A reflection on the daily readings, for Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent, by Father Perry.
“O Key of David.”
Oracles and prophecies and promises and hopes and desires and names and symbols and dreams and interpretations and … whoa!
The scriptures are filled with the like; this is a very intuitive language and connects with the deepest spiritual longings and future designs of a person or a people.
The Israelites had a very rich diet of all of the above. And it stands to reason.
When you believe in a god, and not just a god, but the only God and the God of all creation, and trust that this God is guiding your lives and preparing you for what and who you will become in his love, you better be prepared for language that is filled with oracles and prophecies and promises, etc.
Oh! And by the way, you might as well throw in angelic visitations with invitations/callings that will change your life and all reality as you know it.
Who knows? Perhaps, Mary was very familiar with these words of Ahaz, this momentary lapse in Ahaz’s response to prophecies and wonders.
His fear, might it have been, that he would be tempting the Lord. His asking might be, if not out of place, then maybe too scary a place to be with the Lord. Imagine!
Prophecies and wonders being offered to him, to us? Dare we ever go to or be in such a place with our God?
And yet God makes it quite clear: “I will give you a sign.”
And to Mary, who perhaps knew those very words spoken to a doubting Ahaz, the angelic vision and angelic message was indeed a sign: “In your womb you will conceive and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.”
Wait! It gets better and more complicated and more mysterious and wonderful — yes, full of wonder! — “He will be great and be called Son of the Most High; be given, by God, the throne of David his father; rule over the house of Jacob forever; he will have a Kingdom; and this kingdom will be forever.
“And, oh yeah! Don’t worry about being pregnant without ever having had relations with a man! God will take care of every-thing!”
Quite frankly, that is enough prophecy and promise and wonder and awe for a while, maybe even a lifetime!
And did I mention (the angel omitted, and probably wisely) in all of this, somehow and some way and some day, there will be a cross.
“O Key of David.”
And what kind of a key — and door, for that matter — was opening for us?
And Mary responded to all of this wonder and awe and confusingly clear message of angelic proportions: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”
And that was enough for the angel! On that, the angel took his leave!
And we would never be the same!
Father Perry D. Leiker is the 13th pastor of St. Bernard Catholic Church. Reach him at (323) 255-6142. Email Father Perry at pleiker@stbernard-church.com. Follow Father Perry on Twitter: @MrDeano76.
