psalm 87: mt. zion and the divine initiative - 4th week easter tuesday 1

Mt. Zion, the hill on which Jerusalem, the holy city, now stands, is praised by our responsorial psalm today, Psalm 87:  "His foundation upon the holy mountains the LORD loves: The gates of Zion, more than any dwelling of Jacob. Glorious things are said of you, O city of God!"

So why does God love Mt. Zion, why are glorious things said of this city of God, why Zion, why is Jerusalem important, why is it a city like no other?  There are so many cities in the world more important, stronger, powerful, more beautiful than Zion – what makes it so important compared to these other cities, what makes it different from these other cities?  Because God chose to love Zion.  Zion did not choose God.  Instead God chose Zion.  It is the divine initiative at work.

God loved us while we were yet sinners.  God loved us while we were yet unlovable.  This is our joy in the Lord because it means that his love for us is not triggered by the good that we do.  His kindness towards us is not given because of good deeds on our part. God's kindness, God's goodness is with us even when we have nothing to show to deserve it.

Psalm 87 also reminds us that all of us are connected to Mt. Zion.  Zion is our spiritual home, she is our spiritual mother who gave birth to us.  It is because of the events that took place in Jerusalem, it is because of what happened to Jesus in Mt. Zion, his death and resurrection, which gave us new birth in God, making us all children of God.  That is why Psalm 87 calls Zion, our mother - "This man was born there." And of Zion they shall say: "One and all were born in her." And all shall sing, in their festive dance:  "My home is within you."

This year is year of the parish.  We have come from different places, born in different towns and villages.  This psalm prods us to remember the places where we were born not just physically but spiritually, the parish where you were baptized, the place where your journey in grace begun many years ago.  In a sense like Mt. Zion, our parish is a mother to each one of us, our spiritual mother, and we are thankful for the gift of faith which she faithfully handed down to us.