Mother of the Lord [4th Sunday of Advent - December 23, 2012]

The Sunday Gospel [4th Sunday of Advent - December 23, 2012]

Luke 1:39-45

39During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, 40where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, 42cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord* should come to me? 44For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. 45Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

Reflection

The reasons why Luke included the Visitation scene are significant. Not only did he want to show the close link between Jesus and John but also the inherent superiority of the Lord even at this early point in their existence. At its most obvious level, the Visitation is a sharing of joy and faith, something to which we Catholics are not accustomed. At Christmastime, we gather for the Christmas Mass but seldom talk with each other about the implications of the Incarnation. Each of us has a private theology of it which, regrettably, we keep private. We share food, time, presents with others. But the deepest, most personal and most memorable gift we have to share with others is our faith.

Point: Our relationship with the Lord is a spiritual extension of the Incarnation. To include others within it is a great gift at Christmas.

Reflection Credits: Fr. S. Joseph Krempa, Daily Homilies

Source: The Reflection is from Bro. Abel Navarro (you can visit his blog at http://myblogabelnavarroabel.blogspot.com/).