(Optional Memorial for Saint Peter Canisius, Priest, Doctor)
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| “Mary Visiting Elizabeth” by Jan-Erasmus Quellinus 1651 |
springing across the mountains,
leaping across the hills.
My lover is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
Here he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattices.
My lover speaks; he says to me,
“Arise, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one,
and come!
“For see, the winter is past,
the rains are over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of pruning the vines has come,
and the song of the dove is heard in our land.
The fig tree puts forth its figs,
and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance.
Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one,
and come!
“O my dove in the clefts of the rock,
in the secret recesses of the cliff,
Let me see you,
let me hear your voice,
For your voice is sweet,
and you are lovely.”
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Commentary on Sg 2:8-14
OR
Second Option: Zephaniah 3:14-18a
Sing joyfully, O Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
The Lord has removed the judgment against you,
he has turned away your enemies;
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst,
you have no further misfortune to fear.
On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!
The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
He will sing joyfully because of you,
as one sings at festivals.
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Commentary on Zep 3:14-18a
We hear the expectation of the Messiah: “The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst.” In this case the effects of the Messiah on the people are the focus. The prophet proclaims a renewal of God's loving adoption and the joy felt by the Father at his favorite creation.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21
Give thanks to the Lord on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
Sing to him a new song;
pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
But the plan of the Lord stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.
Blessed the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
Our soul waits for the Lord,
who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
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Commentary on Ps 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21
Gospel: Luke 1:39-45
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”
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Commentary on Lk 1:39-45
"St. John Chrysostom comments on this scene of the Gospel: "See how new and how wonderful this mystery is. He has not yet left the womb but he speaks by leaping; he is not yet allowed to cry out but he makes himself heard by his actions [...]; he has not yet seen the light but he points out the Sun; he has not yet been born and he is keen to act as Precursor. The Lord is present, so he cannot contain himself or wait for nature to run its course: he wants to break out of the prison of his Mother's womb and he makes sure he witnesses to the fact that the Savior is about to come" ("Sermo Apud Metaphr., Mense Julio")." [4]
And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? "In the Old Testament, the title 'my lord' is frequently used for the Davidic king (e.g., 1 Kings 1:31; 2:38; Psalm 110:1). In the Spirit, Elizabeth may thus recognize that Mary bears her king, the Messiah. Moreover, in the Old Testament, the Hebrew name of God, YHWH, was translated in the Septuagint as 'Lord' (kyrios). So far in Luke, that word has thus been used to refer to the Lord God, [Luke 1:6, 9, 11, 15-17, 25,28,32.] but now it is used for the first of many times for Jesus." [5]
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Reflection:
splendor of eternal light, sun of justice:
Come, shine on those who dwell in darkness
and the shadow of death.
O Oriens,
splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae:
veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris,
et umbra mortis.
[1] The picture is “Mary Visiting Elizabeth” by Jan-Erasmus Quellinus 1651.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] The Navarre Bible “Gospels and Acts,” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, pp. 349-50.
[5] The Gospel of Luke by Pablo T. Gadenz © 2018, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids MI, p. 49.
[6] The Roman Church has been singing the "O" Antiphons since at least the eighth century. They are the antiphons that accompany the Magnificat canticle of Evening Prayer from December 17-23. They are a magnificent theology that uses ancient biblical imagery drawn from the messianic hopes of the Old Testament to proclaim the coming Christ as the fulfillment not only of Old Testament hopes, but present ones as well. Their repeated use of the imperative "Come!" embodies the longing of all for the Divine Messiah. (USCCB)
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