THE SERVANTHOOD OF JESUS! ~ CookingFood.Org

“HONEY FROM THE ROCK”

Saturday, 16th July 2016,

Fifteenth Week of Ordinary Time

Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel(Zec 2: 14-17, Lk 1:46-55)

Mic 2: 1-5;

Ps 9: 22-25, 28-29, 35;

Mt 12: 14-21

THE SERVANTHOOD OF JESUS!

The key to today’s gospel passage is “Behold! My servant whom I have chosen…” As Jesus said, there is no greater testimony than that of God the Father to the Son, and this is his testimony, as recorded first by the prophet Isaiah, and as interpreted to us from Isaiah by Matthew. But the beloved servant of God is condemned by false servants. We note the fact that there is a sort of progression as the nation of Israel rejects Jesus Christ. We see doubt, criticism, indifference, and finally rejection. All of this is led by the Pharisees and scribes, who are the supposed religious leaders of Jerusalem and Israel. In contrast to their conclusion, right after the statement that they held a council how they might destroy him, the Spirit of God drops this marvelous presentation of the beauty and wonder of Christ. It is to say that God is saying the very opposite about Christ from what the world is saying. Jesus could have acted in any fashion in which he had wanted to act in his own defense, but that was not the plan nor the schedule. He was totally committed to the Father’s will, and that meant becoming meek and obedient unto death on the cross. That was the essence of his servanthood!

For Carmelites, Mary is in a very special way the model of quiet, intimate prayer for she pondered all things in her heart and she persevered in prayer with the disciples. The scapular is a reminder of Mary’s commitment to us and our commitment to Mary. It is a reminder of her constant presence in our lives and her interest in us. She really is a Mother and a Sister, leading us and guiding us to Christ her Son in whom we find salvation. She is with us in life and in death. Wearing the scapular is intended to be an outward reminder of what should be going on within. The danger with any outward sign is that it remains merely outward and therefore the stress today is on the necessity of living what the scapular symbolizes. Mary is seen to be the perfect example of what it means to follow Christ. The meaning of the scapular today can perhaps be summed up in one of the prayers over the people at the end of the mass of the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Cannel: “Lord, grant that those who in devotion have put on the habit of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, may put on her virtues also and enjoy her unfailing protection”.

Prayer: Lord, help me deal with opposition and my enemies through love, rather than hatred and violence. Amen.