The Incarnation and the Holy Mass

[Fergal]

I am throwing out a recent meditation I had on the mystery of the Incarnation and the Holy Mass for discussion. it came to me after Holy Communion on the 8th of December last.

I wish to point out here that I may be way off the point and I appreciate that. I would love to know what people think of this.

On this great marian feast day I have had time to ponder for one reason or another the word pregnant and all of its meanings. of course it has its most frequent meaning “to be with child”. During this time of Advent I often think of how Mary was disposed over these days so close to the time of our Saviours birth. Then I think of my poor self, so full of hope and so full of determination at first and then so quick to slack off.

As I was contemplating the Gospel after Communion this morning, I was thinking of the wonderful event of the Incarnation, which through no fault of their own, people actually think is the event we celebrate today, and I considered the moment of the Incarnation and the Angel’s message to Mary.

Then I thought of the moment I receive Holy Communion and realised that in essence there is no difference between the two events since both lead to the living Christ residing within. I then again pondered these words ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow.’ I then had a sudden and very deep realisation of the presence of the Trinity during my thankgiving for having received Holy Communion and how the Trinity is present to us each and every time we receive.

Let us run our preparation for Holy Communion, our reception of Holy Communion and our life after Holy Communion in parallel with story of the Incarnation.

Mary never even for the briefest of moments had an inclination to sin. There was never the slighest sinful opposition to God in the Heart of Mary. Her heart and mind were turned to God each and every moment of each and every day. In fact when the Angel came to her, he found her in deep contemplation for he called her full of grace. Since she was full of grace at that moment she was in spiritual communion with God.

How do we prepare for Holy Mass? What effort do we put into preparing internally for the great event of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass? What preparation do we go through before we are nourished in word and in sacrament? Are we prepared at all? Have we given in any thought? Have we greeted God and asked Him to help us prepare? Do we spend our week preparing by entering into prayer at some time of each and every day like Mary did? or do we find ourselves awakeing on Sunday morning thinking that we have to go to Mass? If we do then let us resolve to gove God some time each and every day thanking Him for last weeks Mass and asking Him to help us prepare well for the Mass that we will attend on the following Sunday.

Mary asked the Angel how the events he related to her would come to pass and she was told “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the most high will cover you with its shadow” of course we know that when the Angel left her telling her finally that nothing is impossible to God, Mary found herself pregnant with the Holy Infant Jesus.
At Holy Mass we hear the Priest invoke the Holy Spirit with the words “Lord, let your Spirit come upon these gifts to make them Holy.”

The Holy Spirit has the same function in each and every Mass as He had at the moment of the Incarnation; he makes present the body, blood, soul and divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ obviously in unity with the Father. And so, at the moment of consecration, the Holy Spirit comes upon the gifts of bread and wine and the power of the most High covers them with its shadow and that which was bread and wine becomes the body and blood of Jesus Christ; that which was bread and wine is now to be called “holy and will be called the Son of God.” Do we see, with the necessary eyes of faith, this extraordinary and supernatural change? Do we realise that it actually happens? Or do we remain passive weighed down by the worries of the world pressing in from all sides to the point where His coming escapes us? Can’t we just put them aside for even an instant and step into the wonder that is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass? In just a few short moments in history, each and every time the Mass is offered, the Holy Spirit comes upon us to transform us every more closely into the image of God.

/cont…

 

[Fergal]

We move now to ponder Mary’s realisation that she was with child and her response to God’s favour. Her heart was so full of joy and love for God that on meeting Elizabeth she broke into beautiful verse proclaiming the greatness of God: **“Magníficat ánima mea Dóminum,et exsultávit spíritus meus in Deo salvatóre meo” **Why her wonderful delight? because as Mary herself says “**quia respéxit humilitátem ancíllæ suæ”. **She gives thanks and praise to God because He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden. If God shows regard for the low estate of Mary by coming down from Heaven in His fullness as a tiny embryo planted himself into her blessed womb, then we must never cease to wonder at how He regards our low estate by coming down from Heaven in the form of bread and wine so that he can be consummed by us and plany himself fully into our souls. God had such high regard for the low estate of Mary, that he bestowed upon her the title of Mother of God. It is therefore so clear that God has infinite regard for our low estate and because He himself has bestowed upon us the titles of children of God and brothers and sisters to Jesus Christ.

