psalm 105: sons and daughters of the incarnation - 32nd week Saturday 2017

Today we reflect on psalm 105.  This is a long psalm narrating the mighty deeds of God in freeing his people from the bondage of Egypt.  It celebrates these events in thanksgiving and praise to God for as the psalm says in the last stanza “for he remembered his holy word to his servant Abraham."

This is what we celebrate every time we gather for the Eucharist, or for morning prayers or for evening prayers  – God remembering his word, God remembering his promise.  In Easter, we celebrate not just the resurrection, not just the rising of Jesus from the dead.  But we celebrate his rising as he said he will – resurrexit sicut dixit.  In Christmas, we celebrate not just the birth of the Lord but primarily the fulfillment of his promise to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his covenant forever.  This he fulfilled in his birth.  This is the essence of every celebration – God said he would and God does it.

This celebration of the fulfillment of God’s holy word should also urge us to remember our own holy words, the promises we made to God, the vows we made to each other, in marriage, in our religious profession, in the oaths we make, in the promises we keep,  in fulfilling them as we said we would.  We celebrate it because though it is just a word, it is never taken lightly; though it is just a simple yes I do, it is never forgotten, it is always treasured, and it will be forever honored.

We are sons and daughters of the incarnation - our words must always take flesh.