The Chosen https://thechosen.link/1Y1R7 – highly recommended (8 episodes in S1-2020; S2-2021 started on Easter)
The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Mk 14:12-16, 22-26)
The Visitation (Luke 1:39-56)
Opening Prayer Intentions 7:05-7:20
Heavenly Father,
We gather together to learn, to grow and to change Help us to move into a deeper understanding of your truth. We lay our lives down before you and ask that you would move amongst us. May we all feel safe to think and question and share our thoughts.
Our Father
Who art in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.
Amen.
The Visitation (May 31)
Luke 1:39-56
Mary set out 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 was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she cried out, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how is it this is granted to me – that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped for joy in my womb. Blessed are you who believed that there would be a fulfillment of those things which were spoken to you by the Lord.”
And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor upon the lowly state of his handmaiden. From this day all generations will call me blessed, for the Almighty has done great things to me, and holy is his Name. His mercy extends from generation to generation to those who fear him. He has shown the might of his arm, he has scattered the arrogant in their conceit. He has cast down rulers from their lofty places, and has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things, and he has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy, as he promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.”
Q: What do the following OT references have to do with Mary’s Visitation?
And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life… Hannah, Samuel’s aging mother, pleading with the Lord before she conceived Samuel, 1 Samuel 1:11
Tradition has it that Mary’s mother prayed the words of Hannah. She conceived Mary and dedicated her to the Temple. Mary spent her life at the Temple until she was forced to leave the at the age of 13-14, when she was bequeathed to Joseph.
How can the Ark of God come to me? …David speaking, 2 Samuel 6:16
David was bringing the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem after conquering the Philistines and getting it back. Note, Elizabeth uses very similar wording: “How is it that the Mother of the Lord has come to me?” Replace Mother with Ark.
And she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD… in front of the Ark heading into Jerusalem, 2 Samuel 6:16
Notice John the Baptist leaping at the arrival of Mary. John would also be leading the way, making way for the Lord.
Q: The Ark of the Covenant – containing the tablets of the Ten Commandments (word of God), the bread of God, and the staff of Aaron (authority of God) – prefigured who?
Mary was the Ark of the Covenant as Jesus was all these things – the Word of God, the Bread of God/Life, the Authority of God. The Ark constructed by Moses in the desert 1300 years earlier was a prefigurement of the true Ark to come.
Q: Luke 1:48… “All generations shall call me blessed” means what?
The words themselves were partly instrumental in bringing about their own fulfilment. Mary, a lowly handmaiden, a nobody, is being used by God to change the world. What a vision of the future this implied on the part of this humble woman who said them – not only for her present country, but for all people and generations to come!
Q: His mercy extends from generation to generation to those who fear him. How do we explain fear of God?
There is good fear and bad fear. Bad fear is fear of evil. There is likely no good to come of it because the source of our fear has no interest in our well-being.
Example… a thief who breaks into your house at night and doesn’t know you’re there. There is no good to come of this. It is the evil version of fear. It is also what we usually think fear is about.
evil fear, most likely
Q: What about good fear? Examples?
Children: we warn them to be fearful of fire, of entering traffic, of talking to strangers. This is necessary at this time of their lives but it us good fear.
Adolescents: they might fear getting in trouble with their parents, the loss of privileges, etc.
Criminals: hopefully they fear the loss of freedom, jail time, fines and penalties, etc. Maybe even the death sentence.
What about fear of shame, such as getting caught lying or betraying a friend or spouse? It just may be enough to keep it from happening!
These “fears" are good as long as they are oriented towards good.
Q: Are there any other kinds of good fear?
Fear of disappointing someone you love or respect highly?
Reverent awe.
The highest and greatest fear of all is the fear of being without God for eternity.
The above examples describe a hierarchy of good fear, which works similarly with God. The 10 Commandments were given to humans in primitive times – thou shalt not kill, steal, lie, covet, etc. Yet they were all based in good/love. As we rise up the ladder of maturity and love, our fear of God rises to not wanting to disappoint, and mostly to not wanting to be separated from God forever.
You can see every level in the bible, especially the highest that Jesus introduces us to: Father
Gospel Reading
Context: Holy Week. On the Feast of the Unleavened Bread.
Q: What is the Feast of the Unleavened Bread?
It is the celebration of the first Passover and extends for 7 days (Leviticus 23). When escaping Egypt, they had to take enough unleavened bread (no time to leaven!) to last them 30 days. After that, God provided them manna. The Feast of Unleavened bread represents that 30 days in a 7-day feast, beginning with Passover on the first day.
Mark 14:12-16, 22-26
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples said to him, "Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?"
He sent two of his disciples and said to them, "Go into the city and a man will meet you, carrying a jar of water. Follow him. Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"'
Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there."
The disciples then went off, entered the city, and found it just as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover.
(later)
While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, "Take it; this is my body."
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many. Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."
Then, after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
The two disciples sent by Jesus to prepare for the Passover were Peter and John. Have you ever wondered what “preparing for the Passover” meant? (I didn’t either, but you are about to find out)
Q: What were the 5 steps of a Passover meal?
1. Choose a 1 year old unblemished lamb.
2. Sacrifice the lamb at the Temple. (Josephus (1st century historian, said over 100,000 people came to Jerusalem for Passover and tens of thousands of lambs were sacrificed. They almost needed aqueducts to carry the blood out of the Temple.)
3. Pour out blood on the altar.
4. Skin it, split it, roast it.
5. Remembrance: reliving the Exodus with the family (esp children) was a required part of the Passover ritual.
Old Passover/Covenant à New Passover/Covenant
This is my body.
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it.
He said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.
Do this in remembrance (anemnesis) of me.
Closing Prayer
Lord, we thank you for the blessing of reading your word together.
We ask that these words of life, truth and hodape would continue to impact us in the week ahead.
May your love and grace follow each of us as we return to our daily lives, refreshed and blessed by you.
We ask all this in your name.
Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
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