4th Sunday of Advent – Micah 5:2-5a; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45
Give us life that we may call upon your name. (Ps 80:19).
From the annunciation to the visitation is led by a joyful haste. Joy multiplies when it is shared with others. Mary understood this truth perfectly, carrying the spirit of joy from Nazareth to the house of Zachariah and Elizabeth in Ain Karim. This joy is not limited to words alone. It is transformed into an act of love.
Mary goes with haste to serve. Service is a sign of God’s adoration. It is also an invitation addressed to all those waiting for the birth of Jesus to build a “civilization of service” that enlivens grey everyday life, introduces joy and hope into it.
Mary’s Advent is a model for the entire Church. She listens to the word, ponders it in her heart, in order to give birth to the Word. The whole history of salvation shows that life is not ruled by chance, blind fate or inevitable fate. The Lord of the world is He whose Son is to come into the world in poor Bethlehem to proclaim the joy of the Gospel.
With Mary I want to sing a joyful “Magnificat” for another Advent of life that is coming to an end and discover the joy of the Lord’s closeness, asking with longing:
“Rouse up your might and come to save us.”