Luke 1:39-45
During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill
country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary´s greeting, the infant leaped
in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud
voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the
fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me that the mother of my Lord
should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my
ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that
what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."
* * *
Introductory Prayer: Lord, help me to settle my mind and my
heart. I know that you are present in this prayer. I want to turn aside all
distractions. Increase my faith in your action in my life. You are leading me
to yourself. Help me to place myself more fully in your hands. Increase my
faith so that I will do anything and suffer anything for you. Use me as an
instrument of your grace in the lives of those I meet today.
Petition: Lord,
help me to follow Mary’s example of faith and love and bring you to others this
Christmas.
1. Right to
the Doorstep: Mary, Our Advent Model: Mary is truly the
model of how we should be living Advent in preparing for Christ’s arrival. God
the Father prepared her from the first moment of her conception to be the
worthy mother of his Son. Like a faithful daughter of Israel, she had prayed
throughout her youth for the coming of the Messiah. When she was a young lady,
she discovered that she was part of God’s answer to that prayer, but in a way
that would have far exceeded any Hebrew maiden’s prayers: not only would the Messiah
be her son, but her son would also be God. Her “fiat”, her wholehearted “yes!”
to the Archangel Gabriel, launched the proximate preparation for the birth of
Jesus the Messiah. Let us enter into Mary’s response of faith, which is a guide
for us along our own pilgrimage of faith. Let us listen to the beat of Mary’s
contemplative heart, so that our Christmas may be as fruitful as that first
Christmas.
2. The
Cooperation of Man and God: Someone Who Loves Takes Notice of the
Details: No sooner had the Archangel left Mary in Nazareth after announcing her
important role in God’s incredible plan of salvation than Mary herself made
plans to depart. She went with haste to help her elderly kinswoman Elizabeth
who was pregnant for the first time. Gabriel had not instructed Mary to go to
Elizabeth’s aid, nor did he suggest it. Mary’s great love was sufficient to
cause her to spring into action and embark upon the long sixty-mile journey to
Elizabeth’s hometown outside Jerusalem. In undertaking this challenging and
potentially dangerous journey, Mary showed — as she did at the wedding feast in
Cana — that someone who loves takes notice of the details. She showed that
someone who loves does whatever possible to lend a helping hand, even at the
cost of considerable sacrifice. We can imagine that this was Mary’s attitude
from her earliest childhood.
3. The
Spontaneous Magnificat: Be A Missionary — Bring Christ! - By
going to Elizabeth’s aid, Mary — carrying the tiny Jesus in her womb — became
the first missionary, the first bearer of the Good News that would change all
of human history. Mary was able to bring incredible joy to both Elizabeth and
John the Baptist in her womb precisely because she was bringing Christ. And
Mary was able to burst out with her beautiful Magnificat for the very same
reason. To bring joy to others this Christmas, we really have to bring them
Christ. He is the greatest gift we could ever bring to someone we love — all
the material goods in the world fall flat in comparison. Without sharing Jesus,
we are not giving our loved ones anything that is truly lasting. Bring Christ
and you bring everything.
Conversation
with Christ:
Lord Jesus, it is clear that your mother wants me to learn from her
example. She inspires me to bring you to others this Christmas season. I know
plenty of people who desperately need you in their lives, who need your
forgiveness, who hunger for your love and presence, perhaps without even
knowing it. I know that my loving relationship with you is never meant to be
kept to myself; it is a gift meant to be shared. Your mother’s example shows me
the way to live Advent well and explicitly challenges me to be a missionary by
bringing you to the world.
Resolution: I will share my
faith this Christmas season with a friend or relative in need.