AS HE BEGAN HIS STUDY OF THE ACCOUNT OF THE ANGEL'S ANNOUNCEMENT TO JOSEPH ACCORDING TO (ST. MATTHEW) AND OF THE ANNUNCIATION (ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. CARDINAL DANIELOU POINTED OUT: "OF ALL THE GOSPEL PASSAGES ON THE CHILDHOOD OF CHRIST, NONE IS AS IMPORTANT AS THIS ONE FOR OUR FAITH."
AND YET THESE TEXTS ARE VERY BRIEF. EIGHT VERSES IN MATTHEW. [1: 18-25, AND 13 IN LUKE]. BUT HOW CRAMMED WITH MEANING! LUKE RECORDS THE ANGEL'S REVELATION TO MARY AS AN HISTORICAL FACT. THERE ARE TWO ELEMENTS INVOLVED HERE: FIRST, THE FACT OF THE REVELATION; AND SECOND ITS CONTENT. THE FACT OF THE REVELATION; IS OF THE SAME NATURE AS OTHERS TO WHICH THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT AT-TEST. CLEARLY, THIS IS ONE OF THE BASIC AFFIRMATIONS OF SCRIPTURE AND AN ESSENTIAL OBJECT OF OUR FAITH, NAMELY, THE ASSERTION THAT GOD IS SPEAKING TO MAN. THE EXISTENCE OF AN UTTERANCE THAT REVEALS GOD'S THOUGHT IS OF ESSENCE OF SCRIPTURE, ALONG WITH THE AFFIRMATION OF AN UTTERANCE THAT CREATES. THROUGHOUT THE OLD TESTAMENT, GOD'S WORD IS SPOKEN TO PATRIARCHS, PROPHETS, AND WISE MEN. TO DENY THAT MARY COULD BE A RECIPIENT OF A REVELATION FROM GOD WOULD IN A CERTAIN SENSE BE TO CHALLENGE THE VERY EXISTENCE OF REVELATION AS ONE OF THE CONSTITUENT ELEMENTS OF HOLY SCRIPTURE, THAT IS TO SAY, OF THE 'MAGNALIA DEI." " MIGHTY DEEDS" OF GOD. THE OTHER ELEMENT OF LUKE'S ACCOUNT CONCERNS THE VERY SUBSTANCE OF THE EVENT, AND THIS IS THE FACT OF MARY'S FAITH. THE AFFIRMATION THAT MARY DOES NOT "KNOW MAN" CLEARLY SHOWS THAT SHE REALIZES THE HUMAN IMPOSSIBILITY OF WHAT THE ANGEL IS ANNOUNCING TO HER AND THE FACT THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED BY DIVINE POWER. NOW, IT IS SPECIFICALLY THE OBJECT OF FAITH TO BELIEVE THAT "NOTHING" IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD." (LUKE 1;37). LIKE REVELATION, OF WHICH IT IS AN AFFIRMATION, FAITH IS A CONSTITUENT OF HOLY SCRIPTURE. IT IS A HALLMARK OF THE BIBLICAL MAN. MARY'S ACT OF FAITH IN THE WORD'S SPOKEN TO HER BY THE ANGEL IS A FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENT OF THIS ACCOUNT. NOW THAT WE HAVE SAID THIS WE MUST FURTHER NOTE THAT THE PRESENTATION OF THE EPISODE IS THE FRUIT OF A PAINSTAKING COMPARISON, BASED IN PART ON EARLIER BIBLICAL ACCOUNTS.
THE INFANCY NARRATIVE ACCORDING TO LUKE IS BUILT ON THE PARALLELISM BETWEEN THE CHILDHOOD OF JOHN THE BAPTIZER AND THE CHILDHOOD OF JESUS, SO AS TO STRESS THE SUPERIORITY OF THE LATTER. THUS, ZECHARIAH'S, UN-BELIEF IS CONTRASTED WITH MARY'S FAITH. BUT THIS OPPOSITION IMPLIES AN ANALOGY..
