REFLECTIONS TODAY
Gospel • Luke 1:39-56
When Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, the Logos (Word) has become flesh in her womb because of the power of the Holy Spirit.
Elizabeth calls her “the mother of my Lord” (v 43), referring to the Son of the Most High she is carrying. In this sense, she resembles the Ark of the Covenant which contained the Shekinah, the glory of God’s presence (Ex 40:34).
In the Temple of Jerusalem, the Ark of the Covenant was kept in the Holy of Holies where only the high priest could enter once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur).
Because Mary carries the presence of the Lord, she is referred to as Arca Foederis Domini, the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, one of her titles in her litany. St. Ambrose of Milan explains: “The prophet David danced before the Ark. Now what else should we say the Ark was but holy Mary?
The Ark bore within it the tables of the Testament, but Mary bore the Heir of the same Testament itself. The former contained in it the Law, the latter the Gospel. The one had the voice of God, the other His Word.
The Ark, indeed, was radiant within and without with the glitter of gold, but holy Mary shone within and without with the splendor of virginity. The one was adorned with earthly gold, the other with heavenly” (Serm. xlii. 6, Int. Opp., S. Ambrosii, on the Blessed Virgin, p. 77). Like Mary, may every Christian be a “tabernacle,” a “bearer of Christ” (Christophoros), and a cause for joy for the world.
Source: “366 Days with the Lord 2024,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.