And so the moment of reception of Holy Communion arrives. Are we properly disposed? Have we taken the time to examine ourselves and see if we are worthy to taste the holy of holies? Do we anticipate His coming? How do we receive Him? Have we taken care to make sure we are in the state of grace before we receive? When we receive Christ in the state of grace once again the supernatural Trinitarian action is set in motion. At the moment of reception of the Sacred Host, the Holy Spirit comes upon us and the power of the Most High covers us with it’s shadow. We now, like Mary carry the person of Jesus Christ within us. We are other Marys who should as she did give praise and thanksgiving to God for bestowing such a wonderful gift upon us. Again, in calling us to the Altar in order to feed us with His very self, God has shown great regard for our lowly state.

After very special moments of intimate communication and silence befoe our God, a time in which we give thanks and prepare to leave the Church we again think of Mary so filled with the Holy Spirit, so selfless and so humble. So much so that her immediate concern was for her kinswoman Elizabeth and Mary made ready to go and visit Elizabeth so that she could be of service over the last three months of Elizabeth’s pregancy. In the immediate aftermath of the Incarnation, Mary’s only desire was to bring the good news of God’s salvation which was so close at hand.

Now as we prepare to leave the Church, we must remember, that we are other Mary’s, sent out to bring about the birth of Jesus in the hearts of those aroud us who have forgotten Him or have grown clod to their faith. We must remember that each and every Communion received, properly disposed, makes us pregnant. We are pregnant with promise, pregnant with grace and pregnant with endless possibilities. We must give birth to these gifts and give birth in such a way that Christ’s mission moves further into the world and further into every human heart. We must give birth to all that God has sown within us so that the Birth of Christ may be repeated time and time again in the hearts of those who need Him.

 

[Truthstalker]

I thought this moving and very beautiful, beautifully done.

 

[jpy15026]

Snippit from Thomas Kempis’ Imitation of Christ
You, my Lord God, invite the poor and needy to receive Your most holy Body! Who am I, Lord, that I should presume to approach You? Behold, the heaven of heavens cannot contain You, and yet You say: “Come, all of you, to Me.”
Behold, Noah, a just man, worked a hundred years building the ark that he and a few others might be saved; how, then, can I prepare myself in one hour to receive with reverence the Maker of the world?
Moses, Your great servant and special friend, made an ark of incorruptible wood which he covered with purest gold wherein to place the tables of Your law; shall I, a creature of corruption, dare so easily to receive You, the Maker of law and the Giver of life?
Solomon, the wisest of the kings of Israel, spent seven years building a magnificent temple in praise of Your name, and celebrated its dedication with a feast of eight days. and I, unhappy and poorest of men, how shall I lead You into my house, I who scarcely can spend a half-hour devoutly—would that I could spend even that as I ought!
O my God, how hard these men tried to please You! Alas, how little is all that I do! How short the time I spend in preparing for Communion! I am seldom wholly recollected, and very seldom, indeed, entirely free from distraction. Yet surely in the presence of Your life-giving Godhead no unbecoming thought should arise and no creature possess my heart, for I am about to receive as my guest, not an angel, but the very Lord of angels.
Very great, too, is the difference between the Ark of the Covenant with its treasures and Your most pure Body with its ineffable virtues, between these sacrifices of the law which were but figures of things to come and the true offering of Your Body which was the fulfillment of all ancient sacrifices.
The most devout King David danced before the ark of God with all his strength as he recalled the benefits once bestowed upon his fathers. He made musical instruments of many kinds. He composed psalms and ordered them sung with joy. He himself often played upon the harp when moved by the grace of the Holy Ghost. He taught the people of Israel to praise God with all their hearts and to raise their voices every day to bless and glorify Him. If such great devotion flourished in those days and such ceremony in praise of God before the Ark of the Covenant, what great devotion ought not I and all Christian people now show in the presence of this Sacrament; what reverence in receiving the most excellent Body of Christ!
Many people travel far to honor the relics of the saints, marveling at their wonderful deeds and at the building of magnificent shrines. They gaze upon and kiss the sacred relics encased in silk and gold; and behold, You are here present before me on the altar, my God, Saint of saints, Creator of men, and Lord of angels!
Oh, the wonderful and hidden grace of this Sacrament which only the faithful of Christ understand, which unbelievers and slaves of sin cannot experience!
Oh, the blindness and the hardness of the heart of man that does not show more regard for so wonderful a gift, but rather falls into carelessness from its daily use! If this most holy Sacrament were celebrated in only one place and consecrated by only one priest in the whole world, with what great desire, do you think, would men be attracted to that place, to that priest of God, in order to witness the celebration of the divine Mysteries!
Thanks be to You, Jesus, everlasting Good Shepherd, Who have seen fit to feed us poor exiled people with Your precious Body and Blood.