FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
19 DECEMBER 2021
We
hear the story of two incredible women of faith embracing one another. Elizabeth is pregnant in her old age. She had endured the pain of infertility for many
years. Now she is expecting a child so
long desired. We can only imagine how
happy and exuberant she is. Mary is
young and unmarried. She has only
recently been told about a child she did not expect. We can only imagine that she is frightened
and unsure of what will happen.
In the
midst of these contrasts, both mothers demonstrate that they are open to God’s
work through them in a beautiful and profound way. Elizabeth is from the priestly class of the
Temple in Jerusalem. Mary is a humble
peasant from Nazareth, a backwater village in the north. Despite being in a higher socioeconomic class,
Elizabeth bows to the presence of the gift in Mary’s womb. She points to the relationship of the child
leaping for joy in her womb with the Son of God present in the womb of
Mary. Both of these women model a gift
of faith that will literally nurture God’s presence on earth. In ways that they may not understand in this
moment, their children will alter the course of human history. The Baptist will be the precursor, the one
pointing to the Lamb of God. Jesus will
be the One named in the Letter to the Hebrews:
the Savior who will sacrifice his life out of love for all of us.
In
Elizabeth, we see the example of faith through long suffering. How many of us can identify with her? Perhaps you have suffered from an inability
to conceive children. Or maybe you have
suffered from economic disappointment, or some kind of affliction. Some may have struggled for years in vain
trying to bring sobriety to a loved one who is suffering from a terrible addiction. These difficulties can bring us near the
brink of despair. It is very easy to be angry
in these situations, because it seems that God has not responded to our urgent
appeals for help.
In Mary, we
see the example of faith in unexpected hardship. Certainly, children are always a gift. But, there are always difficulties, as any
parent can testify. All of us know what
it is like to experience hardship that we could never have anticipated. In the moment, we find it difficult to see
that hardship as a gift. We also know the
fear of taking a step into the unknown and trusting God’s presence when we
decide to leave our place of comfort and safety.
That is why
Mary goes in haste to the hill country to meet her cousin Elizabeth. In their different situations, each of these
women can teach us how to be open to God’s gift and trust that the Lord is
present in that gift. Each of these
women, in her own way, can show us how to be open to how God can work in our
lives, especially in unexpected and difficult situations. Each of them shows us a deep faith that God
can turn a hardship into a gift.
That is the
real Mystery we are preparing to celebrate later this week at Christmas. God has become present to the world in a way
that no one could have expected. The
prophets may have given hope to their people that God would send a messiah. But they could not have imagined that God
would actually take flesh and make his dwelling among us.
Mary
provides both a gift and a model for us.
On this last Sunday of Advent, she invites us to imitate her example. Like Mary, we have listened carefully to the
Word just proclaimed to us. Like Mary,
we can give praise and thanks for that Word, whether we receive it within the
context of long suffering or unexpected hardship. We can ask her intercession to find ways to
respond in faith to God’s Word. Then,
like Mary, we can go in haste. We go in
haste to gather together with family and loved ones to celebrate the incredible
Mystery of the Incarnation, embracing the Christ born in our midst today.
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