Friday of the Third Week of Advent
Intention: We pray for a faith-filled and transforming Christmastime for our world, one that fills it with peace, justice, and good will toward all.
Today’s Gospel | Luke 1:46-56
Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior,
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.”
Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her home.
A Refection for the Third Friday of Advent
Today’s Gospel gives us one of the most beautiful and profound narratives in the Christian Scriptures. The Canticle of Mary is a song of praise to the wonder of God and the joy of being chosen to serve him by being the mother of his Son. It also is a description of to whom his Son was especially being sent. Of all who awaited the savior, none were more in need than those who had been beaten down by life, pushed to the margins, told that they were unworthy of goodness. In their forsakenness, they longed for reassurance that they mattered. It came in the person of Jesus, in his good news that our salvation from sin was as close as our “yes” to God and to each other. We are called to be church, to be a gathering that acknowledges that we are a single people in God. This Advent, as we celebrate the grace of God’s choice to come closer to us, we would do well to remember that God also calls us to come closer to one another.
Prayer
Eternal Father, in these days before Christmas, the scriptures tell us of how humbly your Son came to the world. Yet, this time can often bring out in us selfishness and vanity. Help us to walk humbly with you through these days, grateful for your presence and your works. Fill us with caring and respect for all of our brothers and sisters, so that we set aside self-interest in order to serve them. May we find our satisfaction and joy this season in the grace of belonging to you and to one another. We ask this of you who lives and reigns with your Son and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.