This mystery recalls when the Blessed Virgin Mary went to visit her relative, Eliazabeth. It is based upon Luke 1: 39-56.
In this mystery, we are called to reflect upon how Mary, newly pregnant with Jesus, traveled to help her older cousin Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist. The gospel tells us that Mary went to the hill country to Ain Karim which is almost a trip of 100 miles from Nazareth. It should also be noted that Mary went from a lower elevation to a higher elevation where she climbed uphill 1,336 feet. The gospel mentions only Mary, but it is quite likely that Joseph also went to help protect her. We do not know for sure. It was dangerous country, filled with thieves. Nonetheless, Mary decided that she should go to help her older pregnant cousin.
The scripture also tells us that when Mary greeted the six month pregnant Elizabeth (who had in her John the Baptist), Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, told Mary that the baby within her had leaped for joy at Mary’s greeting. The word “leaped” appears also in scripture when King David “leaped” and danced before the Ark of the Covenant. Now, John the Baptist leaps before the new Ark of the Covenant, Mary. The scripture also says that Elizabeth, again mentioning that she is filled with the Spirit, cries out to Mary, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Sound familiar? Elizabeth also calls Mary the mother of my Lord. Elizabeth also blessed Mary for BELIEVING that what was spoken to her by the Lord, would be fulfilled.
Mary then said her famous canticle where she proclaims the greatness of the Lord and tells of all the wonders that were about to happen. She says that even in her lowliness, God has chosen to do great things through her and that because of this, people of all ages will call her blessed. She talks about the holiness of God and his greatness and his mercy. She also says that God will cast down rulers and thrones and lift of the poor. Mary spent three months with Elizabeth helping care for her in her pregnancy and birth of John.
Questions to ponder:
1 – Am I ready to respond to another person’s need, no matter what I am going through?
2 – Am I willing to take that long, and perhaps dangerous journey that God calls me to?
3 – Do I trust completely in God’s love and protection?
4 – Do I respect the gift of life, especially as it is shown in pregnant women?
5 – Am I a person who will go to extremes to protect that life?
6 – Do I help mothers care for their children by providing time or physical resources?
7 – Do I give praise and thanks to God for all that He has done?
8 – Do I hope for a better world and also take steps to work with God to bring it about?
9 – Do I trust and hope that God’s Word will be fulfilled in me?
10 – Do I honor and respect all mothers, especially Mary the Mother of our Lord, and our mother too?
THE MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY – PRAYING THE ROSARY WITH FULL MEANING
Introduction Paragraph (repeated each session)
As we begin the Lenten Season, the Church asks us to use this time, in a very special way. to grow closer to Jesus and to all that He has for us. It tells us that there are three main “Pillars” to help us accomplish this; Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. After considerable reflection, I believe that the Lord wants me to write during this Lent about PRAYER, and one specific form of prayer, the ROSARY. Now there are many types and forms of prayer, but I truthfully believe that the ROSARY, when properly done, is one of the most powerful forms of prayer that we have. In my own walk with God within the Church, I have grown in my love of the rosary and in my knowledge of the power of the rosary prayer. One of the problems with people praying the rosary is that they do not always meditate on the mystery itself. This takes so much away from the prayer. It is not just enough to go through the hail marys and our fathers, we also must look at the specific mystery and reflect on that while we pray. The mysteries are very bibical and go through the life of Jesus. For that reason, during Lent, I am going to take one mystery at a time and talk about it so you can use it more when you pray the rosary. There are four separate mysteries of the rosary and each one has five parts. I will do them in the order of the life of Jesus, starting with the JOYFUL, then the LUMINOUS and the SORROWFUL, ending with the GLORIOUS. It has been a tradition to do the Joyful on Monday and Saturday; the Luminous on Thursday; the Sorrowful on Tuesday and Friday; and the Glorious on Wednesday and Sunday. I would suggest that you read each scriptural reference for each mystery and meditate on what was accomplished. I will also include ten (corresponding to the ten hail Marys of each mystery) points to ponder and pray about. These points are used to think not only about what the mystery celebrates, but also what it means to you in your life.
THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES – The First Mystery, THE ANNUNCIATION
This mystery recalls when the Angel Gabriel visited Mary and announced to her that she would be the mother of Jesus. It is based upon Luke 1: 26-38. and John 1: 14
In this mystery, we are called to reflect upon how the Word was made flesh. Luke tells us that during the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, an angel appeared to Mary. When the angel appeared to this young girl ,she was a virgin waiting to be married to Joseph of the House of David. The Angel Gabriel greeted her by saying, “Hail, favored one” (or blessed one) and this caused Mary to be “greatly troubled”. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for a very young woman to have an angel appear to her, let alone be told that she was highly favored by God. It must have caused considerable confusion and astonishment to Mary. She had no idea what this appearance and greeting might mean. The Angel Gabriel told her not to be afraid and then said to her something quite remarkable. He told her that because of her favor with God, she would conceive and bear a son to be called, Jesus. Mary quickly repsonded by saying that she had not yet been with a man, and how could this be possible? The angel then said to her, “the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.” Even though this must have been so much for Mary, she responded with her big YES to the Lord, “be it done to me according to your word”. With that, the angel left her.
Questions to ponder:
1 – How would I respond to a “call” from God to do something?
2 – Do I even listen to God enough to perceive a call?
3 – Would I be willing to do something God asks of me, even if it interferes with my plans?
4 – Do I consider myself too young, or too old, or too uneducated to be able to do God’s request?
5 – Do I truly apprecitate what Mary’s YES means to me and to world salvation?
6 – Do I really believe that Jesus was truly human and truly divine?
7 – Am I trying to learn more about the Incarnation (God becomes man)?
8 – Do I believe that angels are still ar work in the world today?
9 – Do I honor and respect marriage and family life?
10 – Do I understand that a baby, any baby can grow up and can change the world?
On January 25th I wrote about the conversion of St. Paul and how he went from being a good Jew who persecuted Christians to being a Christian himself. This was a major change and a significant conversion experience. For most of us, our conversion is not as dramatic as St. Paul’s. However, I do believe that we are all in need of continual conversion and Lent is the perfect time to do this. By continual conversion (or ongoing conversion) I mean that we recognize that conversion is an ongoing process where we hear the call of Jesus to be more like him. We don’t do this all at once, it takes time and effort to even try to be more like him. As Christians, we have the responsibility to follow our Lord Jesus and to try, to the best we can, to be Christ-like. I cannot think of any better time than Lent to try to accomplish this.
The last three weeks we have looked at the three pillars (or disciplines) of Lent; Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. Keeping in mind that these are essential to our growing close to the Lord, and thus being more like Him, we must keep these as our base. There are many other things that we can do to become more like Jesus. I would suggest that we take a look at these and try to put them in to practice also. Lent is definitely a time for us to turn away from sin and to be faithful to the Gospel message of Jesus. The Lenten season is filled with many graces, or gifts from God, to help us accomplish our goal. Here is a partial list of ways to obtain these gifts, or graces, from God. By doing these, we can’t help but to draw closer to God and to become more like Jesus.
1 – Read the scriptures: I would suggest using the Church’s readings of the day. This is easy to do, especially if you have access to a computer or smart phone. There are many smart phone apps to bring you the daily readings, and some that offer a commentary. Even an easy Google search for readings of the day can be done. Try to start with ones from Catholic sources like the USCCB (US Conference of Catholic Bishops); EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network) founded by Mother Angelica; Vatican News; Catholic Online and others. Reading the scriptures and reading their Catholic commentaries will give you a familiarity with Jesus, so you can get to know Him and follow Him.
2 – Attend Mass as often as you can. The mass has two parts: The Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. In the liturgy of the Word we concentrate on the scriptures and in the Liturgy of the Eucharist we concentrate on the Pascal sacrifice and actually receive the Body and Blood of Jesus. We partake of His very presence and He leads and guides us to grow closer to Him. There was a famous nutritional quote from a nineteenth century Frenchman made popular in the US by author Adele Davis, “You are what you eat”. I personally think that this fits so well to the Eucharist. It helps us to become Jesus present to others.
3 – Attend a retreat. I you have the time and money to go to a retreat house for a week or more, that would be tremendous. However, if you do not, most parishes offer some kind of local 2 or 4 day retreat. If your parish doesn’t, don’t be afraid to attend a nearby parish that does. A retreat gives us the time to get away from distractions and to concentrate on Jesus and what He is asking of us.
