How often do we go out on a limb for our faith? How often do we make an extraordinary effort to search for God in our lives and to find the ways he is present to us? Today, in the familiar story of Zacchaeus, we see Zacchaeus literally climb a tree and go out on a limb in order to find God in his life. He responds to meeting Jesus, to having Jesus call after him, by conversion and repentance, by offering to give half of his possessions to the poor, by willing to make amends to those whom he extorted money from during his work as a chief tax collector.
As we hear about Zacchaeus and his leap of faith today, we celebrate Mary and her presentation in the Temple. Tradition from the early Church has passed down that Mary was taken to the Temple in Jerusalem when she was a young girl. She must have spent a great deal of time in the Temple preparing for her eventual role as the mother of our Lord and the mother of the Church. We can use our imagination and our understanding of Mary from Scripture and Tradition to reflect upon what her childhood and her journey of faith might have been like before the annunciation. We can also ask ourselves how we can turn to Mary and ask her to help prepare us for our mission as Christians in our modern world.
Although Mary probably spent much time in the Temple and in the study of Jewish Scripture and Tradition, she also probably spent a lot of time with St. Anne and St. Joachim, her mother and father, growing up in a loving family who exposed her to the reality of life around her, including the sufferings of the poor. Mary was full of grace, but I also imagine that her parents and her upbringing fostered and encouraged her empathy and compassion, her generosity and humble nature, and her empathy and forgiveness.
May the example of the Virgin Mary encourage us as we travel along our own journey of faith. It's so easy to have a cynical vision of our world, to have that cynicism and sarcasm seep into our lives of faith. Look at how so many in our society place their faith in trust in their wealth and riches, thinking that those things will bring them redemption and happiness. May the Virgin Mary be an example of Christian love and virtue for us in how we should live our lives of faith, to combat the skepticism, sarcasm, and cynicism of our modern secular world.
No comments:
Post a Comment