Daily Reflections ...

If you have watched Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark, you know that the Ark of the Covenant is the chest containing the tablets that God gave Moses. The Jews revered the law as God’s Word itself, and so the Ark was held in highest esteem.

Within the Ark of the Covenant was the Word of God: the law given to Moses on Mt. Sinai, as well as the manna that came down from heaven which fed the Israelites in the desert. The Ark of the Covenant is a foreshadowing of Mary, the Ark of the new Covenant. Mary contains within her the Word of God, Jesus, and the true Manna from heaven: the Eucharist, the Body of Christ itself. Just as Jesus was foreshadowed in the Old Testament, so too was Mary. There are numerous other parallels which I encourage you to explore.

Luke, the writer of this Gospel clearly wants his readers to believe that Jesus of Nazareth is indeed the Messiah, foretold from of old in the scriptures. He is the new Covenant, and Mary is the new Ark, the new tabernacle containing within her Jesus, the new law and the true bread from heaven.

There are many different points of nourishment and spiritual growth that can be gleaned from this revelation, but the first and probably the broadest way of looking at this amazing feast day, is that by reflecting on Christ foretold in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New, we are learning the language of God. We are learning that God communicates to us by making connections, fulfilling promises and prophecies, and writing history in a way that assures us that all time and all things are in his hands.

by David Kruse