May the Lord be in our
minds, on our lips, and in our hearts, that worthily we might proclaim the Good
News!
In this weekend's reading from Isaiah, the prophet is
purified when a seraphim touches a burning ember to his lips; it is the prelude
to Isaiah's acceptance of his calling as prophet: Here I
am, send me!
This story may come to mind when we hear the Gospel
announced and make a small Sign of the Cross on our forehead and mouth and over
our heart. Such crosses probably date
back to Frankish or Germanic societies of the ninth to eleventh centuries. For a long time, this gesture was reserved
for priests, though over the years, probably after the Council of Trent, the
assembly began to follow suit. Since
2003, however, the General Instruction of the Roman Missal has extended the privilege to laypeople (Article #134).
And the words we say are significant: May the
Lord be in our minds, on our lips, and in our hearts, that worthily we might
proclaim the Good News! In a sense,
we are asking for the same kind of purification experienced by Isaiah, so that God
may always be foremost in our thoughts, so that our lips might be devoted to
giving witness to Jesus' redemptive Word, and so that our hearts might open in
love to the Love that is ours through the Incarnation. It is an eminently appropriate prayer to keep in mind as we
enter the Season of Lent.
May the Lord be in
your mind, on your lips,
and in your heart, that worthily you might proclaim
the Good News!
Image source: Seraphim Purifying the Lips of Isaiah (fresco), Catalan School, 15th c.
Sources: 1 and 2
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