Reflection/Homily: Fourth (4th) Sunday of Advent Year C
Theme:
The Joy of the Visitation
Last Sunday traditionally
known as the “Gaudete Sunday”, we were invited to rejoice for the Lord is in
our midst. In today’s readings, we see in concrete terms, a manifestation of
that joy, the joy that comes from the presence of the Lord. This joy is the
reason for today’s visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. This joy was first prophesied
by the prophet Micah in the first reading (Micah 5:1-4). He delivered a message
that brought great joy to all who heard it. It was a message of hope and of
deliverance concerning the One who is to be born in Bethlehem and who will
bring in the day of peace when all nations will look to Jerusalem. He will be great and will rule over the people
with power and majesty and He himself will be peace.
In the Gospel reading (Luke
1:39-44), we see the fulfillment of this prophecy in the visitation of Mary to
Elizabeth after the message of the Angel to Mary in Luke 1:26-38. Mary accepted
the message of the Angel with great joy and when she was told that her cousin
Elizabeth was already six months pregnant, with joy, she hurried off to meet
her.
Mary must have gone to share
the Good News that she received from the Angel with her cousin Elizabeth, to
witness God’s goodness in the life of Elizabeth whom people call barren, to
share in her joy and finally, to offer her some assistance until she put to
bed. That was why she spent her first trimester there in humble service to
Elizabeth.
Mary, the Ark of the new
covenant had Christ hidden in her but she had to make Him visible in her
attitude towards Elizabeth and as the Ark brought joy to the household where it
was kept for three months, Mary also brought joy to Elizabeth whom she stayed
with for three months (cf.2 Samuel 6). As Christ left His exalted position in
heaven and came down to earth to save us, Mary also left her exalted position
as the Mother of God and went down to see Elizabeth and help her. This is an
invitation to make Christ visible in all our actions within this season and
beyond. We should descend from our lofty thrones and identify with the poor and
the weak. We should let others especially those we are better than experience
and share in the joy the Lord has caused us.
Elizabeth on her own part through
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit recognized the Messiah in Mary’s womb and
went ahead to praise her. He praises form part of the Hail Mary. Even the child
in her womb rejoiced on hearing her voice. This is an invitation to rejoice
with those who are favoured by God. Our society today witnesses a lot of jealousy
and envy among the people of God. We are called to eschew such vices among us
and celebrate with those who find favour in God’s sight.
Besides, Mary being equally
pregnant and needed to be cared for went ahead to sacrifice her time and energy
in caring for Elizabeth and attending to her domestic needs. By her sacrifice,
Elizabeth was relieved of stress and anxiety. As Christians and imitators of
Mary, we are also invited to sacrifice for the good of the other. As the second
reading (Hebrews 10:5-10) presents to us the image of Christ who offered a
single and entire sacrifice to make us holy, we should also be ready to sacrifice our time, our talents and even our
resources to make others happy especially this Christmas.
Therefore, beloved friends,
the Lord is in our midst. He has come to save us and we have to rejoice. We
should not rejoice alone but also allow those around us to share in our joy not
by bragging over what God has done for us but by our gentle and humble charitable
services to others. As Christians, the work of God’s grace among us should draw
us together into the bonds of divine love which should be devoid of every jealousy
and envy but should help us appreciate the good that happens to the other. Merry
Christmas in advance. God loves you.
This is a wonderful reflection. Thanks for connecting the three readings.
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