1. Christ is the pattern of the Christian life--His Beatific Vision during His lifetime means Christians are called to contemplatively gaze upon the Father "in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor 4:6).
2. "Ecce venio," "Behold I come" (Heb 10:7) means the Son's "towardness" to the Father (cf Jn 1:1, "et le Verbe était tourné vers Dieu" [TOB]) reached its maximal capacity in the Incarnation and, more intensely, in HIs priestly Self-offering.
3. Second Joyful Mystery of the Rosary--St John the Baptist leaped in the womb of St Elizabeth. Since the Precursor was of the Aaronic clan of Levi, might his leaping be the first instance of exercising the Ancient Testament priesthood--as they were wont to dance before the Ark--the Blessed Virgin being as she is the Ark of the New Testament?
4. The liturgy speaks of Mary's obedience to the (written) Word as the other side of the coin of God's will in her conceiving the Eternal Word. But we cannot overlook her Virginal, Immaculate Heart, whose purity rendered her obedience meeting God's will most fecund. Thus, the study of sacred theology--the Word being as it is its very soul--must be accompanied by an imitation of the Immaculate Heart (cf Mt 5:8).
