
by Doug Lawrence
I grew up in the 50’s and 60’s, in a (fairly) conventional family consisting of dad, mom, two brothers and a sister.
Dad took the car to work each day. Mom stayed home and took care of the house and kids. No surprises there.
We all went to Catholic school … but that’s not the point. The point is how mom ran the household … and particularly … the way she personally maintained family standards.
Even though we rarely had any serious discussions, there was no doubt that we were unconditionally loved and cared for … mainly because that’s pretty much all that mom did … 24/7 and 365. Of course, dad’s job (and his personal commitment to the family) made possible that extraordinary level of “intensive care”.
The house was always spotless. Meals weren’t fancy, but they were generally prepared on time and in abundance. Our clothing, grooming, and personal behavior were always closely and very effectively monitored … sometimes through “mysterious” means. Family outings were modest affairs, but frequent. Holidays were indeed feasts, with Christmas and Easter being number one and number two (but not necessarily in that order). Sundays were reserved for Mass and for family.
That’s just the way things were. We never questioned why.
Little went unnoticed, and nothing important to mom could ever be considered (by us) as irrelevant or insignificant, since we knew with certainty that a fate worse than death awaited all those who might transgress.
The means of our execution was the dreaded “whipstrap”!
Reputed to be a family heirloom of indeterminate age, the whipstrap had been fashioned from a stout piece of leather, roughly three inches wide and twenty-four inches long. The first part served as a handle. The last was cut into a classic “cat o’ nine tails” … and it was truly awesome to behold!
The “instrument” typically need not even be displayed, since the mere mention of it was usually sufficient to restore order. But, when partial measures were unsuccessful, deploying the whipstrap and applying a stroke or two, usually did the trick.
Mom was in pretty good physical shape (probably from all that walking … since she didn’t drive … and there was no outrunning her. She was even known to leap fences (and reportedly, tall buildings) in a single bound. And should we have been fortunate enough to discover a hiding place that was (as yet) unknown or inaccessible to her, dad would always be home, by six.
There was no escape!
The carnage wrought by the whipstrap was immense … and the suffering impossible to imagine … at least for a moment or two … in our young minds. Yet we all survived … and thrived … mainly because we were able to develop a good, clear sense of what was right and what was wrong. We also learned that actions brought sure and certain consequences … and sometimes, those consequences could be unpleasant.
The whipstrap effectively symbolized all of that potential unpleasantness. In this, a vision of Hell itself could not have been any more effective.
Years later … studying the Old Testament of the Bible … I suddenly realized that all the carnage and strife recorded therein really wasn’t much different than what went on back home … albeit on a much grander scale.
God lovingly cared for his children. God had particular standards and preferences, and when the “kids” got out of hand, God did what was necessary … for their own good … to rein them in.
Evil, in the person of Satan, made the problems in the Bible much more intractable, and the consequences much more severe. But, the “model” still works, since God remains the master of life and death, and he is most certainly able to transcend any and all human sufferings and failings … either in this world … or in the next.
Back home, should there have ever been any doubt about the fairness of our punishment, a hug from mom or dad was typically all that was necessary to fix things. No harm. No foul. Life went on.
My Catholic faith informs me that a “hug” from the Almighty would undoubtedly, have a similar effect.
So, you see … thanks to my parents and my family … I know man and I know God. I know love and I know wrath. I know justice and I know peace … and I know (as a faithful Catholic) that I have nothing to fear.
It’s good to “know” stuff like that … especially, when living in difficult times!
Classic Bible Commentary Offers Profound Insights Into Holy Scripture
Practical excerpt from the commentary:
[Luke 1:26–38. Mat. 1:18–25]
The angel of the Lord was sent to Mary in order to procure this (her) consent. The time had arrived, and the Son of God was ready to descend from heaven and become Man.
It only remained for her, whom God the Father had chosen to be the Mother of His Son, to give her consent to be so. The angel of God therefore explained this great mystery, and waited for her answer, on which depended the salvation of the world.
While meditating upon that decisive moment, St. Bernard uttered this prayer to Mary: “Now, O Virgin, thou hast heard what is to be, and how it is to be. Both mysteries are exceeding joyous and wonderful. But the angel awaits thine answer, for it is time for him to return to God who sent him.
We too, O Mary, our Queen, we who are weighed down by the divine sentence, we wait for thy speech, thy words of mercy. For behold, the price of our redemption is offered to thee; and as soon as thou dost accept it, we shall be saved.
We were all created by the eternal word of God, and yet, behold, we die! But if thou wilt speak one little word, we shall live!
Speak then, Oh, speak that decisive word. Adam and his unhappy children, banished from Paradise, beseech this of thee! David and all our holy fathers—thy fathers too—beseech thee! The whole world, prostrate before thee, looks to thee and beseeches!
On thy words depend the comfort of the afflicted, the deliverance of the condemned, the salvation of the children of Adam! Hesitate not, O Virgin! Speak, O Mary, that sweet word of consent, which we who are on the earth, and under the earth, now wait for!”
Mary, as you know, did utter that decisive word of compliance: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word!” By these glorious and precious words she pronounced the longed-for consent.
Read more at eCatholic2000.com
Download the Classic Text: A Practical Commentary On Holy Scripture (PDF)
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August 8, 2022
Categories: Books & Publications . Tags: bible, Bishop Knecht, Blessed Virgin Mary, catholic, Catholic-Church, commentary, god, Jesus Christ, scripture . Author: Hosted by Doug Lawrence . Comments: Leave a comment