Presence

I come into the life-giving presence of the One who created me.

First Reading

Isaiah 7:10-14 NRSVue

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” Then Isaiah said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel.

First Reading Reflection

This reading brought life to the people. They could expect a child who would be “Emmanuel”, a name which means “God is with us”. It was imagined that the Messiah would come as a ruler, a teacher and a prophet, not first and foremost as a baby: humble, weak, loveable, approachable by all, with and for all. Advent is a time to remind ourselves of this truth and to allow it to become more and more part of our lives. We too believe in the call of Mary who fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah. We ask ourselves today what our lives would be like if God were not truly with us, in Jesus, first as a baby, then as a man, God become flesh.  As birth changes everything in a family, we allow the birth of Christ to amaze us again and again. We allow this birth each year to change our lives, our hearts and our world.

Gospel

Luke 1:26-38 NRSVue

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

Gospel Reflection

Since God spoke to Mary, a simple, humble, uneducated Jewish girl, long ago, in an obscure village in the Middle East, the world has never been the same. God has become one of us in a mysterious but total way. God is saying to us in Jesus that “I, the Creator, the Lord of Heaven and earth, am totally yours”. Our God is one of Incarnation, who meets us in every aspect of our humanity, and is with us through His Spirit in every place, every moment and every experience. Whenever and wherever we pray, care for the sick, love each other, help the poor – that’s the Church. What is essential about Christmas is that God reminds us how close He is to us, and shows us how to be Christ for one another.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for making yourself so accessible to me in Jesus, and through your Holy Spirit. May I never forget how close you are to me, in every moment of my life. Amen.