4 – Spiritual reading. There are so many good Catholic books out there that can help you to grow more in your faith and to grow closer to Jesus.
5 – Do something Christ-like. Great examples of this are to help out in a Parish Outreach or some other organization that helps the poor. You can also visit people who are in nursing homes, hospitals, prisons, or shut ins within their own home. If you are an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist, bring hosts with you to give to them (Catholics).
6 – Spend time alone in prayer. Jesus tells us to go to a place of quiet and to pray. The more we do that, the closer we get to him. Prayer can be anything from complete silent meditation to praying the rosary or chaplet of diving mercy.
7 – Spend time with other people who you know are living out the faith. The role of community, where like minded people of faith gather, is of extreme importance. This could be anything form having coffee with a friend, to attending a large prayer group.
8 – Be fillled with gratitude for all that God has given you. So ofter Jesus started His prayers by thanking the Father. The more we are filled with a sense of Gratitude, the more we will be like Jesus.
9 – Repent. Take a good look at your life and see the things that are not of God and determine to turn away from these things. Jesus started His ministry with the word Repent. The Sacrament of Reconciliation can be a big help with this, especially when there is serious sin in your life.
10 – Follow God. Make it a point to try to do what God wants you to do. Hopefully the more you are in prayer and follow the above steps, you will see what God wants from you. When you do find out, do it.
11 – Practice Humility. Jesus makes it pretty clear that He does not like people who think of themselves too highly. He loves people who are humble. His very life is all about humility. Think about how the Almighty, Powerful God humbled himself to become a man. We need to embrace this humility.
12 – Play religious, worship music. Music lifts the soul to new heights. When we play religious music, it lifts us up and helps us to embrace all that God has for us. Try it, you will like it.
Certainly there are many other ways to grow closer to God and to be more Christ-like, but since the scriptures love the number 12, I will stop there. Remember that God wants us to be His presence to others. Our call is to be more like Him. Our conversion needs to be ongoing.
There is a popular Christian song that says, “They will know we are Christians by our love”. This is such a true statement. One of the best signs of being a Christian is being charitable. It doesn’t matter how many crosses you may be wearing or how many holy medals you may be wearing; the most important sign to others that you are a Christian is your love (charity). We show our love in our actions towards others. Jesus is continually calling us to recognize that we are supposed to be people who put love for others (especially the poor) in to all that we do. Mathew 5:25 tells us, “So don’t hide your light! Let it shine brightly before others, so that the commendable things you do will shine as light upon them, and then they will give their praise to your Father in heaven.” Also in Matthew (25:40) Jesus tells us that at the Judgment Day He will say to us, “When you cared for one of the least important of these my little ones, my true brothers and sisters, you demonstrated love for me” and “When you refused to help one of the least important among these my little ones, my true brothers and sisters, you refused to help and honor me. (25:45)” It couldn’t be much clearer, when we do for others, we do for Jesus and when we refuse to do for others, we refuse to do for Jesus. He will someday judge us on this.
But giving to others, especially the needy, isn’t just about the judgment that we receive. It is also about our life right now. Jesus tells us in Luke 6:38, “Give generously, and generous gifts will be given back to you, shaken down to make room for more. Abundant gifts will pour out upon you with such an overflowing measure that it will run over the top! Your measurement of generosity becomes the measurement of your return.” I am not trying to preach a prosperity gospel like many do, because I know that so many of the Saints who did good works lived in poverty and extreme hardship. Rather, I believe that the gifts given back to us in generous measure are not necessarily monetary gifts or earthly gifts. They are gifts that transcend the everyday life here and lift our inner being up to heavenly places. We can, through giving to the needy, experience a sort of heavenly bliss. The goodness that we feel when we give to the needy can be absolutely amazing. Also, the closer we are to Jesus, the more grateful we become aware of His love for us and the more we want to do for others. St. John, in his first letter chapter 4 verse 19 tells us, “Our love for others is our grateful response to the love God first demonstrated to us.” We give to others because God has given so much to us.