NOW, THE ANALOGY EXTENDS TO EARLIER EPISODES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. IT APPLIES FIRST OF ALL BETWEEN THE REALITIES INVOLVED IN THE REVELATION TO ABRAHAM THAT HE WOULD HAVE A SON BY HIS STERILE WIFE SARAH, AND THE REVELATION TO ZECHARIAH THAT HE WOULD HAVE A SON BY HIS STERILE WIFE ELIZABETH. THIS IS THE ANALOGY. OF THE MIGHTY DEEDS OF GOD.("MAGNALIA DEI") IN THE HISTORY OF SALVATION. GOD'S MANNER OF ACTING IS THE SAME IN BOTH INSTANCES. THIS IS WHAT JUSTIFIES OUR SEEING AN ANALOGY BETWEEN THE CROSSING OF THE RED SEA, THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST, AND CHRISTIAN BAPTISM. IT IS THEREFORE QUITE NORMAL FOR A BIBLICAL AUTHOR. , IN PRESENTING AN EVENT, TO BE INFLUENCED BY THE WAY ANALOGOUS EVENTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN PRESENTED IN SCRIPTURE. NOT ONLY DOES LUKE'S ACCOUNT RELATE THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF MARY'S SON WILL BE THE MESSIAH. IT ALSO CLEARLY AFFIRMS THE COMING OF YAHWEH. " THE HOLY SPIRIT WILL COME UPON YOU, AND THE POWER OF THE MOST HIGH WILL OVERSHADOW YOU." [ LUKE 1;35]. t
THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE EFFUSION OF THE SPIRIT BY WHICH YAHWEH IS TO ACCOMPLISH THE RENEWAL OF CREATION IS ONE OF THE ESSENTIAL ASPECTS OF THE PROPHETIC ANNUNCIATION (ISAIAH 32:15). THIS SPIRIT IS THE CREATOR WHO BROUGHT FORTH THE FIRST CREATION [GEN.1;2]. AND WHO IS TO BRING FORTH THE NEW CREATION. BUT THE TEXT SAYS MORE THAN THIS. IT CONTAINS A WORD OF MAJOR IMPORTANCE; "OVERSHADOW" THIS IS AN EXPRESSION VERY RARELY FOUND IN SCRIPTURE.. WE FIND ITS EQUIVALENT IN EXODUS (40:34-35), WHERE IT DESIGNATES THE CLOUD [SHEKINAH] THAT IS THE VISIBLE SIGN OF YAHWEH'S PRESENCE IN THE TABERNACLE OF THE DESERT. WE FIND IT AGAIN IN THE ACCOUNT OF THE TRANSFIGURATION, TO SIGNIFY THE PRESENCE OF GOD IN THE PERSON OF JESUS IN THE PRESENT TEXT, IT CAN ONLY SIGNIFY THE PRESENCE OF GOD AS THE CHILD TO BE BORN TO MARY.. MOSES AND THE PEOPLE FOLLOWED THE "SHEKINAH"
[HE CLOUD-PRESENCE OF GOD TO THE PROMISE LAND. IT IS IN THIS LIGHT THAT THE LAST FORMULA CAN BE UNDERSTOOD IN ITS FULLEST SENSE: "HENCE, THE HOLY OFFSPRING TO BE BORN WILL BE CALLED SON OF GOD." [LUKE 1:35.]
THE EXPRESSION WOULD NOT BE DECISIVE IN IT SELF. BUT AT THE TIME "LUKE" WAS WRITING, IT COULD ONLY SIGNIFY IN CHRISTIAN CIRCLES THE DIVINITY OF THE WORD. THUS, IT REPRESENTS A NEW AFFIRMATION AS COMPARED WITH THE EXPRESSION "SON OF THE MOST HIGH." [LUKE 1:32], WHICH COULD BE UNDERSTOOD TO REFER STRICTLY TO THE MESSIAH.
WE SEE MARY, THEREFORE, THAT THE REVELATION OF THE ESCHATOLOGICAL EVENT (END TIMES) CONTAINS THREE SUCCESSIVE MOMENTS. FIRST IT IS REVEALED TO HER THAT THE COMING OF GOD IS IMMINENT. THEN, THAT THE RENEWAL OF CREATION THIS COMING WILL EFFECT IS FIRST OF ALL THE BIRTH OF JESUS, THE FIRSTBORN OF THE NEW MANKIND. FINALLY, IT IS REVEALED TO HER THAT THE COMING OF GOD WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED WITHIN THIS VERY CHILD, SO THAT HE WILL BE GOD PRESENT IN A MAN'S BODY, THE "SON OF GOD MADE MAN."
ALL THAT IS ABSOLUTELY NEW IN THIS REVELATION, BY COMPARISON WITH THAT PRECEDED IT, NOW APPEARS CLEARLY. IT ADDRESSES ITSELF TO TWO REALITIES: FIRST, THAT THIS CHILD WILL NOT ONLY BE THE MESSIAH, A DESCENDANT, BUT THE NEW ADAM WHO IS TO INAUGURATE THE NEW CREATION. AND BY THE SAME TOKEN, MARY'S VIRGINAL MOTHERHOOD, WHICH AT FIRST SEEMED A STUMBLING BLOCK, TAKES ON ITS FULL MEANING. IRENEAUS SAYS PENETRATINGLY THAT JUST AS THE FIRST ADAM HAD TO BE FORMED FROM VIRGIN EARTH, SO, TOO, HE SECOND ADAM HAD TO BE FORMED FROM A VIRGIN MOTHER.
THE SECOND REALITY IS THAT THE COMING OF GOD ANNOUNCED BY THE PROPHETS IS NOT SEPARATE AND DISTINCT FROM THE COMING OF THE MESSIAH: IT IS ACCOMPLISHED WITHIN THE MESSIAH HIMSELF.
HERE IS SOMETHING THAT NO ONE COULD HAVE SUSPECTED: A FACT THAT BELONGS TO THE VERY SUBSTANCE OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH. IT WAS REVEALED TO MARY BECAUSE OF THE EMINENT ROLE SHE WAS TO PLAY IN ITS FULFILLMENT.
FOR IT IS PRECISELY HER ROLE OF ELECTION TO BE THE WOMEN WITHIN WHOM THE "WORD OF GOD CAME," IN ORDER TO UNITE TO HUMAN NATURE. " [SIDE NOTE:].
THE ANGEL OF THE ANNUNCIATION DOES NOT TELL MARY HIS NAME, BUT THE EVANGELIST EXPLAINS THAT THIS IS "GABRIEL," THE SAME MESSENGER WHO ANNOUNCED THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIZER TO ZECHARIAH AND WHOSE NAME APPEARS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE BOOK OF DANIEL [8:16].
.
No comments:
Post a Comment