Sunday Gospel Comment
Alberic Jacovone OSB
YEAR C ASSUMPTION OF THE VIRGIN MARY Rev 11,19.12,1-6.10; 1 Cor 15,20-26; Lk 1,39-56 The Icons of Mary Koran’s
distorted picture. 600
years after Christ, the Koran was written (Mohammed died in 632AD, aged 62).
Chapter 19 is dedicated to Mary & Jesus. First, Zacharias asks the Lord for
a son. - You will (came the answer), John is his name, a name no man has borne
before. - But How? my wife is barren & old! -he said. Such is the will of
God, was the reply. Give me a sign, he said. & the sign was that he was
speechless... Then comes the story of Mary: She left her people & took
herself to a solitary place. We (Allah) sent to her Our Spirit in the semblance
of a full grown man. To him she said: May the Lord defend me from you. If you
fear Him, leave me & go away. He replied: I am His envoy, I’ve come to
give you a holy son. She answered: how shall I bear a child, when I have never
been touched by anyone, never been unchaste? He replied: Thus did Your Lord
speak. That is easy enough for me. He shall be a sign to all & a blessing
from Us. This is Our decree. Then she conceived & retired to a far-off
place. When she was in the throws of childbirth, she cried: Oh that I had died
& passed into oblivion. But a voice from below came to her: Do not despair!
Your Lord has provided for you... Then, carrying the child, she came to her
people who said: Mary, this is strange: Your father was never a whore-monger,
nor your mother a harlot. As Mary pointed to her child, they objected: How can
we task to a baby in the cradle?. Whereupon the baby spoke: I am the servant of
God,.. His prophet. His blessing is on me... I am blessed on the day I was born,
& blessed on the day of my death & on the day I when I shall be raised
to life. The final comment is: Such was Jesus, the son of Mary. That is the
whole truth, which they still doubt. God forbid that He Himself should beget a
son! when He decrees a thing, he says “Be” & it is. Mary
in Eastern Orthodox faith. When
Islam started, Christianity was strong in East & West. The Byzantine Empire
was ruling. Its conviction was that Jesus is Incarnate Son of God & Mary is
Mother of God. These concepts were & are central to our mind-set world-view
& code of belief. We agree with Muslims & Jews, that God is one in
essence, but at the same time, God is three Persons: Father, Son & Spirit.
The wonder of the Incarnation enhances immensely our human dignity: of course we
know from Genesis, that we are created in the image (Icon) of God, but the
coming of God’s Incarnate Son as one of us, has added untold possibilities.
Jesus, who in his nature is fully divine & fully human, becomes the amazing
Icon of God, and Mary is the place where the Encounter or Exchange takes place.
The Wonder of the Incarnation is such that, from its powerful insights unfold
the many titles which are attributed to Jesus & Mary. These titles are
expressed in the many “Classical Icons” of Jesus and Mary. Nowadays, even in
the West, Icons are in demand among young and old, as they meet for prayer &
meditation. Each Icon of Mary depicts a special role that Mary has in the
Incarnation: Mother of God, place of Encounter (Hipapante) - Full-of-Grace (kekaritomene)
- Tent of the Most High, House of God, temple of the Lord - Lady of sorrows (orthrousa)
- Mater Dolorosa (inspiring mothers at birth) - mother of Mercy (philanthropia)
- model of prayer (Orans) - sign of God (God gives a sign: a virgin will give
birth...) - Queen (helps in ruling our life) - Pioneer (Hodighitria) - under
your protection (Blafernitissa) - Bust Burning & not consumed - spring of
life (Zoodochos Pege’) - Throne of Wisdom - joy of paradise (apoktastasis) -
in you God & us rejoice (theopoiesis). Today,
pray Mary’s Litanies. ______________________________________ |
