MY daily reflection and prayer:
Sunday, Desember 20, 2015
The Fourth Sunday of Advent
Dear my friends,
Here is the Gospel for us today according to St. Luke 1:39-45
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.
***
TODAY is the fourth Sunday of Advent. We are called to joyfully anticipate the coming of Jesus Christ on Christmas day.
Reading the Gospel today, I am interested to reflect the words of Elizabeth. Three times Elizabeth uses word “blessed”. First she says, “”Blessed are you among women.” Second, “and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” Third, she says again, “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
Elizabeth says the three same words to Mary. Mary is blessed for being chosen as the mother of the Son of God. Being chosen by God is an awesome privilege and responsibility.
Thanks be to God that Mary has received both a crown of joy and a cross of sorrow in doing God’s will. Her joy is not diminished by her sorrow because it is fueled by her faith, hope, and trust in God and his promises.
What can we learn from the experience of Mary’s and Elizabeth’s faith? First of all we learn to recognize the indwelling presence of Jesus Christ in our lives. We are blessed as well if we recognize Jesus Christ with our eyes of faith.
Secondly, by recognizing and believing in him, he will grant us joy and happines. As we know it well, the word blessed means happiness. It is a kind of joy which is serene and untouchable.
Jesus himself has promised us that “no one will take your joy from you” (John 16:22). He will always give us a supernatural joy which enables us to bear any sorrow and pain and which neither life nor death can take away.
Third, when Elizabeth greets Mary and recognizes the Messiah in Mary’s womb they are filled with the Holy Spirit and with a joyful anticipation of the fulfillment of God’s promise to give a Savior. God fills not only Elizabeth’s heart with his Holy Spirit but also the child in her womb.
In the Perpetual Adoration of the Eucharist while worshipping Jesus Christ, we ask him that he fills each of us with his Holy Spirit. We want to live in the joy and knowledge of God’s indwelling presence with us through his Holy Spirit.
Let’s pray: Lord Jesus Christ, fill us with your Holy Spirit. Grant us true happiness in seeking you more earnestly that we may be joyfully welcoming your presence now and forever. Amen.
Kredit foto: Ilustrasi (Ist)
