THE WORD
FIRST READING
Mic 5: 1–4
But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathaha
least among the clans of Judah,
From you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel;
Whose origin is from of old,
from ancient times.
Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time
when she who is to give birth has borne,
Then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the children of Israel.
He shall take his place as shepherd
by the strength of the LORD,
by the majestic name of the LORD, his God;
And they shall dwell securely, for now his greatness
shall reach to the ends of the earth:
he shall be peace.
If Assyria invades our country
and treads upon our land,
We shall raise against it seven shepherds,
eight of royal standing.
SECOND READING
Heb 10: 5–10
For this reason, when he came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight in. Then I said, ‘As is written of me in the scroll, Behold, I come to do your will, O God.’”
First he says, “Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings, you neither desired nor delighted in.” These are offered according to the law. Then he says, “Behold, I come to do your will.” He takes away the first to establish the second. By this “will,” we have been consecrated through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
GOSPEL READING
Lk 1: 39–45
During those days 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, “Most 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.”
IN OTHER WORDS
Two unlikely pregnancies. Elizabeth, barren and sterile, conceives a son in her old age. Mary, young and a virgin, becomes a mother without having any relations with a man. These two events, apparently impossible, become possible in God. And they prepare us for a message that is still more improbable and incredible: God becomes man and begins his life among us as a little child.
In Advent, with the prophet Isaiah, we have been waiting for a powerful God, a Prince of Peace (Is 9:1ff). His dominion will be great and his kingdom will have no end (Lk 1:32-33). Instead a child comes – weak, vulnerable, defenseless; a child “wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger” (Lk 2:7). Here, in this weak child, is God; here, in this defenseless child, is our salvation! This is incredible! As incredible as an old barren woman conceiving a son. As incredible as a young virgin girl becoming a mother.
The encounter between two improbable mothers begins as an encounter between two women in need. The older Elizabeth needing the assistance of a younger woman in bringing a son into the world. And the younger Mary needing the reassuring words of an older woman about her son “conceived by the Holy Spirit.” And this encounter in need erupts into the very first beatitude in the New Testament: “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” And it breaks out further into a hymn of praise and thanksgiving: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.” Thus, the encounter between the two women in need turns into an encounter between two graced persons, two highly favored ones.
Mary is blessed, not just because she has been chosen to be the mother of God’s Son, but especially because she has believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled. Mary’s divine motherhood belongs only to her. But her faith belongs to the whole Church and is a model for the faith of all her Son’s disciples. Indeed, to these other disciples, too, the Lord himself will extend the blessedness of the mother: “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.” (Lk 11:28).
As we prepare for Christmas, let us listen to Mary’s announcement of the good news. Let us not allow the mountain of indifference and selfishness, the marshes of hatred and unfriendliness, the weeds of insensitivity and greed to prevent her greetings from reaching our hearts. If we do so, what happened to Elizabeth will happen also to us – we will exult with her as we cry out: “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”
- Fr. Antonio Pernia, SVD (DWST, Tagaytay City)
The Word in other words 2015
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
