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"What a veil is for the eyes, so worldly thoughts and life recollections are for the mind, or the eye of the soul. So long as we allow them to exist we shall see nothing; but when we banish them through
memory of death, we shall see the true light which illumines every person who comes into the world."
- St. Simeon the New Theologian
("From dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt return," is the reminder we are given on Ash Wednesday.
How does the remembrance of death put things in perspective for you?)
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IS 7:10-14; 8:10; PS 40:7-11; HEB 10:4-10; LK
1:26-38
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, "Behold I come."
"In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!"
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
Your justice I kept not hid within my heart;
your faithfulness and your salvation I have spoken of;
I
have made no secret of your kindness and your truth
in the vast assembly.
USCCB Lectionary
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Reflection on the Scriptures |
How could Mary, a teenager, respond adequately to the wondrous message she hears as she goes about the daily routines of
her life? Gabriel's The Lord is with you is really all that matters. The carrying out of God's call is not due to any strength that Mary possesses of herself (as grand as that may be). As with Mary, my call is to recognition: that God is with me and to trust in that despite what I see as my failings or any hesitations I may have. Ultimately, the carrying out of an invitation like the Annunciation to Mary depends only on the YES she said in response to Gabriel: I am the handmaid of the lord. May it be done to me according to your word. The rest is up to God; and that's clearly the most important point of
the Annunciation account, and any call/announcement that reaches our ears/hearts.
- by Tom ShanahanCreighton Online Ministries
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Selected Quotes from St. John of the Cross on the Journey of the Soul to God by Contemplation - from Living Flame of
Love
#42. God is communicating to the soul loving knowledge.
#46. God greatly esteems having brought them to this solitude and emptiness of their faculties and operations, that He may speak to their heart, which is what He ever desires.
#56. If you only wait upon God with loving and pure attentiveness (detach the soul from everything
and set it free). God will feed your soul for you with heavenly food, since you are not hindering Him.
- compiled by James and Tyra Arraj Paperback edition: Kindle edition available
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