Have you ever gotten a meditation wrong?
We have a number of decisions to make right now; some discernment is called for. I have a busy nature, am always doing something, and so one of the few times that I have for my mind to wander freely is in the pool while I swim; can't listen to music, can't write, so I think. I was there, swimming, thinking, and casting about for images to meditate on in an effort to bring some insight to my mental processes, and I settled on the Annunciation, and "I am the handmaid of the Lord."
I spent several laps considering "I am the handmaid of the Lord." I was thinking about how the first response to the angel's greeting is "How can this be?" and then, after a certain explanation, the self-identification, followed by the assent. I found it intriguing, the one piece of information that, to the betrothed virgin, is apparently both necessary and sufficient for the identification, the assent. It was interesting to think about, and then, as I passed from the English to the Latin (Ecce ancilla domini) I realized -- wait, that isn't quite right -- it's not "I am," but "Behold."
"Behold the handmaid of the Lord." I knew that, of course, but I misremembered.
Anyway, Ecce is translated to "Behold" rather idiomatically -- it isn't precisely a command to look upon something, as far as I can tell, and can also mean "Here is..." or something along those lines.
I had to laugh at myself, because I rather think it would have made a difference to us -- perhaps disastrously -- had it come out as "I AM."
There is an old Latin textbook that was entitled _Ecce Romani_ and we always, probably idiomatically, described it as, "Look! Romans!"
Posted by: ChristyP | 11 April 2012 at 03:20 PM