Catholic Thought discussion

Week 2:

Step 1: An Open Heart

Edward Sri goes through these verses of the Annunciation, Luke 1 : 28 – 30 :

And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!”
But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be.
And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”

The word ‘hail’, chaire in Greek, means rejoice.

‘Full of grace’ is a title, one that is unique to Mary. When there is a name change in the Bible, it always signifies a completely new direction and role this person will take in Salvation History.

‘The Lord is with you’ is the assurance that God will be at her side in the new and demanding mission she will undertake. This is consistent with other persons in the Bible who’ve gotten God’s call.

‘Do not be afraid’ continues the assurance of God. Getting a call from God is frightening and we don’t know where it leads.

‘You have found favor with God’ means God has chosen her for a special mission.

Step 2: A Servant of the Lord

Luke 1 : 31 – 38
And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
He will be great, and will give to him the throne of his father David,
And he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I do not know man?”
And the angel said to her, “the Holy spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.
For with God nothing will be impossible.”
And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Mary is to bear a royal son, the Messiah, who had been promised since the days of King David. To illustrate the consistency with the Old Testament, Edward Sri gives us a table with the text similarities in both 2 Samuel 7 and Luke 1.

‘The handmaid of the Lord’ are Mary’s words of total surrender to the will of God. Her ‘fiat’ is given freely. In the Greek the word ‘genoito’ indicates a willing assent. Her love of God is so all-consuming she gives her consent joyfully.

I started this book with an expectation of enjoying it, but without expectation of learning a great deal. Especially because Sri focuses only on Luke and John. How wrong I was! There's much to think about already.

First, I wasn't aware that Mary's lineage may also trace to David, as Sri says Jews often married within the same tribe and we know Joseph was of the house of David. (That's actually at the end of the Mary Walking With God chapter, not from Steps 1 and 2.)

I'm fascinated by how Sri highlights usage and meaning of words as originally written and also draws parallels to the Old Testament. For example, on pages 36-38, "Luke’s Gospel never uses chaire in a Jewish milieu to express an ordinary salutation ... Gabriel’s initial word to Mary—chaire, Rejoice!—right away signals that the messianic era is dawning."

And again, on page 40, Sri points out not only the word but also the tense of the Greek kecharitomene (graced) signals an action that started in the past and continues in the present.

I could go on, but the book also reminds me how much I wish we had more recorded words and actions by Mary. They are so few. She pondered - the word is so full of potential. Too often, I think we forget she was about 13 years old and had to be shaken by what has happened to her. The Gospel writers emphasize her poise and acceptance, but how I wish we knew more.

Most of what I have read so far I already knew except for the end of Step 2. This was new to me:

John Paul II and Scripture commentators have pointed out how Mary’s “let it be [done] to me” (genoito in Greek) indicates not a passive acceptance of God’s will, but an active, loving embrace of it. The particular mood of the word implies “a joyous desire to” serve God, not just a submission or acceptance of something difficult. As Scripture scholar Ignace de la Potterie explains, the expression of Mary is, in a sense, different from the “Thy will be done” of the Our Father and Jesus’s prayer in Gethsemane:

The resonance of Mary’s “fiat” at the moment of the Annunciation is not that of the “fiat voluntas tua” [thy will be done] of Jesus in Gethsemane, nor that of a formula corresponding to the Our Father. Here there is a remarkable detail, which has only been noticed in recent years, and which even today is frequently lost from sight. The “fiat” of Mary is not just a simple acceptance or even less, a resignation. It is rather a joyous desire to collaborate with what God foresees for her. It is the joy of total abandonment to the good will of God. Thus the joy of this ending responds to the invitation to joy at the beginning.

Mary does not just submit to God’s plan; she longs to fulfill it, “making it her own.” She responds like a lover who, once she sees what is on her Beloved’s heart, enthusiastically and ardently seeks to fulfill his desires. She thus serves the Lord not merely out of duty. She is motivated by love. (pp. 62-64)

There are a few things new to me there. First, the association between the fiat, “let it be done” with “thy will be done.” I never came across that connection before and it never crossed my mind. Second, I have to agree, there is an outreaching emotion within “let it be done” that there isn’t in “thy will be done.” Though similar, Mary is throwing herself into whatever the Lord has install for her. In “thy will be done” we are more passive to God’s will.

This was new to me too.

I am especially taken with the challenges that this book presents to me. In the first two steps I am especially challenged to listen to God and act on what he is telling me I should do in life. Even though I am 73, I still might have a lot to accomplish. Mother Theresa was especially challenged in this area too. She gave up a comfortable teaching job to do service for the poor. I admire Mary for doing God's will and Mother Theresa too. I ask Mother mary for guidance in this area.

I was additionally touched by this quote in Step 2:

(Mary) thus serves the Lord not merely out of duty. She is motivated by love.

This is an area I am now challenged to concentrate on.