Dec 16, 2024 5 min read

4th Sunday of Advent (Year C) – 22 December 2024

A Note on Advent

Advent has a twofold character and the Scripture Readings are chosen to reflect this:

it looks back with joy to the first Christmas when Christ’s first coming to us is remembered;

it looks forward with hope to Christ’s second coming when the end of time will bring liberation.

(cf. General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, 39)

Both aspects are a cause of joy and hope in the midst of life’s ups-&-downs. Despite life’s drama and turmoil, we can count on God to put things right. Be alert to his presence.

Quick Glance

Theme: The Promise of the Lord Fulfilled
Key Message: God is faithful to past promises; God will be faithful in the future. Blessed are you who believe.
Readings Summary:
- First Reading: Micah 5:1-4a – God’s promise of powerful protection through the ruler that shall come out of Bethlehem.
- Psalm: Psalm 79 (80) – Looking to God, praying for the help needed to restore.
- Second Reading: Hebrews 10:5-10 – Jesus doing the will of his Father has opened the way to God’s promise being fulfilled.
- Gospel: Luke 1:39-45 – Mary visits Elizabeth; both rejoice in God’s fulfilment of His promises.

Gospel Text (Luke 1:39-45)

Mary set out and travelled 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, “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.”

Overview of the Gospel

In this passage, Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, who is also miraculously expecting a child. Upon hearing Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s unborn child, John the Baptist, leaps in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, proclaims Mary’s blessedness and the blessedness of her child. Mary is the mother of the Lord, Elizabeth says, recognising Jesus as divine even before his birth. Mary is blessed: she believed the promise made by God to her.

Hearing this Gospel in Advent, the implied message to us as the subsequent generations of Christians is this: God’s faithfulness to promises of old is demonstrated in the birth of Jesus; God’s faithfulness will also fulfil all things at the end of time (whether personal or universal).

Contextual Reflections

Snapshot: Elizabeth is filled with joy as she is gripped by a sense of God’s marvellous presence and action in their human circumstances, in the ordinary stuff of their lives.

The leaping of John in Elizabeth’s womb signifies ‘faith’, the recognition of Jesus’ presence. The ‘leaping’ is the same word as was used of King David ‘leaping’ & dancing before the Ark of the Covenant. God is in action in life. There is exultant joy when we seek and recognise it. This Gospel invites us to ‘faith’, to notice the signs of God with us and to be open to the joy that follows.

This gospel passage is the sequel to the Annunciation. It also invites to ‘action’. God has connected Mary and Elizabeth. Mary embodies that connection through ‘action’, her reaching out to support her cousin, embodying selfless love. God’s promise connects us together and implies that we should ‘do our duty by each other’.

Connecting the Gospel to Today’s Cultural Context

Snapshot: Mary and Elizabeth’s encounter encourages us to seek and celebrate God’s presence in our relationships and communities.

In the prevailing mindset of today: it suits people to become individualistic, to withdraw to the comfort of their own homes, to make no effort beyond self-indulgence, to expect others to supply the solution. The rise of the entitled individual has become the bane of any health service and of those involved in education. In the Presbyterian tradition, they might say: when you take Christ off the Throne, you end up putting yourself there instead!

The absence of a sense of God has consequences. Feeling no need to connect with God has repercussions. The less one looks, the less one will look. The decline of ‘faith’ leads to a decline in ‘action’ (right living, self-control, thinking of others). Both ‘faith’ and ‘action’ are in evidence in the Gospel this weekend. Mary has the mindset that leads her to reach out to Elizabeth.

The Season of Advent has the counter-cultural message of God’s presence and action in the world, even if we don’t look for it, even if we don’t bother with it although we know it’s there. The Book of Proverbs (29:18) is right: Where is there no vision, the people perish. Advent invites us not so much to concentrate on our own dramas… but rather to seek to know where do we fit in to God’s drama. What part is God encouraging us to play?

Themes for Meditation

Humility: How can I emulate Mary’s humility and openness to God’s will in my daily life?
Joy in Faith: In what ways can I cultivate a deeper sense of joy rooted in my relationship with God?
Community Support: How can I be more present and supportive to those around me, recognising and celebrating God’s work in their lives?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, as we approach the celebration of Your Son’s birth, grant us the grace to embody the humility and faith of Mary. May we, like Elizabeth, be filled with the Holy Spirit, recognising and rejoicing in Your presence among us. Help us to support one another in love, building communities that reflect Your grace and truth. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Quotes for Reflection

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” – Luke 1:42
“In Mary, we see the humility and courage of a woman who trusted in God’s promise.” – Pope Francis
“The visitation of Mary to Elizabeth is a model of true Christian friendship, where faith and joy are shared.” – St. John Paul II

Contemplative Action

This week, reach out to someone in your community who may be in need of support or companionship. Offer your time and presence, reflecting the spirit of Mary’s visitation. Let this act of kindness be a preparation of your heart to receive Christ anew this Christmas.

Liturgical Calendar for the Week

22 December: Fourth Sunday of Advent
23 December: Weekday of Advent
24 December: Weekday of Advent
25 December: The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) (Solemnity)
26 December: St. Stephen, the First Martyr (Feast)
27 December: St. John, Apostle and Evangelist (Feast)
28 December: The Holy Innocents, Martyrs (Feast)