Posted on 12/31/2013 1:05:45 PM PST by annalex
Vatican City, December 20, 2013 (Zenit.org) | 1216 hits
Mary, with Her example of silence, shows us how to guard the mystery of God’s path for us.
This was Pope Francis' reflection this morning during his homily at Mass in Casa Santa Marta.
Today’s Gospel recalled the Annunciation, when the Angel Gabriel announced to the Blessed Virgin Mary that She would give birth to the Savior. “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you,” said the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary. Reflecting on this “shadow” that conceals the mystery of the Incarnation, the Pope said this shadow is comparable to the cloud that protected the people of Israel in the desert.
“The Lord has always taken care of the mystery and has covered the mystery. He did not advertise the mystery. A mystery that advertises itself is not Christian, it is not the mystery of God: it is a fake mystery! And this is what happened to Our Lady here, when she receives her Son: the mystery of Her virginal maternity is concealed. It is concealed for Her whole life! This shadow of God, in our life, helps us to discover our mystery, our mystery of the meeting with the Lord, our mystery of the path of life with the Lord.”
This shadow, or cloud, that exists in our life, he said, calls us to silence. Regarding silence as the “cloud that covers the mystery of our relationship with the Lord”, the Pope said that without it, the mystery is lost. The Blessed Mother is an example of this silence, from the moment of the Annunciation till the death of Christ.
“The Gospel tells us nothing: whether She said a word or not...She was silent, but in Her heart, how many things did she tell the Lord! ‘You, that day - this is what we read - told me that He would be great; You told me that you would give Him the Throne of David, His father, that He would reign forever and now I see him there!’ Our Lady was human! And perhaps she had the urge to say: ‘Lies! I was deceived!” John Paul II said this, speaking about Our Lady in that moment. But She, with silence, covered the mystery that She did not understand and with this silence she left this mystery so that it could grow and flourish in hope.”
Concluding his homily, Pope Francis stressed that silence guards the mystery of God’s plan of salvation for our lives. “May the Lord give us all the grace to love silence, to look for it and to have a heart guarded by the cloud of silence,” he said. (J.A.E.)
This is the complete homily.
He should practice it as well at times.
Very little is said that’s important. Silence is a very good thing. We have a lot to learn from Mary.
A few points.
Correction: It is not the complete text — I don’t think it has been published, — but at least it reports on the entire homily.
LOL.
I agree, but look at the mountain of anger that this little homily produced among some "Catholics".
You think it’s funny?
LOL.
Perhaps I am wrong to think “silence” is only good for reflection and if there is no wisdom to “reflect” upon—silence is pretty meaningless.
Could Mary’s “silence” be understanding (reflection) God’s Will and giving a humble “Yes!”. Reflection on her own humble origins and the incredibility of such a situation, and a complete awe of the greatness of God being given to her at that moment.
My dislike for this pope increases with his lack of silence. He really need to reflect on what he “says”. This off-the-cuff thin theology is not worthy of the Pope and the platform of the Catholic Church.
Language - and an immortal soul - is what sets us apart from the apes. The key factor in predicting a child's educational success is the number of words he understands by age 5. Sure, don't say anything ... and permanently truncate your children's development of their potential.
I'm willing to stipulate that most of what I say is unimportant, but the fact that I'm saying it - in polysyllables, in English, Spanish, French, Latin, and Greek - is extremely important.
Yes, it is a funny remark. This pope certainly has a propensity to stir controversy every time he opens his mouth. That is called Latino personality, I think.
Then why do you get in a huff when Catholics challenge him on his ramblings?
Yes, but wouldn’t you say that it is precisely because we have the faculty of speech that silence attains its value?
Here His Holiness offers the shocking speech that was unsaid: “Lies! I was cheated!” It is precisely the absence of that speech that separates Our Lady in the fullness of her grace from us sinners.
I don’t get “huffs”. You challenged; I showed your challenge to be false.
In your dreams.
How did Jesus learn to talk if His parents didn’t speak?
As for the Pope’s recent comments, I read them and said, “Eh, I don’t think that really works.” We’re allowed to do that. He’s reflecting on the Gospels, and sometimes one does that and then says, “No, I guess not.”
It is precisely the absence of that speech that separates Our Lady in the fullness of her grace from us sinners.Exactly!
How did the apostles speak in multiple languages after Pentecost?
I didn’t know you still had young children at home. My husband expects me to talk to him, too. If I try being silent, I get a lot of, “Is something wrong? Are you mad at me?”
I’ve probably completely messed up the whole thing, and it’s too late to fix it now. Cebu and all that.
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