WEEK 4 - THE ORTHODOX READINGS - [Continued from page 1]
action", since BARA is an agricultural word used for the "cutting of the wood". As a matter of fact, "beq'at" is interestingly a "piece of wood", which is rather surprising in a region where wood has to be imported and was a precious material. The "breaking through" action is of course the act of inception or creation. We usually avoid, in most Churches, to directly refer to any kind of sexual or physical contact. The Semitic Churches are mostly pragmatic and sexual intercourse is a sacred act and consists in the penetration by a male into a female, into her "heder" [room], "maqom" [intuimate place] representation the Temple Itself. This was not the case, as we do confess in the Orthodox and the Catholic Churches, as concerns the Mother of God Who was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit. In the case of the priest Zechariah and his wife Elisabeth, we assist to a series of "breaking through's": the priest enters the Temple and is given a revelation, then his wife is visited by the Mother of God, a young Virgin Who is to be the Holy Temple which sheltered the Lord [cf. Week 2]. This creative act naturally breaks through the integrity of the woman's body. It is not a violent but as strongly "clearing" move.
c] BaQaR: to enter into, to break forth, to shine and "HUVQAR': to be declared free, to be free. This is about the same meaning as mentioned above. In Modern Hebrew, though readily shown in the Talmud, is a nice piece of beef, sometimes on skewers as Russian "Shashliki" because this animal is considered as a very powerful one, just as the bullocks offered on the altar and representing God's Chosen People [Psalm 51:19]. It should be noted that this penetration breaks forth, shines and delivers, as a birth does.
d] BeOeR: morning, early day; light, visit salvation. As said in Taanit I,64A, "morning, the visiting hour, is for the righteous and night for the wicked [Heathens, evil-doers]. This has something to do with Zechariah's Prophecy thanking God after the birth of his son: "Blessed be the Lord, God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people and has raised a horn of salvatgion for us..." [Luke 1:68-69].
AS CONCERNS THE CONCEPTION OF SAINT JOHN THE FORERUNNER, WE HAVE TO FACE TO VERY CONCRETE MEETING, VISIT, INTIMACY BETWEEN DIFFERENT MEMBERS OF A FAMILY WHOSE LIFE IS DEDICATED TO THE SERVICE OF GOD AND, THEN, OF THE TEMPLE. THIS VISIT IS AN ACTIVE PROCESS, A CREATIVE ONE BREAKING THROUGH MISBELIEF, LACK OF FAITH, DARKNESS, ABSENCE OF CONFIDENCE. IT LEADS TO LIGHT, TO A DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE ACTING PEOPLE AND GOD AND SHINES, ENLIGHTENS THE POWER OF SALVATION.
In Modern Hebrew, "levaqer" [to visit], "bikkur" [visit] is a common word. A "mevaqer" is the comptroller of the finances of the State as a checking agent in a bus and nobody will consider them as morning stars or visitors... Do we accept the prophetic action of God in our Lives? When I meet people, am I bored or focusing on myself, themselves, or do I find out that God is amidst us and it might be a creative "party"? How do I use, misuse or do not use my conception faculties or abilities, both physically and intellectually?
We should read with attention what happens throughout the process of the conception and the birth of the Forerunner. His father is the priest Zechariah and his mother is called Elisabeth and is of the priestly daughters of Aaron [Luke 1:5]. Saint John is conceived beyond time and logical feminine period cycle, which is important in the Semitic world: "mahzor" in Hebrew is both the cyclical book of prayers and the monthly period of a woman.
We know that the Semitic roots changed and were spelled in different ways through the centuries, but the name of the priest Zechariah [God Remembers] has a specia meaning: ZaKHaR is a male, a man. He has the deposit of the memory, ZIKKARON which is the imprint, the mark of his life-giving capacities by sharing his semen to his wife.
This priest is serving inside the Temple, he had penetrated into the most holy part in order to offer the sacrifice of incense. And there, the Archangel Gabriel explains to him that he will be given a son. He does not laugh like Sarah. He does not trust the words transmitted to him by God. He should accept them because his whole life is consecrated to God. The Gospel shows a "revolving" situation: in the Bible, Abraham has faith and Sarah laughs. In the Gospel, the priest who is acting for the sake of the living Presencer and memory of God does not believe but the women do, both Elisabeth and Mary.
In Semitic languages, "Memory" is not something of the past. "zikkaron" recalls the first break-through and powerful act of creation in order to understand it as a living move TODAY AND IN THE FUTURE. Therefore THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST AND EVERY EUCHARIST IS A MEMORIAL SHINING TODAY FOR THE DAY TO COME.
Now the name "Elisabeth" is also very interesting in this context. ELISHEVAH, with an alternative name YISHBA'EL [which became: Isabela, Isabelle] mean: "God has sworn". And please do read the priestly psalm 110, especially verse 3: "Your people shall be willing in the day of Your power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning. You have the dew of your youth". And verse 4: "God has sworn [Nishba' HaShem], and will not repent [velo yinakhem]/ You are priest for ever [Atah Kohen le'olam], after the order of Melchizedek [al divrati Malki-Cedeq]".
This essential psalm considered as referring to Jesus as the Unique High Priest and which shows some various possible interpretations and tr4anslations, shows us what happens during the account of the conception of Saint John the Forerunner. His father should have acted not
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