Photo by Alisher Sharip on Unsplash
First Reading. Micah 1-4. The Lord foretells the coming of the Messiah from Bethlehem.
Psalm 79:2-3. 15-16. 18-19. R. v.4. "Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved."
Second Reading. Hebrews 10:5-10 Paul reveals Jesus as the new sacrificial offering.
Gospel Acclamation. Luke 1:38
Gospel. Luke 1:39-45. Mary visits Elizabeth.
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Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for the Fourth Sunday Advent. Year C - Sunday, 23 December 2018 by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/advent-4c-23rd-dec-2018-2018-episode-130 (EPISODE: 130)
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“Yes, truly blessed is she who believed that the promise made to her by the Lord would be fulfilled” – And blessed are we when we live in such a way that reveals that we hope and trust and believe that the lord will be faithful to us and that the Lord will indeed fulfil the promises made to us.
Mary and Elizabeth meet and an unspoken bond is formed,
Born of their shared condition – they each are expecting a baby.
They know that they cannot face this alone,
and they also know that God has no intention of letting them face this alone.
God is with them.
This “yes” from these ladies, will need an ongoing commitment, care, time, and the grace of God!
They KNOW that they are God’s partners in bringing to birth, hope and life !! (A)
This truly beautiful gospel passage today illustrates the importance of giving thanks and of explicitly naming our blessings.
I remember hearing story about a man who would always write down the significant things that happened to him… he had two methods of writing these events down….. he would “write in the sand a list of all hurts that he received,” but he would also “carv in stone all the blessings he received.” When he was asked why he did this, he said: “I inscribe the hurts and wrongs in sand, so that the winds of forgiveness and love can erase them after a time. But (just as importantly)..I remember to carve all my blessings and graces in stone, so that time, busyness, and even misfortune or circumstance will be unable to erase those memories!” /// Carving our blessings in stone…..serves as a constant reminder to us of all the things for which we are eternally grateful.
I was impressed by this story…..
I thought to myself, “why do I suspect that for many of us, (myself included), we do things the wrong way around. -- Writing the countless acts of kindness, love; generosity and grace on the shifting sands of our memories, whilst carving in stone the hurts and grudges, bad memories and misfortunes and the list of our own (and others) sins and weaknesses.
// And does that do any good????
Saint Elizabeth is an example of a faithful disciple, who sees the graciousness of God happening all around her. Elizabeth delights in praising God, and in thanksgiving, and makes a deliberate decision (and choice) to name the blessings of God and to give voice to the presence of God that she is experiencing in and through the Blessed Virgin Mary’s visit and in her own child. It is a truly inspiring moment. A moment of true and abiding praise and thanksgiving.
The other thing that strikes me about this well-known passage of Scripture is the importance of family, including extended family (our family of faith, our parish, our friends, our colleagues, and our wider community).
The Virgin Mary must have been daunted and filled with awe, by what she knew was happening to her. Not everyone would understand what God was doing in her life // and not everyone would be happy. Certainly, not everyone would have goodwill towards her and assume that the Holy Spirit was at work in this extraordinary event.
Mary went to visit Elizabeth, who was not so much a cousin but more the equivalent of an Aunt. {Elizabeth was certainly a member of her extended family}. Together, they meet in great joy and affection, and gain enormous support from each other. How very important is the support and encouragement we give to one another in times of joy and also times of worry.
This weekend, as Advent comes so quickly to a close, let us take some time to carve a few things in stone. Let us look back. Who are some of the people we need to give thanks for from this past year, (and all past years)? Let us recall in our hearts the acts of kindness and love that so many people have shown us daily. Who are the people through whom we have experienced Christ’s graced presence, love, compassion, mercy and grace? Let us remember and give thanks for these people and these blessings in our hearts, minds, and show this gratitude in all our words and actions.
And let us “Take time to be aware that in the very midst of our busy preparations for the celebration of Christ’s birth in ancient Bethlehem, Christ is reborn in the “Bethlehem’s” of our homes and daily lives. Let us take time, slow down, be still, be awake to the Divine Mystery that looks so common and so ordinary yet is wondrously present”. (Edward Hays)
Let us seek out people like Elizabeth, who have grateful, remembering hearts; and who focus on the positives and show us the world in its goodness for us to build our lives upon. people who do not dwell on negatives, and who do not get us more and more upset and downcast by focusing on all that is wrong. .
Let us be attentive to the ways in which God is present to us, especially God's abiding presence and action, in the people with whom we socialize, work and live.
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References:
Fr Paul W. Kelly
(A) Alice Camille, 2009: A Book of Grace-filled Days).
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References:
Fr Paul W. Kelly
(A) Alice Camille, 2009: A Book of Grace-filled Days).
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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul: paulwkelly68@gmail.com
To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here.
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Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
“Faith, Hope and Love, A time of Christian worship and reflection” - Led by Rev Paul W. Kelly
Texts used in this programme are for the purposes of worship and prayer for listeners wherever you are.
Prayers and chants are taken from the English Translation of the Roman Missal, edition three, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy.
Scriptures are from the New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, by the national council of Churches of Christ, USA. , //adaptations to conform with Catholic liturgical norms, © 2009, by the same.
Psalm verses are taken from “The Psalms: the Grail Translation. Inclusive Language Version.” ©1963, 1995, 2004 The Grail (England), published by HarperCollins. London.
Prayers of the Faithful are adapted from Robert Borg’s 1993 book “Together we pray”. Published in Sydney Australia By E.J. Dwyer. (out of print).
{ “Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin” -published 2011, Composed and Sung by Jeffrey M. Ostrowski
Featuring the….Gloria. COPYRIGHT @ 2018 CORPUS CHRISTI WATERSHED. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. www.ccwatershed.org/vatican/Ralph_Sherwin_Videos/
“Faith, Hope and Love” theme Hymn: Words, based on 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, set to original music © 1996 by Paul W. Kelly.
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May God bless and keep you.
Fourth Sunday Advent. Year C
(Sunday, 23 December 2018) (EPISODE: 130 )
“Lord make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved”
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
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Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins,
and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.
Kyrie eleison/ christe eleison/ kyrie eleison
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again.
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Advent 2
Euch prayer III
Communion side. pwk: RH
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Go in peace. (glorifying the Lord by your life)
