Luke 2, 41-52:
Sunday, 19th December 2021 (4th Advent C)
What a beautiful scene the Gospel recounts for us on this Fourth Sunday of Advent: Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth. Both are pregnant, and both are overflowing with joy because they feel the Son of God very near. They have placed their trust in the word that God has given them through the angel, and they feel privileged. This transforms them, for they know that they are filled with the Holy Spirit. They put themselves in God’s hands, they thank him for the wonders he works with them. They celebrate as a family.
We too are preparing for the coming of the Saviour. This very week we will celebrate his birth. We must prepare ourselves so that it will not be just another Advent. And we hope that the circumstances of the present moment will not prevent us from celebrating it as a family and giving thanks to God for his presence among us.
In the preparation and celebration of this encounter, may we not forget, in the midst of all the hustle and bustle, that there is a very special Person who will be present if there is harmony, peace and love among all of us. It must be a time of joy and hope; of trust in God’s promises. The Saviour is near: this must be the reason for our joy.
On the threshold of Christmas, Mary, the young Mother, gives us the keys to fruitful waiting. She listens to the one sent by God, accepts his word, accepts his message, God becomes incarnate in her and brings it to others, to her cousin Elizabeth.
In preparing for Christmas, let us not forget what is fundamental: that our hearts be ready to welcome, accept and love the Child-God who makes himself present in our lives and to bring him to those who are close to us.
Juan Ramón Gómez Pascual, cmf
