FROM
THE SERVANT GENERAL
ON
MARY
(Part 9)
ON
THE FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF OUR CONSECRATION TO MARY
August
10, 2011
Today’s reading: Psalm 112:1-9
God raised Israel to be His servant through whom He would
show His glory (Is 49:3). In the same way, God raised CFC-FFL
to be His servant and instrument. According to His call and
design, God will make us “a light to the nations, that
(His) salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
(Is 49:6c).
CFC-FFL was raised to be an evangelistic and missionary community.
Our work is to proclaim Christ and his salvation to the world.
We are to work such that Jesus will be born in the hearts
of many others.
This Jesus whom we proclaim was born of Mary. It was through
Mary that Jesus came into the world. Now it is through us
that Jesus will be brought to the world. As such, in our work,
we look to that all-important person. She is Mary, the mother
of our Savior and the mother of us all.
Four years ago, recognizing even more the profound importance
of Mary in our work of evangelization, we consecrated ourselves
to her. Since then, she has accompanied us on our journey,
and blessed us with her presence in our lives.
We as CFC-FFL have been greatly blessed, as we pursued the
holiness and righteousness of God in our lives and for the
life of the world. Psalm 112 tells us about the blessings
of the just. They are those who are in awe of God and delight
in His commands (Ps 112:1).
God has spoken to us in all of our 30 years. God has taught
us and formed us. God has allowed us to be purified through
affliction. God has made His will for us clear, reflected
in our vision and mission.
Mary too experienced the great blessings of God as she responded
in faith to God’s call and plan. As Elizabeth told her,
“Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to
you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” (Lk 1:45). Mary
responded with a psalm of praise, the Magnificat.
There are many intersecting themes in Psalm 112 and in Mary’s
Magnificat.
|
Theme |
Psalm
112 |
Canticle
of Mary (Luke 1) |
|
Fear
of the Lord |
Happy are those who fear the Lord (v.1a) |
His
mercy is from age to age to those who fear him (v.50) |
|
Joy
in the Lord |
who
greatly delight in God’s commands (v.1b) |
my
spirit rejoices in God my savior (v.47) |
|
Blessings
through the generations |
Their
descendants shall be mighty in the land, a generation
upright and blessed (v.2) |
He
has helped Israel his servant, .... according to his
promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants
forever (v.54-55) |
|
Prosperity
for God’s people |
Wealth
and riches shall be in their homes; their prosperity
shall endure forever (v.3) |
The
hungry he has filled with good things (v.53a) |
|
God’s
mercy and faithfulness |
the
just shall be remembered forever (v.6b) |
He
has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy
(v.54) |
|
Victory
over the enemy and injustice |
Their
hearts are tranquil, without fear, till at last they
look down on their foes (v.8) |
He
has .... dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He
has thrown down the rulers from their thrones (v.51b-52a) |
|
Care
for the poor |
Lavishly
they give to the poor (v.9a) |
He
has .... lifted up the lowly (v.52b) |
|
Blessings
through the ages |
their
prosperity shall endure forever (v.9b) |
behold,
from now on all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One
has done great things for me (v.48b-49a) |
|
Glory
of God upon His people |
their
horn shall be exalted in honor (v.9c) |
My
soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord (v.46) |
It
is the same God at work. It is the same Jesus who is the Savior.
It is the same eternal plan of God being brought to fulfillment.
We in CFC-FFL are a part of God’s plan. We are part
of God’s people, the new Israel. And now we continue
to move ahead, in obedience to God’s call and plan,
and always with Mary our Mother.
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