In today’s Gospel of the Visitation Mary in her pregnancy visits her cousin Elizabeth, also pregnant with the Lord’s forerunner, St. John the Baptist. As the holy women meet the children in their wombs greet one another.
Their joy expands and bursts out later as Mary expresses it in the great canticle we call Magnificat which the Church uses daily at Evening Prayer – My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.
The shared joy starts with the greeting of Mary. We read: Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Mary is the first evangelist. It is by her voice that John the Baptist and Elizabeth recognise the presence of Jesus.
I say Mary is the first Christian evangelist. By that I mean her words communicated from her depths and her integrity the mystery of the Nativity soon to be revealed.
As baby John heard Our Lady’s voice it was as if one depth sounded across to another, the joy in one being excited joy in another.
In his book ‘The Soul of the Apostolate’ (show), Dom Chautard appeals to his readers to live with God in order to be able to speak of Him, with the best results; the active life (of a Christian)…should be…the overflow of its interior life.
Mary’s words in today’s Gospel made an impact because of what was interior to her. Our Lady is the model Christian – she models the indwelling of Christ and the priority of the interior life.
We are gathered here in a beautiful Church in a prominent place. It is a place we promote not least by opening our doors day by day. When people draw near to this building, which is so prominent, we should take care that they will be drawn by all they hear and see of those who worship here: Christ in us.
We can build lovely buildings in prominent places to honour God, but they only become instruments of his kingdom as the Lord’s presence sanctifies them through the Eucharist and through the indwelling of Christ in his people.
The subtitle of my book ‘Soul of the Apostolate’ is ‘Jesus must be the Life of my work. Otherwise…’ we are left to complete the otherwise.
There is no ‘quick fix’ for getting more of Jesus in your life. It requires dedication and determination, even if it is a grace from above.
Dom Chautard’s wisdom is timely. Our apostolate, our sense of being ‘sent’ as Christians, will be utterly ineffective unless it comes as an overflow from what is being cultivated within.
What are we doing, here at St John’s/St Richard’s to cultivate the interior life?
We welcome Jesus day by day in word and sacrament. How are we savouring that gift in our daily prayer? In our discipline of bible reading, Confession or of generous service to those in need?
Where people are meeting deep down with Jesus, the joy of Jesus is taking hold of them so that all that they say and do will be permeated by that joy.
Jesus living in Mary - crown of Advent and Christmas - live in us!
No comments:
Post a Comment