Giving to others can be done in so many ways. Personally I think that treating all people with respect, even if you don’t agree with them or even dislike them, is a true form of Christian giving. Also, helping others to get ahead in life, even if it means going over you, is a form of Christian giving. Jesus gave us the “golden rule” in Matthew 7:12, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. When we really follow this rule we can find great peace and satisfaction. In doing this we can also help change the world for the better. Because of our human nature, being charitable isn’t always easy to do. However, God has given us both the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the fruits of the Holy Spirit so that we can. We need to rely upon these gifts, and pray earnestly, so that we can be a people of love and charity.
Unfortunately there are many people in this world who are living lives of extreme poverty. There are many homeless people in our communities and many households that cannot afford to put a decent meal on the table for their family. In our current COVID pandemic many people have lost their jobs or had their wages reduced. Many businesses have failed and we have a new form of poverty in our communities. We have people who own their own homes and have nice cars, but because of income loss they cannot pay their bills or buy decent food. For those of us who can, we can’t just stand back and do nothing. We are called by God to help others, and the first place to do this is in our own communities. It is important to try to find ways to help others. If you pray for guidance in this, God will put you in to the right places to help others. Start first with what you are familiar with, your own parishes and their outreach ministries. Then look to local community organizations that are helping the needy. Giving money and giving time to them is essential. One of the best ways to give is by volunteering to serve in these outreaches and community organizations. Not only do you help them to do what they are trying to do to help the needy, but because you are a volunteer you usually get a chance to interact with the people you are helping. Believe me, this is something that can be very good for you.
As an example, I have found several forms of charitable service in my community. Our own parish has an outreach ministry and I support that by giving both money and non perishable goods and special gifts for Christmas and Thanksgiving and the beginning of school. I also work with two local charities, Angels of Long Island and Carroll’s Kitchen to help bring food and necessities to those in need. I also work with several Veteran’s agencies to help veterans in need. Working with these charities brings me immense satisfaction and joy and peace. We are called to support charities by giving money, but more importantly, we are called to support them by giving volunteer time. Personally, I would have to say that I get a tremendous satisfaction from giving volunteer service to them. There is no doubt that I better appreciate the gifts that God has given me, but even more than that, the actual act of giving brings me such good feelings, that it is hard to describe. In ending, I would encourage you to seek out, through prayer, what God wants you to be doing. He wants you to love and serve others, but you and He will have to decide who those others are. Once you do this, you will be more fully living the Christian vocation and you will experience a new sense of purpose and fulfillment and peace. Truly, giving to others is also giving to yourself. Author Leo Buscaglia tells us, “It’s not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something. May I suggest that it be creating joy for others, sharing what we have for the betterment of personkind, bringing hope to the lost and love to the lonely.” St. Paul tells us, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2Corinthians 9:7
A few years ago I was made aware of the truths of Divine Mercy when I read Sr. Faustina Kowalska’s diary. I have to tell you that it was life changing for me. In it I learned so much about God’s Mercy, but I also learned so much about trusting in Jesus. As a matter of fact, the very popular image of Jesus as the Divine Mercy has a saying under it, “Jesus, I Trust in You”. This has become my mantra in life. I say it every day, many times. Learning to really trust in Jesus brings about a peace that no one else can give to you. Trust is such an important part of our faith. I would like to share with you some thoughts that I have on Trust and putting our Trust in our loving God.
Trust is nothing new to us. We experience it every day, and in so many different ways. My guess is that right now you are probably sitting down. I would also guess that you just sat down in that chair with full confidence that it would support you. I doubt that you looked at the legs to see if they were cracked and I doubt that you checked the screws holding it together to see if they were loose. You just sat down in that chair fully putting your trust in it. That is the type of trust that God wants us to have. He wants us to embrace the different situations in our lives knowing that He is in charge and that He knows how to handle things. Why should we have this trust in him? It is simple, because His love for us is so great and He has revealed to us, through the scriptures and through the lives of the Saints that we need to trust in Him. When we place our trust in Him, good things happen. When we don’t put our trust in Him, we start to worry and worry brings about too many difficulties. One of those difficulties is that you don’t allow God to be actively working in your lives.
