St. Benedict's Monastery, Arcadia
Sunday Gospel Comment
Alberic Jacovone OSB
YEAR B MARY, MOTHER OF GOD Num 6,22-27; Gal 4,4-7; Lk 2,16-21 Peace in a troubled world “He
was given the name Yeshua.
The Octave of Christmas celebrates the ‘naming’ of Jesus, according to
Luke’s Gospel. It says: On the eighth day, when it was time for his
“b’rit-milah” (= ritual circumcision), the baby was given the name
“Yeshua” (a name meaning ,Yahweh saves’, as “Yeshuah” means
‘salvation’), which is what the Angel had called him before his conception (Lc
2,21). Jesus’ name means
“Saviour”: he is Yeshua from Nazareth, Messiah of the world. The name Yeshua
was then brought into Greek language as “Iesous”, & thence into English
as Jesus. The word Yeshua however has always remained a sign of contradiction
between Jews & Pagans. Today as we celebrate World Day of peace, let us own,
& hurt over, 2000 years of conflict between Church & Synagogue, between
Christians & Jews. The sad reality is that for 2000 years the word
‘Yeshua’ has also been made into an acronym for: “yimach sh’mo v’zikhrono” -which means:- “may his name & memory be blotted out”. Let’s ponder with
20 centuries hindsight, over the biblical texts allocated for today’s Mass:
they put the accent on the Son of Mary & on the Name of the Lord, rather
than on Mary. In 1st reading, we receive the ‘Priest’s Blessing’: it comes
on us, scanned by the Lord’s name -Yahweh-, repeated at each verse. In ancient
cultures, people believed that a blessing (or curse) produces by its inner
strength the grace (or disgrace) it invoked. For the Lord’s blessing to come
over us, we invoke his name, & then, he comes to us, with a sign of
salvation: by it, He protects us, is gracious to us & gives us the gifts of
peace, abundance of blessings & happiness. Today, how do you experience
God’s blessing? what does it makes you feel? A
child of Middle Eastern appearance. At Christmas Midnight Mass our Prior Fr David Orr, made a deep
impression on the congregation, as he commented on Leunig’s cartoon, which had
appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald a few days earlier. The cartoon has 2 old
shepherds & a sheep next to them; they are standing & leaning on their
crooked staff’ as they listen intently to a white angel who speaks to them
from high in the sky and says:
“Unto us a saviour will be born, and you
will find him lying
in a manger and he will be of Middle Eastern appearance.” In view of what has been happening in Sydney over the last few weeks,
Leunig’s message could not be more confrontational. Later many in the audience
said that a shivering chill went through their spine as the words
‘Middle-Eastern appearance’ sank in... Against this ‘eerie’ background,
the Massage for World Day of Peace -it’s today!-, could not be more welcome
& could not come from a more eminent person, the new Pope Benedict XVI. He
says: ‘I offer greetings & good wishes to men & women everywhere,
especially those who are suffering as a result of violence & armed
conflicts... My predecessors Paul VI & John Paul II, who , guided by the
spirit of the Beatitudes, were keen promoters of peace. With them, lets make
God, who never ceases to be concerned for the future of the human family, the
starting point of our efforts, to obtain & maintain peace & concord. The
Pope sums up his message in the words: In
truth, peace. He says: We will never build a truly human family for everyone
everywhere, unless we are all renewed in spirit & converted to the ‘truth
of peace’. This ‘truth’ is brought about by a thirst for an ever more
perfect justice... Peace is an irrepressible yearning burning in us all,
regardless of cultures: any exaltation of differences & privileges is an
untruth & poisons relationships.. ______________________________________ |
