Cathedral Sermons
Feast of St Mary, Mother of Jesus, 15th August, 2010,
Readings: Isaiah 61: 10, 11; Galatians 4: 4-7; Luke 1: 46-55.
Well, here we are celebrating the life and ministry of Mary, mother of Jesus. So first of all let’s acknowledge all that parents of children offer, and all that the extended family offer parents as they approach the birth of their first child.
This day and this set of readings aren’t just about a young woman becoming pregnant and having a wonderful boy…this day also calls each of us to consider our response to God’s immediacy and also our response as beloved, in the face of oppression and injustice.
But I am getting ahead of myself…because first of all we need to take a closer look at Mary. Mary is betrothed (probably between 12 and 14 years old), she is “with child”, she has had a vision of an angel, she is sent to her older cousin’s home, she travels with haste from Nazereth to the Judean hill country.
You and I can only imagine the conversations that took place in Mary’s home- around the time of the conversation with the angel and the missed period (and just before the hasty trip to the Judean hill country!)
However something takes place, and Mary travels…away from the gossips, away from community pressure, away from her mother. And ends up staying for three months with a family member, with an older woman and her devoted husband, with someone else who understands disgrace. (Elizabeth has lived with the disgrace of being barren. C.f. Lk.1:24,25.)
Now before we talk further about Mary, what does the writer of this Gospel contribute? Firstly Luke contributes two satisfying dramatic cycles. The story of Elizabeth parallels the story of Mary, each contains these elements: Angelic appearance and conversation, conception, baby boy born, baby named and presented at the Temple, summary statement. The framework provides us with a complete feeling, we know these characters now. Luke has set the scene. Secondly in the case of both John and Jesus, Luke contributes enough sense of “cosmic influence” to satisfy a Greek or Gentile audience regarding the potential of each boy/man. These stories have the same flavor as those of Alexander the Great or other historical figures who changed human experience in that age.
However Luke’s contribution raises some significant questions for the listener in today’s culture. Here are some that occur to me: was a man involved in Mary’s pregnancy? Does that matter to you particularly? Was an angel involved? Does that matter to you? How do you or I discern the voice of God now? Could this angel be a literary device to describe the kind of interior knowing that many people experience? Does this matter to you?
Wherever we get to with those questions about God’s involvement with Mary and us, what we do know is that Mary experiences being marginalized, as does Elizabeth. And each of them is filled with the mysterious potential and power that pregnancy awakens in every woman who loves her baby. So that brings me back to my earlier point, this story is not just about being happily pregnant and singing a joyful song.
This excerpt from a tradition 2000 years old is also about each of us recognizing our potential. And even as we live with that mysterious potential and God’s immediacy, also being aware of our response as beloved individuals in the face of oppression and injustice. Because this excerpt from Luke’s gospel does not just reveal a prophetic utterance, this wonderful song demonstrates that Mary does not see herself as a victim…but rather, someone who proclaims liberation with tough authority. This is the woman who will carry this man/child and still stand against oppression in an occupied land. She will stand against community rejection in a devout community…Jesus is safe with her. Mary has used every opportunity at her disposal to protect her baby, to express her faith and trust in God and to live in righteousness.
Now to take a slightly different tack…Psychologists have carefully researched the steps that lead to a child’s healthy emotional and neurological well being. They speak of attachment: the bond between a child and its primary caregivers. That bond of love and reliability lays the foundation for the development of the child’s capacity to love, and stay connected to others. That bond of nurture and care also leads to the maximum development of the child’s intellectual functioning…the ability to reason, remember and make connections intellectually.
In first Century Palestine, the mother was responsible for the nurture and education of the child until he or she was 10 or 11. At that point the boys left the mother’s world and joined the world of the father. (Still evident in the modern bar mitzvah in the Jewish community). The first family holiday that Jesus took after this event was when we hear of him travelling to Jerusalem with his family for the Passover. Does the father forget to check that Jesus is there on the way home?
However, now that he is 12, we see the result of his mother’s care and nurture, training and education. Luke 2: 45-52. He astounds the teachers with the maturity of his questions and his understanding.
His mother Mary’s love, steadfastness, righteous behavior and discipline were at the heart of the environment in which God wanted Jesus to be educated and formed. May we all have the courage to live out our vocational response with such integrity and love. C.f. Isaiah 61: 10, 11.