In Proverbs 3: 5-6 we read, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Trusting in God allows Him to straighten our path. It allows Him to work in our lives. This doesn’t mean that God wants us just to sit around and do nothing while he leads us around on a leash. What He does want is for us to place our trust in Him in every situation that comes to us and to ask Him to lead us and guide us and give us direction. Part of this trust is to know that He does this in so many various ways and it is up to us to work along with Him on this journey.
In Jeremiah 17: 7-8 we read, “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” When we trust in the Lord and have confidence in Him we are given the strength needed to handle anything. We know that a tree needs water to survive and when there is a hot and dry spell it will wither unless it receives water. We who trust in God are like a tree planted near a stream or river. Our roots go out to receive the water. Whenever I hear this reading and others like it, I think of the water as being God’s Holy Spirit. As St. Paul tells us, He lavishes the Spirit upon us.
So often the dark times of our lives can be likened to the nighttime. Every night, when the darkness comes, we go to bed, close our eyes and trust that somehow our body will wake up in the morning, and it does. This is a real form of trust, especially in the darkness. Psalm 143: 8 reflects this saying, “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.” Part of being able to trust is to know that God’s love for us is so great that He gives us every gift. The more we show gratitude for His gifts, the more we can grow in His love and in trust. I have come to realize that EVERYTHING is a gift. Every breath that I take is a gift from God. Every morning that I awake, tells me that God has given me another day. Whatever comes that day is part of His gift to me and I can trust that He and I, working together, can get through anything.
When we know that we are in God’s presence, and personally I feel that presence in all things, then we can have true trust. Psalm 91: 1-2 tells us “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” The more we see His presence with us and the more we learn to trust, the happier we become.
There are so many scripture passages that tell us about our loving God who we can put our trust in. I will share a few of these here with you for you to meditate on and to find your own way towards growing in trust of God.
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Matthew 6:26
So we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Hebrews 13:6
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. Psalm 28:7
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres 1 Corinthians 13:6-7
A word of advice from me: When you are hit by a storm, no matter what it is, don’t go to God and tell Him how big your storm is; rather, go to your storm and tell it how big your God is. That is trust in God. Please remember my favorite mantra, Jesus, I Trust in You. The more you learn to trust in our loving God, the more happiness and peace you will have.
WOMEN AND THE POWER OF GOD – by Deacon Marty McIndoe
In Genesis we read, “When God created human beings, he made them in the likeness of God; he created them male and female.” Even though we call God “Our Father”, and Jesus was a man, I believe that the true likeness of God cannot be seen by just looking at the masculine; nor can it be seen by just looking at the feminine. To truly see the image of God we must look at both the masculine nature and the feminine nature of humankind. Throughout the scriptures there are plenty of examples of both but there does seem to be preponderance of the masculine. Too often the women of scripture are in the background and don’t get the attention that they deserve. This is probably due to social and cultural partiality. I want to bring to the reader’s attention some of the women of Scripture that show God’s power at work. Since there are so many, this article will be in three parts. One, the women of the Hebrew Scriptures; Two, the women of the New Testament; and Three, women Saints of the Church.
PART I – POWERFUL WOMEN OF THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES
EVE: In the creation
account, Eve is seen as the mother of the living. She is also seen as Adam’s companion and
helper. In Christian traditions, Eve is
the one who led Adam astray by sharing the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge with
him. When God confronts Adam about his
disobedience he blames not only Eve for his transgression but also blames God
for giving him Eve. Eve in turn blames
the serpent for tempting her to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. While it is easy to think of Eve as being
weak because of this, we must remember that Eve had to be a strong woman. She, according to the Genesis account, was
the first mother. She had no one else to
be an example of what motherhood was all about.
She had no mother to show her how to take care of her children. She had no other women friends to help
support her. In the Genesis account she
was the only mother. It is in her that
humanity receives life. The Church
traditionally recognizes Eve as a Saint, along with Adam and celebrates their
feast day on December 24th.
SARAH: Sarah was the
wife of Abraham and is the first woman mentioned in scripture after Eve. She had to be a strong woman to accompany
Abraham on his long journey to the Promised Land. She also was a woman with a good sense of
humor. When God told Abraham that he and
Sarah would bare a son, even though they were a century old, Sarah
laughed. However, she also was a woman
of faith because she took God at His Word.
The letter to the Hebrews tells us that, “By faith even Sarah herself
received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she
considered Him faithful who had promised.”
Can you imagine how much strength she would have to have to bring up
children at her age?
SHIPHRAH AND PUAH:
These two women were Hebrew mid-wives in Egypt who were ordered by
Pharaoh to kill the newborn Jewish boys when they were born. Pharaoh felt that the Jewish people were
getting too strong and too powerful so he ordered the midwives to kill the baby
boys. Shiphrah and Puah knew the sanctity of life
and did not do this and lied to Pharaoh about it. They knew that their stand on life could cost
them their own life, but they were strong enough to follow their conscience. They are a great example to us of people who
hold life sacred and of people who can stand up to an evil government through
civil disobedience. Because of them,
many Jewish lives were saved, including Moses.
SOBEKNEFRU: Was the
daughter of the Pharaoh who had ordered the Hebrew children killed. She is the woman who found the baby Moses
floating in a basket. She had the
strength and courage to go against her father and raise Moses as her own
child. Fortunately, she used Moses real
mother, Jochebed as the nursemaid.
Jochebed must have had a lot of strength and love for her son Moses to
disobey Pharaoh and keep her son alive.
MAHLAH, NOAH, HOGLAH, MILCAH AND TIRZAH – THE FIVE DAUGHTER
OF ZELOPHEHAD: Zelophehad was a
descendent of Joseph who left Egypt with Moses and died in the wilderness. He had five daughters and no sons. Under the Jewish law only sons could inherit
the property of their father. The five
daughters of Zelophehad went to Moses and Eleazar and petitioned them to change
the law. Through divine intervention, God
told Moses to give the land to the daughters and to change the law so that if
there were no male offspring, the estate could go to the daughters who would
rightfully own it. Because of the vision
and persistence of these women, Jewish law was changed forever. They had the strength to stand up against the
established leaders and fight for equality.
God honored their fight.
TAMAR: Tamar was
married to Judah’s son, Er. Er was a
wicked man and died and Judah asked his other son Onan to provide offspring for
Tamar (a Levirate union) so that the family line would continue. Onan slept with Tamar but because he didn’t
want her to have a child, he kept “spilling his seed on the ground”. Onan was more interested in a larger share
of Judah’s estate, than continuing the Family line. Tamar knew that it was necessary for the
family line to continue so she disguised herself as a prostitute and slept with
her father-in-law, Judah. He did not
recognize her. From that Union she
brought forth twin sons to continue the family line. The one son, Perez is an ancestor of Jesus. Even though Tamar’s action seems odd in today’s
world, Tamar received a great deal of respect from Judah for the bold thing
that she did. Not only was she strong
and bold to do this, but she was very bright to come up with a way to prove
that Judah was the father (read Genesis 38).
Because of her strength and cunning, the Davidic line continued on.
RAHAB: Rahab, who is
listed in the genealogy of Jesus, is a most unlikely person to be an
ancestor. First of all, she was not a
Jew but was a pagan Canaanite. Secondly,
she was a prostitute. Rahab lived in the
city of Jericho and when the Jewish people were ready to attack that city
Joshua sent in some spies. Rahab, was
quite intelligent, perceptive and well informed. She recognized the two Jewish spies and told
them that she had heard of their God and how He had set His people free from
the Egyptians. She told the spies that
all of the Canaanites were fearful of the Jews and their God. She even spoke a phrase of faith by saying, “For
the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below”. She told the spies that if they could spare
her and her family, she would help them.
Rahab went against her king and and her country and religion and she hid
the spies in her home. Because of this,
they were able to obtain tactical information.
The Jews conquered the city and spared Rahab and her family. Rahab later married a Jewish man and
continued the Davidic line to Jesus.
RUTH: During the time
of the Judges rule of Israel, there was a famine in the land. Elimelech and his wife Naomi left their home
in Bethlehem with their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion to go to the land of the
Moabites and escape the famine. They
were there several years and Elimelech died.
Both sons had married Moabite women.
Mahlon married Ruth and Chilion married Orpha. After about ten years both sons died and
Naomi decided to go back to her homeland.
