace of it in the encounter between Mary and Elizabeth. Elizabeth had every reason to feel bad, if she was so inclined. After all, she was senior in age, belonged to the clan of Aaron, and was married to a priest who served God in the Holy of Holies. Moreover, both of them were righteous in the sight of God and observed all the commandments (Lk 1:5-6). By all human standards, she was worthy to be the mother of God. If she didn’t feel bad, it is because she was a woman filled with the Holy Spirit. It was the encounter of two women of God, and the baby John in the womb, all three of whom were bathed in the Holy Spirit. One sure sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit is the joy that permeates our being, and the existential inability to be envious. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth cries out in joy, little John leaps in the womb, Mary breaks into song.
Today is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. She chose to appear to a poor, simple farmer. Let us joyously celebrate God’s favor for the poor and the simple.
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It has been claimed that this is one of the most beautifully-told stories in the world. This may account for the fact that it is also one of the most frequently depicted in Christian art. As always, there are telling details that don’t appear at first sight. In this case there is a telling detail that doesn’t appear even at second sight. All the English translations say, more or less, “Mary, don’t be afraid; you have won God’s favour.” In other words, the fact that you have God’s favor is the reason why you should not be afraid. But some scholars suggest that the meaning could be just about the reverse: “Mary, don’t be terrified that you have won God’s favor.” (It all turns on the use of a short Greek word, ‘hoti’.) In other words, God’s favor can be a terrifying thing! God will draw us beyond every plan we put in place for our future (see Jan. 23). The story is all the more intriguing for having this hidden terror just beneath the unruffled surface. It is intriguing because we know that real life (unlike much fiction) is like that.
