4th Sunday of Advent (Cycle C, Year II)
Community Word: God gave us Jesus Christ to be our way to salvation.
Theme: We believe Jesus Christ is our way to salvation when we accept and obey the will of God in our lives.
Promise: “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” (Lk 1:45)
Reflection:
The gospel reading on the final Sunday of Advent brings us back to the Visitation, a scenario featuring two women – Elizabeth, old and considered a barren, and Mary, a young virgin who is visiting her. Both women are pregnant, though their individual circumstance would make it seem impossible. But God’s way is not man’s way, and He uses these two insignificant and humble, but with obedient spirits to pursue His great plan for mankind….“Nothing is impossible with God,” (Luke 1:37).
The spirit of joy fills the air as Mary enters Zechariah’s house with both women realizing that Yahweh’s promise to them, as announced by the angel, is being fulfilled. Even John the Baptist, the infant in Elizabeth’s womb, leaped with joy because he could not contain his delight at the coming fulfillment of human redemption…. “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb,” (Luke 1:41).
A few days from now, we shall be celebrating Christmas, commemorating the greatest gift from the Father, the gift of Jesus coming to the world to save us. On the day of his birth, the Lord needed a shelter – a manger, in which to be born. Today he seeks hearts to be the dwelling place of His Holy Spirit, souls ready and willing to accept the Word of God, and manifest His presence and the power of His kingdom. He is searching for obedient hearts who would say “yes” to His plan and allow Him to transform and touch lives and change the course of human history, if necessary. Christ cannot be born again without our consent.
The season calls everyone to possess an attitude of gratitude for God’s coming into our lives. We, who are members of BLD, and have experienced not only the Savior’s coming, but the presence of Emmanuel in our everyday life, are expected to express this thanksgiving through a life well-lived in the service of the Lord and his people, in and out of community. Like Mary, we carry the life of God within us, and with Christ growing in our life, we allow Him to be known by other people, His words to be heard as far and in as many places we can reach, as His love overcomes obstacles that may come our way – for this is the will of our Lord for us.
Our mission as a community may be tough for this coming year, but we are encouraged by the promise in the gospel, “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled,” (Luke 1:45). We are all called to be part of the change and to say “yes”, that God’s will may be fulfilled in us and through us.
May this poem from an unknown author be our prayer for the coming New Year ~
Dear Master for this coming year just one request I bring:
I do not pray for happiness or any earthly thing.
I do not ask to understand the way Thou leadest me,
But this I ask: teach me to do the thing that pleaseth Thee.
I want to know Thy guiding voice, to walk with thee each day.
Dear Master make me swift to hear and ready to obey.
And thus the year I now begin a happy year will be —
If I am seeking just to do the thing that pleaseth Thee.
Reflection Questions:
1. Do we allow God to take us out of our comfort zone, our daily routine, so that He can use us to bring about change in another person’s life, in our family, in our community?
2. Are we always ready to say “yes” when we are asked to serve at outreaches and mission activities of the community, even though we ourselves are experiencing struggles and challenges in life?
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
December 20, 2015 (Sun) Mi 5:1-4/Ps 80:2-3,15-16,18-19/Heb 10:5-10/Lk 1:39-45
December 21, 2015 (Mon) Sg 2:8-14/Ps 33:2-3,11-12,20-21/Lk 1:39-45
December 22, 2015 (Tue) 1Sm 1:24-28/1Sm 2:1,4-5,6-7,8/Lk 1:46-56
December23, 2015 (Wed) Mal 3:1-4,23-24/Ps 25:4-5,8-9,10,14/Lk 1:57-66
December 24, 2015 (Thu) 2Sm 7:1-5,8-12,14,16/Ps 89:2-3,4-5,27,29/Lk 1:67-69
December 25, 2015 (Fri) Is 52:7-10/Ps 98:1,2,3-4,5-6/Heb 1:1-6/Jn 1:1-18
December 26, 2015 (Sat) Acts 6:8-10;7:54-59/Ps 31:3-4,6,8,17,21/Mt 10:17-22
“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”
