Saturday of the Third Week of Advent
Intention: We pray for a faith-filled and transforming Christmastime for our world, one that fills us 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.
Reflection for the Third Saturday of Advent
Today’s Gospel gives us one of the most beautiful and captivating 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. As we appreciate its tender prose, however, we must not overlook its equally unsettling words, those that call us to recognize the harsh reality to which Jesus was especially being sent. Of all the people who awaited a savior, none were more in need than the anawim – God’s poor, those who had been beaten down, pushed to the margins, excluded, abused, and reviled as unworthy of goodness. In their desolation, they longed for reassurance that they mattered, that somewhere there was a power that cared for them and had not forgotten them. It came in the person of Jesus, in his good news that God’s healing and salvation were upon them. For while the world was not a perfect place, there existed a perfect love, one that could find them through the compassion and justice of others. In the endless mercy and good faith that would come in the building of God’s Kingdom, no works of sinfulness could last. This was God’s promise. Advent is a time for all people to remember and to proclaim God’s promise, but especially to keep it.
Prayer
Eternal Father, you sent John to prepare Jesus’ way in this world. As we prepare to celebrate the miracle of Christmas, fill us with the grace to bear witness to your Son. May our lives be marked by our zeal in proclaiming the good news that you are with us, and that our salvation has come to us in the birth of our Lord. Lead us to be instruments of your peace and righteousness, working to build your Kingdom and leading one another to know your presence and to welcome your Son into our hearts forever. We ask this of you who lives and reigns with your Son and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.