Fourth Sunday of Advent

Well, here we are already...the 4th Sunday of Advent has arrived! 

Have you finished your Christmas shopping & wrapped all the presents, baked your holiday delectables, mailed your Christmas greeting cards, decorated your home to rival any display of Martha Stewart's? If you're like most people, you probably answered that you're nowhere near being finished. But you know what? That's perfectly fine because none of those items are important in the grand scheme of things. 

The bigger & most important question to be answered is, "Have you prepared your heart to receive Jesus on Christmas Day?" After all, without Jesus' humble birth in a stable over 2000 years ago, none of the other things above would have any significant meaning!

Today's Gospel tells us that Mary, upon being told that she would bring our Savior into the world, set off in haste to her cousin, Elizabeth. Advanced in age, Elizabeth was experiencing a miraculous pregnancy, foretold by the angel Gabriel to her husband Zechariah. Just three months later, she would give birth to John the Baptist...he who would prepare the way for Jesus Christ. 

Already, he is beginning his ministry. When Mary & Elizabeth greet one another, John leaps in Elizabeth's womb. That had to be a pretty significant leap for Elizabeth to realize he was heralding the arrival of Jesus. She was six months pregnant, and most women by that point in their pregnancy have already felt the numerous kicks, turns, & movements by their baby. I imagine her womb filled with millions of butterflies flitting about as John acknowledges that Jesus is near. Or maybe a better analogy could be the joy children exhibit as Christmas morning dawns...perhaps it felt like a bunch of children bouncing around in her womb!

We, too, should be filled with joy in anticipation of Jesus' Birth. Not only that, we should keep that joy in our hearts after the Christmas season is over (which actually isn't until the celebration of Jesus' baptism January 12, 2025).