Gospel: Luke 1:39-45
During those days, Mary set out and hurried to the hill country, to a town of Judah. She entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb. Then Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, exclaimed with a loud cry: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But how has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For indeed, as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
Fruit: Imitate Mary’s experience of her Advent by serving my neighbor.
Guidelines for reflection
Soon we will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in our hearts. Let us turn our gaze to our Mother, to learn from her how to receive the Child Jesus as He deserves.
1. Mary’s Advent
In this final week of preparation for the great Event, contemplate how the Holy Virgin prepared herself during that first Advent, which began for her when she heard from the archangel Gabriel those words: “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Emmanuel,” which means God-with-us. The first attitude we see in her is listening and paying attention to the voice of God. The angel did not have to shout at her, nor did he arrive in Nazareth and spend two hours knocking on the door. The angel burst into Mary’s presence, whispered his divine message, and found a prompt response. Mary was attentive, in a posture of listening to the voice of God. She might have been cooking, sweeping the house, or dusting, but she lived united to God, fulfilling her obligations first and foremost to please the Lord.
2. She set out quickly toward the mountain
After the announcement, the shock, and the confusion at such a divine and marvelous message, Mary does not stay enjoying alone the privilege that God has given her. In the angel’s message, she heard that her cousin Elizabeth, advanced in age, was expecting a child. Therefore, her heart prompted her to go serve her cousin. A woman six months pregnant, especially if she is elderly, will surely need help. That was Mary’s Advent: setting out toward Ain Karim, the town where Elizabeth lived, to serve her in all her needs. The encounter between these two holy women is very beautiful: Elizabeth, aware of Mary’s greatness, praises God and exclaims: “Who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” and Mary responds with the beautiful hymn of the Magnificat: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”
3. An Advent made of service
Here we have, then, an example of the best Advent we can live: leaving our selfishness, our petty worries, to serve our brothers selflessly. It is very easy to feel compassion for ourselves, for how much we suffer or how difficult it is to be Christian; but we rarely think that others also suffer, and almost certainly suffer more than we do. And along with that leaving of ourselves to serve and love others, we must refresh our praise and thanksgiving to God for so many benefits He grants us. It is said that a poor wise man was walking along a path, lamenting his luck and eating some wild fruits. Suddenly, he saw someone behind him gathering the fruit remnants he had thrown on the ground, and understood that he had no reason to keep lamenting.
Purpose: In the face of the sufferings I have today, I will think of the great sufferings of many people around me and will place this suffering in God’s hands.
