18th Week, Tuesday, August 5; Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major
Numbers 12:1-13 / Matthew 15:1-2, 12-14
Aaron and Miriam envy Moses; "Doesn't God speak through us also?"
Some time ago Ann Landers printed an anonymous poem in her column. An excerpt from it reads: "When you're feeling so important and your ego is in bloom, when you simply take for granted, you're the wisest in the room …. just follow these instructions. They will humble your soul. "Take a bucket of water. Put your hand in to the wrist; Pull it out, the hole remaining is how much you'll be missed. The moral of the story is do the best you can. Be proud, but please remember, There's no indispensable person."
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Are we like Aaron and Miriam? Are we too concerned with our own importance? Do we envy God's gifts to other people? "A mountain shames a molehill until they are both humbled by the stars." Old adage
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Nowhere is dissatisfaction, discontent and grumbling, more damaging than in the family. There will be remarks that are meant to hurt. So here Miriam and Aaron speak of Zipporah, the wife of Moses, contemptuously. They call her a Cushite. Actually, it means only an Ethiopian, which she was not. In the time it was spoken it could be translated as "that nigger woman of yours". It was meant to be poisonous. That hurts. Miriam had actually been a great help to Moses. She had saved his life when he was a baby. She supported him. Her victory song was still used by the people. They did the best thing. They took their difficulties before the Lord. She was punished with leprosy: The fitting, disfiguring punishment. Moses prayed for her. God cured her, but till they moved on in their march, she had to live outside the camp as any leper would. The ideal home, the sweet home is "Where there never was said a discouraging word".
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Envy and jealousy are what we feel in our hearts whenever we feel inferior to another person. As it is, envy and jealousy already contort and distort our actions and behaviour. In the spoken form, it comes out as criticism and moral judgement. In the 1st reading, we heard how Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses in connection to his marriage with a Cushite woman. There was really nothing wrong with that, but the real reason was that they were envious and jealous of Moses and they used a trivial matter to express it. So what they said merely expressed the envy and jealousy that were biting away in their hearts.
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As what Jesus said in the gospel, what goes into the mouth does not make a man unclean. Rather it is what comes out of the mouth that really shows the state of the heart. Hence, in our examination of conscience, it is necessary to recollect and reflect on the words that have come out of our mouths. By our own words, we will know what is in our hearts.
May we offer our hearts to the Lord to be cleansed and healed so that our hearts will be where the Lord makes His home and that we will speak only words of love.
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They had learnt their lesson. One other lesson they were taught. When the difficulties and needs are the greatest, God is closest. we are in his hands, he guards us. As long as we look only at the difficulties, we sink. When we have confidence, we ask: bid me come to you.
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Prayer
Father, God of the everlasting covenant, you have tied us to yourself with leading strings of lasting love; the words you speak to us are spirit and life. Open our hearts to your word, that they may touch us in the deepest of ourselves. May they move us to serve you not in a slavish way, but as your sons and daughters who love you and whom you have set free through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
The Story of the Dedication of Saint Mary Major Basilica
First raised at the order of Pope Liberius in the mid-fourth century, the Liberian basilica was rebuilt by Pope Sixtus III shortly after the Council of Ephesus affirmed Mary’s title as Mother of God in 431. Rededicated at that time to the Mother of God, St. Mary Major is the largest church in the world honoring God through Mary. Standing atop one of Rome’s seven hills, the Esquiline, it has survived many restorations without losing its character as an early Roman basilica. Its interior retains three naves divided by colonnades in the style of Constantine’s era. Fifth-century mosaics on its walls testify to its antiquity.St. Mary Major is one of the four Roman basilicas known as patriarchal churches in memory of the first centers of the Church. St. John Lateran represents Rome, the See of Peter; St. Paul Outside the Walls, the See of Alexandria, allegedly the see presided over by Mark; St. Peter’s, the See of Constantinople; and St. Mary’s, the See of Antioch, where Mary is supposed to have spent most of her later life.
One legend, unreported before the year 1000, gives another name to this feast: Our Lady of the Snows. According to that story, a wealthy Roman couple pledged their fortune to the Mother of God. In affirmation, she produced a miraculous summer snowfall and told them to build a church on the site. The legend was long celebrated by releasing a shower of white rose petals from the basilica’s dome every August 5.
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Reflection
Theological debate over Christ’s nature as God and man reached fever pitch in Constantinople in the early fifth century. The chaplain of Bishop Nestorius began preaching against the title Theotokos, “Mother of God,” insisting that the Virgin was mother only of the human Jesus. Nestorius agreed, decreeing that Mary would henceforth be named “Mother of Christ” in his see. The people of Constantinople virtually revolted against their bishop’s refutation of a cherished belief. When the Council of Ephesus refuted Nestorius, believers took to the streets, enthusiastically chanting, “Theotokos! Theotokos!”
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When you hear the word church, what do you think of? Do you think of the priests and people of your own parish? Do you think of a Sunday morning when families of the parish gather to celebrate the Eucharistic liturgy? Do you picture a stately building with a round dome, pointed towers, and stained glass windows? The word church has a variety of meanings.
Today’s feast focuses our attention on a church building, a basilica called St. Mary Major. Tradition says that in August 352 the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a wealthy nobleman in Rome. She asked that a church be built on the spot where he would find snow. On that summer day, snow did mysteriously appear and a church was built on the spot and dedicated to Our Lady of the Snows.
Apart from the story, however, we know that a church was built on that spot in the fourth century and was rebuilt in 434. The church was also rededicated to Mary, the Mother of God. This title of Mary was protected by the ecumenical council of Ephesus. Today St. Mary Major is the largest church in the world dedicated to Our Lady. This church is called a patriarchal church, one where the pope officiates on certain occasions. There is a special altar in this church used by the Holy Father and by others with special permission. On a deeper level, this feast reminds us that Mary has been reverenced throughout the history of the Church as our Mother. As she foretold in her prayer, the Magnificat, “All generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48).
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When the Jews celebrated the jubilee year every fiftieth year, slaves were supposed to be set free, land alienated through debts, to be returned to its original owner. The idea was to allow for a radically new beginning, with respect for human rights and dignity. It was an attempt to bring about a more equitable distribution of goods within the people of God. The Christian Holy Year takes its inspiration from the Jewish Jubilee Year. For us, then, should the jubilee year not mean to create more justice within the Church, with a new start to be made, new chances offered to start from scratch? Is this not the image of the Christian life? A clean slate to start with, new reconciliation?
