3rd Week in Ordinary Time 2024 - Tuesday - The Ark of the Covenant and the soul's journey to joy

 Our reading through the historical books of Samuel allow us to consider the significance of some of the powerful biblical events. Today we hear of young King David, presiding over the Ark of the Covenant finally making its way to Jerusalem. The ark certainly has had a long journey.

The Ark of the Covenant, remember was constructed at Sinai using the pattern given by God to Moses. The Ark guided Israel’s 40 year journey through the wilderness. Upon reaching the edge of the promised land, under the leadership of Joshua the Israelites carried the Ark with them, and the Jordan River split allowing passage into the land of Canaan. 

In the Battle of Jericho, the Israelites’ first battle in the conquest of Canaan, they carried the Ark and marched around the city for days with armed men and the seven priests sounding the seven trumpets. On the seventh day, the wall of Jericho fell and the Israelites took over the city. After the conquest, Joshua set up the Ark, together with the tabernacle, in Shiloh. The Ark remained in Shiloh until the battle between the Israelites and the Philistines during the time of Eli.

When the Israelites were defeated by the Philistines, they took the Ark to Eben-ezer hoping to win the next battle. However they were defeated again, and the Ark was captured by the Philistines. In Shiloh, the High Priest Eli fell dead upon hearing the news of the Ark’s capture.

The Philistines brought the Ark with them to their capital city, Ashdod and put it in the temple of their idol god Dagon. However, on the next day, the gigantic statue of Dagon fell to the ground. The same thing happened again the following day. When the city began to suffer plague due to the ark’s presence there the Ark was moved to the city of Gath and then Ekron, but the plagues continued.

After keeping the Ark for seven months, the Philistines decided to return it to the Israelites together with offerings of expensive gifts upon the advice of their diviners and priests. The Ark is transported to Kiryat Yearim, where it stayed during the reign of King Saul for twenty years, and was pretty much neglected.

Then today we read of David, having secured the walled Jebusite city of Jerusalem, brings the Ark into the new capital city of the united kingdom. David girds himself in a sort of liturgical garment and dances in joy before the ark.

The story of the Ark coming to Jerusalem is reminiscent of the souls journey to God. At times we follow God’s plans and allow ourselves to be guided by God. At times we presume that our will corresponds with God’s will and we suffer defeat, the consequences of our presumption, and sin, and idolatry--from our perspective there is separation from God. But God is at work to topple our idols and to be reestablished in our hearts where he can receive the honor and worship he desires and deserves, which brings us the joy that truly gladdens our hearts.

Through God’s help, may we remain with Him, and like David learn to dance for joy in his presence, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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To God the Father Almighty we direct the prayers of our heart for the needs and salvation of humanity and the good of His faithful ones.

For the holy Church of God, that the Lord may graciously watch over her and care for her.

For the peoples of the world, that the Lord may graciously preserve harmony among them.

For all who are oppressed by any kind of need, that the Lord may graciously grant them relief.

For ourselves and our own community, that the Lord may graciously receive us as a sacrifice acceptable to himself.

For our beloved dead, for the poor souls in purgatory, and for X, for whom this Mass is offered.

O God, our refuge and our strength, hear the prayers of your Church, for you yourself are the source of all devotion, and grant, we pray, that what we ask in faith we may truly obtain. Through Christ our Lord.

August 15 2019 - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - The New Ark and the Obedience of Faith

In the early history of the nation of Israel, before the establishment of the Davidic Kingdom in Jerusalem, the Ark of the Covenant traveled with Israel through the desert as a sign of the presence of God with his people as He prepared them for the promised land.  Inside of the Ark were three items: the second stone copy of the 10 Commandments, the priestly rod of Aaron, and a jar of manna. 

In the book of Chronicles we read of Israel’s great rejoicing as the Ark made its ways into the Holy City of Jerusalem. The Levite priests carry the ark on their shoulders, there is chanting, and musical of instruments, and the loud sound of rejoicing.

