Presence

I become still in this moment of Sacred Space, praying here and now.

First Reading

Zephaniah 3:14-18 NRSVue

Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival.” I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it.

First Reading Reflection

Being in “the midst” of others for the people of Jesus’ time meant being engaged deeply in the centre of their lives. In waiting for Jesus, we are waiting for someone who will share totally in our life, with its joys and sorrows, successes and failures. He will share totally in the joy and sorrow of creation. When it comes to human life, Jesus is not an onlooker. He is a partaker. Advent reminds us of this. He came among us in the joy and the messiness of birth and soon experienced the hardship of life, such as being a migrant, persecution, and, ultimately, death. In the centre of our lives, he is the one who, despite all, “rejoices” over us, “renews” us, and “removes disaster” from us, when we turn to him and allow his grace to touch and change us.

Gospel

Luke 1: 39-45 NRSVue

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

Gospel Reflection

Mary and Elizabeth awaited the births of their children with joy, and undoubtedly with a mix of other emotions also. They were two women sharing an important moment in their lives and yet they didn’t forget to turn to God in prayer and thanksgiving for all that was happening to them. Elizabeth’s child “leaped for joy” at the presence of the Child in Mary’s womb, and both women were filled with awe at the recognition of the presence of God with them. This led them to pray, praise and give thanks for the life and gifts God had given them. The centre of our Christian life is prayer; the scene of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth is a scene of prayer, as they shared their amazement and rejoiced in the fulfilment of God’s promises.

Closing Prayer

Dear Lord, may I remember to give thanks in all circumstances, knowing in faith that you are at work in the good and the bad moments alike, in the difficult as well as the joyful times. May I persevere as Elizabeth did, believing that you will fulfil your promises to me and to those whom I pray for and that it is never too late to bear fruit in my life. Amen.