She told both widowed daughters in laws to return to their families and
to remarry. Orpha did return to her
family, but Ruth decided to stay with Naomi and go back to Bethlehem. Ruth said to Naomi, “For wherever you go, I
will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and
your God my God.” Ruth went with Naomi
to Bethlehem. It must have been very
difficult for Ruth to leave her homeland and her family and to travel to an
unknown land. Her relationship to Naomi
and the witness of faith that Naomi provided gave her the strength to do go to
Bethlehem. There Ruth supported herself
and Naomi by gleaning in the fields of a man named Boaz. Boaz had heard of Ruth’s loyalty to her
mother in law and saw her great kindness.
He also saw her as a hard working woman.
Boaz was a close relative of Naomi’s deceased husband Elimelech. He bought the land that Elimelech had owned
and married Naomi. Together they had a
son named Obed and a grandson named Jesse who would be the father of King David.
HULDAH: Most of the
time when we think of Prophets, we think that they are all men. In the book of Kings, there is one female
Prophet named who was most important to the Jewish heritage. She was one of seven women prophets (Sarah,
Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail and Esther) mentioned in scripture. The scriptures tell us that Hidlah was a prophet
who the priests and royal officials would often consult. She could tell them of their fates and the
fates of surrounding nations. She spoke
stern commands to the leaders and was seen as someone who could determine if
writings were from God or not. When they
were rebuilding Solomon’s temple, a script was found and brought to Huldah to
determine if it was God’s Word. Huldah
declared that it was God’s Word and that the temple and people would suffer because
they had failed to follow it. She told
King Josiah that because of his repentance he would be spared. Her prophecies about destruction came
true. Huldah was a woman who could stand
up to anyone, commoner or king. She was
well respected for her gifts of discernment and was a woman who helped turn the
people back to God through repentance.
We can see that God chose these women, and many more
besides, to help continue the Line of David and to help bring people to
Him. Even in the Middle East several
thousand years ago, when women were seen as subservient to men, God used their
strength and their cunning and their faith to help build his Kingdom. This concludes Part I on the Hebrew
Scriptures (Old Testament). In a few
days we will take a look at Part II, Women of the New Testament.
Really. So many of us seek God’s will above all–even above
God.
We use him as a Magic 8-Ball, going to prayer only to figure
things out and not to worship. We treat his will like a scavenger hunt set up
by a sadistic leprechaun who sends us signs and then laughs (or rages) when we
miss them. We obsess over ourselves and our skills and our desires and our
future and call it prayer.
Stop seeking God’s will and start seeking God. Because if
you run after the Lord you will find yourself in his will.
I spend a lot of time making decisions–with no home and no
steady employment, there are a lot of decisions to be made. Want to know how I
do it?
I spend serious time in silent prayer every day. Then I live
my life.
I trust that God is either going to form my heart to desire
what he desires, or he’s going to stop me before I do something dumb, or he’s
going to fix it afterward. I try not to lose peace over confusion or
uncertainty, because I know that God delights in me. If I’m earnestly trying to
live in his will, he’s not going to punish me for getting it wrong.
It’s entirely possible that I’m going to go to my judgment
and find God standing baffled before me, wondering why on earth I thought I
ought to be homeless and unemployed for the sake of the kingdom. There’s a
reason people don’t live this way, and perhaps I’ve gotten it totally wrong and
I was really supposed to be an accountant in Idaho or something.
Still, I expect to see pleasure mixed in with the
bafflement. “Oh, but honey, well done! It was a weird life you chose, but you
tried so hard. You got it wrong, but you sure were seeking me.”
I think he delights in my efforts, however ridiculous they
might be, and I find great peace in that. I can’t mess up discernment so badly
that I ruin his plan for me, because ultimately his plan is for my holiness. If
I’m seeking him, he’ll accomplish that, whatever odd paths it might take.
So if you find yourself stressing out about figuring out
God’s will, stop seeking God’s will and start seeking God. Spend serious time
in silent prayer every day and trust that he loves you. He’ll do the rest.
Meg Hunter-Kilmer – Meg is a hobo missionary. After 2 Theology degrees from Notre Dame and 5 years as a high school religion teacher, she quit her job in 2012 to live out of her car and preach the Gospel to anyone who would listen. 50 states and 25 countries later, this seems to have been a less ridiculous decision than it initially seemed. She blogs at www.piercedhands.com