Down in Little Italy there is a procession much like the procession described in 1st Chronicles.  And here too, today we gather in similar exuberance, celebrating liturgically Mary, New Ark entering the New Eternal Jerusalem—Heaven. Mary’s Assumption is like a procession by which she entered the liturgy of heaven, to sit on her throne as Queen of the Blessed.

Mary is the fulfillment of the old testament ark, for she contained within her womb, what the objects in the old ark foreshadowed. 

Where the old ark contained tablets of the law, Mary, the New Ark contained in her womb, Jesus, the new the fulfillment of the law—and the giver of the perfect law of charity. Where the old ark contained the priestly rod of aaron, Mary, the new ark contained in her womb, Jesus the High Priest, who is himself the fulfillment of the priesthood: he is priest, altar, and the lamb of sacrifice. And as the old ark contained manna from the desert, Mary, the new ark, contained in her womb, the one who said: I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.

The Ark was the holiest object in existence to the Jews; and now Christians honor Mary as the New Ark, and most blessed, most holy of all women. The book of Revelation describes Mary as the Ark, containing the Christ child in her womb, clothed in the radiance of the sun. We certainly look to the glorious light of Mary’s example that we may come to that place prepared for each one of us in the heavenly kingdom.

Elizabeth in the Gospel proclaims Mary to be blessed, because she believed in the Word of God, she allowed the word of God and the plan of God to be fulfilled in her life. And we recognize that if we wish to be counted among the blessed, we must do the same. We must not only be hearers of the Word, but doers of the Word of God, obedient to the Word and instruments of the Word.
We must follow the commands of the law, which Mary carried within her. We must allow Christ the Priest to save us from our sins and reconcile us to God. And we must eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ, the living bread.

May the pilgrim journey of our lives be marked by joy, knowing that where Mary has gone, we are meant to follow, knowing the life that she carried within her, dwells within those who strive for that same obedience of faith. May Our Lady be present at every step of our pilgrim journey, filled with trials and sufferings of every kind that we, like her, may come to that eternal place prepared for us in heaven, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That through the maternal intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Church will grow in wisdom and holiness. We pray to the Lord.

That the prayers of Mary, Queen of Peace, will assist the nations of the earth to experience the justice and righteousness of the Gospel.  We pray to the Lord.

That the hope revealed in Mary’s Assumption will inspire many young people to strive for lives of holiness and bring about an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated religious life.  We pray to the Lord.

For the sanctification of families: that the undying love of the Mother of God in heaven will bless all families with new hope and true healing.  We pray to the Lord.

For the conversion of our culture, and for the protection of all human life from conception to death.  We pray to the Lord.

For those who suffer any sort of trial, illness, addiction or handicap: that the help of Our Lady, gloriously assumed into heaven, may fill them with the grace needed to carry their crosses with faith and hope.  We pray to the Lord.

February 5 2018 - St. Agatha, virgin-martyr - Reverencing the Temple (of the Body)

The Ark of the Covenant being brought into the newly constructed Temple was a momentous occasion for Israel. It marked that God was now being rightly worshipped by Israel, and that would bring tremendous favor upon his chosen people. And so the ark was processed in quite the majestic and solemn way. Countless sheep and oxen were sacrificed, trumpets were blown, the king marched along with the priests and his people. And it seemed God was quite pleased, for the cloud of God’s glory filled the Temple.

If you’ve ever attended the Easter Vigil, you might experience some similarities. We of course do not sacrifice sheep and oxen, for Christ has provided the worthy sacrifice of himself. But, there are processions, and clouds of incense, and trumpets on Easter, to celebrate the presence of the Risen Christ with His Church.

At the Great Vigil we also celebrate new Christians becoming Temples of God through the Sacrament of Baptism. And, all of us who are baptized are taught to reverence our bodies as Temples of the Spirit.

The dedication of Solomon's Temple was one of the great events in history. However, Jesus is greater than Solomon. And we who are baptized are greater than Solomon’s Temple.

