Fourth Sunday of Advent, Cycle C December 23, 2018

First Reading
Micah 5:1-4
The ruler of Israel is promised to come from Bethlehem.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 80:2-3,15-16,18-19
A prayer for God's salvation

Second Reading
Hebrews 10:5-10
Through his obedience to God's will, Christ consecrated all.

Gospel Reading
Luke 1:39-45
Mary visits Elizabeth, who sings praise to Mary and her child.

Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled."


Background on the Gospel Reading

On this the last Sunday before Christmas, our Gospel reading prepares us
to witness Christ's birth by showing us how Jesus was recognized as
Israel's long-awaited Messiah even before his birth. The Gospel turns our
attention from the ministry of John the Baptist to the events that
preceded John the Baptist's birth. The story of John the Baptist and his
parents, Elizabeth and Zechariah, are reported only in Luke's Gospel. Luke
pairs the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus, establishing John's early
connection to the Messiah.

Our Gospel reading recalls Mary's actions after the announcement of Jesus'
birth by the angel Gabriel. Mary goes to visit Elizabeth, her cousin, who
is also with child. Elizabeth greets Mary with full recognition of the
roles that they and their unborn children will play in God's plan for
salvation. If we were to continue to read the verses that follow in Luke's
Gospel, we would hear Mary respond to Elizabeth's greeting with her song
of praise, the Magnificat. Both women recall and echo God's history of
showing favor upon the people of Israel.

In Luke's Gospel the Holy Spirit helps reveal Jesus' identity as God to
those who believe. Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and sings
Mary's praise because she bears the Lord. We sing these words of praise to
Mary in the Hail Mary. Even John the Baptist, the unborn child in
Elizabeth's womb, is said to recognize the presence of the Lord and leaps
for joy.

It is appropriate in this season of Advent that we consider the role of
Mary in God's plan of salvation. Elizabeth describes Mary as the first
disciple, as the one who believed that God's word to her would be
fulfilled. Mary's faith enabled her to recognize the work of God in her
people's history and in her own life. Her openness to God allowed God to
work through her so that salvation might come to everyone. Because of
this, Mary is a model and symbol of the Church. May we be like Mary, open
and cooperative in God's plan for salvation.


Family Connection

In the encounter between Mary and Elizabeth described in today's Gospel,
we learn that other people can help us recognize God's presence and action
in our lives. Mary traveled to see Elizabeth because Elizabeth's pregnancy
was a sign that everything the angel told Mary would truly happen.
Elizabeth recognized Mary as the mother of her Lord because her unborn
child, John the Baptist, leapt at the sound of Mary's greeting. Elizabeth
and Mary rejoiced together at the wonderful things God was doing in their
lives. We too are blessed when we have people who help us recognize God's
action in our lives. We pray that our family can be this for one another.

As you gather as a family, work together on a word search or
hidden-picture puzzle. Help one another until everyone has found each of
the words or pictures in the puzzle. Talk about this experience, noticing
how some people found words or pictures more easily than others and how
easy it was to see the word or picture once someone else pointed it out.
Observe that sometimes we need the help of others to recognize God's
presence and action in our lives. Read together today's Gospel, Luke
1:39-45. Ask: What did Elizabeth recognize about Mary? (that she was to be
the mother of Jesus, the Lord) How did Elizabeth know this? (Her baby,
John the Baptist, leapt with joy at Mary's greeting) Pray together that as
we share our faith together as a family, we may help one another recognize
God's presence and action in our lives. Pray together the Hail Mary.


Sources: Loyola Press; Sunday Readings