Dear Church,
This past Sunday, we read the Annunciation and the Magnificat, and wondered together and learned from the humble and courageous faith of a 1st-century Palestinian peasant girl that we now know as the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In the midst of our deep longing for Jesus to come and make it all right, we are learning together to resist the temptations of:
- triumphalism, where we rush out to accomplish things in our own strength,
- cynicism, where we give up hope and wallow in despair, and
- avoidance, where we dumb our suffering through addictive behaviors.
Instead, we learn from Mary to humbly receive the good news God speaks to us, trusting it and allowing it to take whatever shape it will, and to boldly announce the sure coming of God’s kingdom to rescue the poor and bring freedom to the oppressed, even when nothing seems to have changed tangibly.
I mentioned that this kind of “defiant hope” can be heard in the songs that came out of the Civil Rights Movement and the South African struggle against apartheid. (I even sang a couple of them!)
One way to practically respond to this good news is to find some “freedom songs” and sing them loud this week. To that end, here are a few recordings of the songs I mentioned on Sunday, as well as an album that I’ve found to be wonderfully appropriate for this kind of prophetic singing.
Freedom is Coming
Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down
Justice Songs, by the Porter’s Gate
Let’s sing God’s kingdom of justice and peace this week, loudly and boldly like Mary! And we’ll see you on Christmas Eve for more singing.
Grace and peace,
Fr. Ben
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