So we need to have great reverence for our bodies, adorning them with virtue, using them to glorify God in all things. St. Paul urges the Romans, “brothers and sisters…offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God…Do not conform yourself to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”

When we understand the reverence we are to have for ourselves, we begin to understand why people like St. Agnes, St. Anastasia, Susanna, St. Agatha, who we honor today, St. Lucy, St. Maria Goretti, they died to preserve their purity, their chastity, their consecrated virginity.

For resisting the advances of a degenerate civil official, for her faith, St. Agatha was arrested. To punish her for wishing to protect her chastity, she was sent to a brothel, a house of prostitution. When she persevered in protecting her chastity, her breasts were cut off, and she was sent to her martyrdom.

We do well to invoke St. Agatha and the virgin martyrs to help our culture reclaim the value of chastity and modesty and purity. May we all resist, especially our young people, conforming ourselves to this increasingly perverse and degenerate age, and come to reverence our bodies once again as Temples of God, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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For the Holy Father’s prayer intention for the month of February, that those who have material, political or spiritual power may resist any lure of corruption. We pray to the Lord.

Through the intercession of St. Agatha and the holy virgin-martyrs, for an increase of reverence for the virtues of chastity, purity, and modesty and for greater respect for the dignity of the human body and all human life.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

3rd Week in OT 2018 - Tuesday - Dancing with abandon

David the King was so full of joy at the ark being brought into Jerusalem that he danced with abandon. These days you might see that level of joy, perhaps at a really festive wedding. But ecstatic dancing is pretty rare. What was the ark, and why and how did it elicit such a powerful response in the King?

The ark of the covenant had been assembled at the base of Mt. Sinai at the instruction of God himself. It was a symbol of freedom from Egyptian slavery, and the presence of God with his people. Within the ark contained the tablets of the commandments, the rod of aaron, and the manna from the desert. It was a symbol of God’s care, his rule, his sovereignty. It was also the symbol around which the twelve tribes would be united.

But the ark had been held in dusty storage in Israel’s western borderland, almost forgotten for over forty years, ever since it had been captured by the Philistines.

Now, as David began his Kingship, the Ark was recovered, faith, in a sense was rediscovered, and the ark was processed into his city. David’s people would know that God was with them as they begun this new chapter in Israel’s history, fulfilling the promises God made to Abraham nearly a thousand years before. It couldn’t get any better than this, and so David danced, filled with passion and faith and hope and love.

David’s joyful dancing before the ark challenges us to consider our own religious sentiments. In every Catholic Church is something greater than the ark. What the ark merely symbolized is fulfilled, here, in the Eucharist. Where the ark pointed to the God who set free the captives from Egyptian slavery, here dwells the God of freedom. Where the ark was the symbol of unity for the twelve tribes of Israel, the Eucharist is the unity of all peoples of all time gathered into the unity of the Catholic Church. Within the ark contained the manna from the desert, but as our Lord himself taught, those who ate the manna stilled died, those who eat and drink his flesh and blood will live forever.

Catholics possess a treasure greater than the ark, in the Eucharist; not a mere representation of God, but God himself.

I don’t think it’s realistic to be in a sort of continual joyful ecstasy every time we come into Church, or at every moment of the Christian life, that’s something we’ll only experience in heaven. But joy should permeate our life, in our religious worship, in our prayer, and in our charitable service.

May the Holy Spirit teach each of us to dance joyfully before the Lord, that we may lead others to the joy and life that only comes through Him, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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That Catholics may live out their baptismal call with ever greater conviction, faithfulness and joy.

That those in civic authority may submit their minds and hearts to the rule of Christ, the Prince of Peace and Hope of the nations.

For all the needs of the sick and the suffering, the homebound, those in nursing homes and hospitals, the underemployed and unemployed, immigrants and refugees, victims of natural disaster, war, and terrorism, for all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, and those who will die today, for their comfort, and the consolation of their families.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord