Today’s first reading begins our working through the Book of Exodus (1:8-14, 22).  Some time after Joseph’s death, which was recorded in the last verse of Genesis, a pharaoh comes to power who opposes the multitudes of Israelites now in Egypt.  He is concerned that some day they will side with Egypt’s enemies and turn against him.  Pharaoh puts them into forced labor and eventually into abject slavery.  Because they continued to multiply despite the oppression he ordered all Israelite boys born to be killed.

It struck me as it hasn’t before that this situation is closely analogous to early Christianity in the Roman Empire.  The faith starts out small in a foreign territory, grows rapidly, is perceived as a threat by the government, sees harsh oppression (including much killing — the firstborn into the Kingdom), yet the number of the faithful grows exponentially despite the best efforts of the leaders to suppress the people of God.

When God blesses a people and takes them under His wing, no earthly or demonic force will overcome it, rather the opposite happens (“the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it” — Mt 16:18).  So, in the difficult times in which we live, when the world seems upside down, and good is called evil and evil is called good, let us remain confident in the Lord, the only one we can be sure will never let us down.

We know what Jesus asks of us.  And we know how the Book ends.  Now let’s live our lives like we believe it.

No, the headline is not a new formula for the Trinity.  Mary is a creature as are we.  But I use it to highlight a certain insight that coalesced in my mind while watching a program about Marian doctrines today.  I don’t believe any of this is necessarily new to me, but putting it together in this way is not something I can recall considering before.

Jesus as true God gets His divinity from the first person of the Trinity and as true man gets His entire humanity from His mother (of course our entire existence is God’s gracious gift).  Nothing new here for Christians (I hope).  Jesus is the fullness of divinity (He is no less God than the Father) and He is the fullness of humanity (He is just as human as His mother).  Now this last point needs to be one upon which we must expound.  To be fully human, as God desires, is to be without sin.  It is not “only human” to sin; rather, it is “inhumane” to sin.  When we sin we take away from our humanity.  This makes sense if our exemplar is Christ.  We are to emulate Him in His human fullness.  God created man for Him not for sin.  When our first parents sinned they died spiritually — human nature became fallen.  This was not the intent from the beginning.

So my key insight is that it follows then that the doctrines of the Immaculate Conception and Mary’s perpetual sinlessness make perfect sense.  Jesus, true God and perfect man, gets these attributes from His parents.  Mary, fully human in the Lord, provides this perfection to Jesus.  Mary is the true mother of the Son of God.  Women are not mothers to their children’s natures but rather they are mothers of a whole person — body and soul.  So it is with Mary.  Like with all conceptions, man supplies the body and God supplies the soul.  Mary is true mother — not of the Trinity — but of God (which is who Jesus is).

It is sad that the rift the Reformers began and which has since been substantially widened has become such a major force for disunity among Christians.  It is certainly not God’s will (“how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord^* should come to me?” — Lk 1:43 … “behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed” — Lk 1:48) and what mother wants to see her children (““Behold your mother” — Jn 19:27) at odds (or worse)?

One last point: In our troubled times, in which marriage and family is under attack, why would some Christians not uphold this beautiful example of the importance of father and mother?  Ignoring, or worse, denigrating, Mary only strengthens the case of those who seek to tear down God’s plan for humanity.  As for God, yes, He made male and female and contains the ideals of the sexes.  But we lose out when we don’t acknowledge God as Father (yes, He is Creator, but Jesus refers to His “Father” often and tells us to call God “Our Father” — Mt 6:9 and see Lk 11:2) so it must be important, yes?

“Full of grace” (Lk 1:28), daughter of the Father, mother of the Son, spouse of the Spirit, pray for us.

Today’s Old Testament reading (Gen 22:1b-19) continues our working through Abraham’s story in Genesis.  It is the very familiar episode of Abraham being asked to sacrifice his son with Sarah, Isaac.  Father, son, and two servants head for the mountain and arrive after three days’ journey.  Father and son go up the mountain with Isaac carrying the wood of the sacrifice.  Abraham builds the altar and, as he is about to kill his son, is stopped by an angel who reveals this to be a test.  Abraham sacrifices a ram instead.  Then God tells Abraham that his descendents will be many and a blessing to all nations.  Finally, the four go back home.

I love Abraham’s instantaneous reply to God at the beginning of this narrative (the subject line).  In fact, I think some other translations capture it even better: “Ready!”  Is this not how we should respond to the Lord?  No hesitation.  No challenging.  No rangling.  Just “Ready!”  “Here I am”!  What do you need from me?  How can I further your agenda for me?  How am I to best serve you and your children?

May we be so open to the Lord through prayer and the Word that we never miss His call and, once heard and understood, neither ignore nor defy it no matter how difficult it may seem.  For if it is from God, He will supply the necessary means to accomplish it.  We will find true happiness no other way.