The following missive came in the morning email from Richard Rohr. I find it is a useful corrective to that viral photo of the fellow at Yale with the sandwich board that proclaims whom God does not love.
MARY, THE PREPARED ONE
December 8
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Question of the Day:
What does my election ask of me?
“Mary, do not be afraid, you have won God’s favor,” says the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:30).
The word favor doesn’t say anything about the recipient. Favor says something about the one who is doing the favoring. So it’s really not saying anything about Mary. It’s saying something about God’s election of Mary. She is one who is the absolutely perfect receiver, and refuses to play the “Lord, I am not worthy” card that had become normative in most biblical theophanies. She just says, “Let it be done unto me” (Luke 1:38). She lets God do all the giving. Her job is just to receive such perfect giving.
God does not love you because you are good; God loves you because God is good. God does not love you because you are good; you are good because God loves you.
Adapted from Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality, p 178
Mantra:
The Almighty has done
great things for me.
1 comment:
that is so beautifully stated! God does the giving. We do the receiving. i think the sandwich board fella would find such relief in Richard Rohr's wisdom if only he could...sigh...but the more rigid his beliefs the safer he probably feels...tragic...and all too common...may the Spirit set him free.
imagine how many are now praying for that after seeing the article/picture?
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