Mary, the new ark of the covenant

There really is no passage in the entire Bible that for me forms the link between the Old and the New Testament quite so clearly as the Virgin Mary travelling to visit her cousin Elizabeth. While the encounter is in everyone's mind, especially if they pray the liturgy of the hours, because of the Magnificat, the fact that Mary travels from Nazareth to the hill country of Judah is a small detail, often read quickly but which carries with it great significance. Judah is where the ark of the covenant dwelt and Mary, in carrying the Messiah, being thus the new ark of the covenant, was travelling to the same hill country.

What follows is their encounter, the baby John (the baptist) leaps in Elizabeth's womb and she exclaims "And why has this happened to me that the mother of my Lord comes to me?"  and Mary responds with her song of praise. It can sometimes be easy to forget that these two women were Israelites, that the babies they carried were Israelites and that their God and Lord was the same as He who came to Abraham and then gave the Covenant to Moses, and was born to us as Jesus Christ. Our connection thus to the Hebrew Bible is profound, our lives are a continuation from theirs but in a new light, in the new covenant, but one that does not break away from it rather it brings it out even more to the light. The gradual nature of revelation, seen throughout the Bible, is part of how God does not show us everything in one go. Not in our personal lives and not in the history of Salvation. He knows it would be too much for us and gently brings it to light at the moment in which we are prepared to receive it. Advent symbolises many things: there is waiting for the coming of our Saviour, the hope, faith, and joy this brings, but there is also a remembrance of our history of salvation, and a call to repentance, a call to prepare of our souls for receiving the redeemer. I would add there is a reminder that God prepares us to receive His revelation: Advent is thus a reflection of the covenantal history: the history of God revealing Himself gradually.

During the first two weeks of Advent, the readings in Mass speak of God's coming. They speak of hope and preparation. This is then followed by two weeks that speak of joy and love. The historical reminder of our covenantal history is the basis upon which these virtues the liturgy is drawing us to are meant to grow. The readings from Isaiah may seem strange with its language of vengeance but they are speaking of how God has been faithful to His people, and how He has and will continue to rescue them from the evils of this world. The hope and joy spoken of stems from the knowledge that God never abandons us. As we prepare to receive the Redeemer let us not lose sight that his coming is both a part of the gradual, gentle revelation of His plan- symbolised in the gradual lighting of the Advent wreath- and the fulfilment of His promise.

*all Biblical quotes are from the NSRV Catholic Edition