A Greater Gift

THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent, March 25th, 2015
Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Liturgical texts here

from The Annunciation by Nicolas Poussin (1657)

TO understand the future of the Church, look no further than the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

It is to her as Mother and Model that the Church must look in order to understand in its completeness the meaning of her own mission. —POPE JOHN PAUL II, Redemptoris Mater, n. 37

Mary is considered a prototype or mirror of the Church in personi. As Pope Benedict said, “Holy Mary… you became the image of the Church to come… ^[1]cf. Spe Salvi, n.50

Knowledge of the true Catholic doctrine regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary will always be a key to the exact understanding of the mystery of Christ and of the Church. —POPE PAUL VI, Discourse, November 21st, 1964

Thus, we can see in Mary’s life a pattern of the Church’s future life. Our Lady was conceived immaculately and born “full of grace.” But God had something more for her: the gift of the indwelling Son. This came about as the Holy Spirit overshadowed her. She then became the vessel by which Jesus Christ entered the world in the flesh.

So too, the Church has been conceived from the side of Christ “immaculately” as “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic” body. She was born at Pentecost “full of grace”, that is, she has received “every spiritual blessing in the heavens.” ^[2]Eph 1:3; cf. Redemptoris Mater, n. 8 But after 2000 years, God has a greater gift for the Church, to come again by the “overshadowing” of the Holy Spirit. And that gift is what John Paul II called a “new and divine holiness”, or what the Lord expressed to Servant of God Luisa Picaretta as the “gift of Living in the Divine Will”, or what He revealed to Elizabeth Kindelmann as the “Flame of Love” in order to bring about the Eucharistic reign of Christ to the ends of the earth. ^[3]cf. Rev 20:6 

As I wrote in The Great Liberation, there appears to be a convergence of prophecies as a single or series of related events: the Illumination, ^[4]cf. The Eye of the Storm the exorcism of the dragon, ^[5]cf. The Exorcism of the Dragon the “Flame of Love”, ^[6]cf. The Convergence and the Blessing the alleged “secrets” of Medjugorje, ^[7]cf On Medjugorje the gift of Living in the Divine Will, ^[8]cf. The Coming New and Divine Holiness the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart, ^[9]cf. The Rising Morning Star a “new Pentecost”, ^[10]cf. Pentecost and the Illumination etc. All of this speaks of something “new”, a greater gift that has not been given before. In the approved messages to Elizabeth, Jesus speaks of a grace that is proceeding from the heart of Mary to the Church and the world:

…the Spirit of Pentecost will flood the earth with his power and a great miracle will gain the attention of all humanity. This will be the effect of grace of the Flame of Love… which is Jesus Christ himself… something like this has not happened since the Word became flesh. —The Flame of Love, p. 61, 38, 61; from Elizabeth Kindelmann’s diary; 1962; Imprimatur Archbishop Charles Chaput

…the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son… “God is with us.” (First reading)

That is to say, that Jesus is coming ^[11]cf. Dear Holy Father… He is Coming! to reign in His Church in a new mode such that His “kingdom come” and “will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” ^[12]cf. The Coming New and Divine Holiness

To do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart! (Today’s Psalm)

…we recognize that “heaven” is where the will of God is done, and that “earth” becomes “heaven” —i.e., the place of the presence of love, of goodness, of truth and of divine beauty—only if on earth the will of God is done. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, General Audience, February 1st, 2012, Vatican City

Jesus himself is what we call ‘heaven.’ —POPE BENEDICT XVI, quoted in Magnificat, p. 116, May 2013

How do we receive this greater Gift? By making space for it in the way Our Lady did—by giving our own personal fiat.

May it be done to me according to your word. (Today’s Gospel)

And we give our fiat in this hour of preparation through a loving and faithful personal relationship with Jesus. ^[13]cf. Personal Relationship With Jesus And this involves prayer of the heart, fasting, the Rosary, the Sacraments, the First Saturdays, wearing the Scapular, and a continual dying to self in service to our family and neighbour. ^[14]cf. The Right Spiritual Steps In this way, the Church prepares to give “birth” to our Lord…

She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. (Rev 12:2)

This Woman represents Mary, the Mother of the Redeemer, but she represents at the same time the whole Church, the People of God of all times, the Church that at all times, with great pain, again gives birth to Christ. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Castel Gandolfo, Italy, AUG. 23, 2006; Zenit