4th Sunday of Advent, 12/15
“Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” These words spoken to Mary by Elizabeth have been echoing in my head throughout Advent, and as we enter this fourth and final week of the season, these words are being spoken to us as well. Living in expectant hope of God’s promise is not easy, and these days it feels particularly counter-cultural. Sometimes it can feel like we are trudging through gray days of responsibilities and worries and disappointments, and a certain numbness can settle in our hearts. Even during Christmas time, as we get older and the years go by more quickly, it is easy to feel like, “oh, here we go again,” or to become bogged down in the busyness of the season. But as Catholics with real and living faith, these liturgical seasons and epic feasts are not simply a matter of routine. We believe in an eternal, ever-present God whose every action is resonant and alive. He didn’t just decide to become man a long time ago, and now here we are commemorating it at Christmas time: His incarnation reverberates eternally and is as relevant and life-saving to us as it was on the very day he was born in Bethlehem. As we approach Christmas, we have the chance to participate fully in the miracle that it celebrates, because it’s a miracle that is alive and tangible. We can be Elizabeth, marveling with Mary at the mighty God coming to us in such a humble and intimate way. We can be the Innkeeper at Bethlehem who decides whether or not we have room for Jesus to dwell with us. We can be the shepherds who have the humility to approach God and adore in spite of our lowly poverty. We can be Mary and Joseph, who, not knowing what tomorrow holds, still respond to the Lord’s call with a confident “yes.” The one thing we do not want to be is a disinterested bystander, too burdened by our own concerns to look up and see the glory that is on its way. The Word of God is becoming flesh, the True Light which enlightens every man is coming into the world, the God of the universe is coming to dwell with his people: let us rise with joy to greet him.
Jule Coppa
