FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

Let Us Ready in Haste

Imagine Mary, having found favor with God, being visited by an angel in a town of Galilee called Nazareth. She is betrothed to a man named Joseph, and is more than a little upset as the angel appears and explains that the Lord is with her, and what’s more, if she says yes, everything is going to work out and she’s going to give birth to a son of whose kingdom there will be no end.

She doesn’t quite know what to make of it. How could she, really? She was only 13 or 14, and the angel packed so much of heaven and history and salvation into his message that Church Fathers and theologians and artists and countless holy men and women have been pondering it ever since. 

That’s all comforting, in a way, because I don’t know what to make of it, either. Did it really happen like that? And what does it mean? What does it mean for me and for you and for all of us here now,  just a day away from Mary and Joseph and shepherds and more angels and an infant in swaddling clothes sleeping in a manger? 

We can take comfort in the angel’s words to Mary: “Do not be afraid.” We can also take comfort in the coming birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who came into the world in weakness and humility to dwell among us and to draw us near to him. God’s great gift of salvation is upon us tonight. 

In a few hours the Christmas season will be here. Our waiting is nearly over. God’s breathtaking story of wonder and hope and beauty and salvation is right in front of us in the manger, among us and for us. That is mind-boggling. But we need not be overcome by fear. We also can’t just be observers here. As Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) wrote, “He who tries to be a mere observer experiences nothing.” Something much more is asked of us: to share our lives with the one who wants to share his life with us. As we experience Christ’s birth, let us acknowledge the favor God has shown us, too, and, as did Mary, add our own personal fiat. Let us say yes to God’s invitation, to forgiveness, to kindness, to patience, to generosity, to charity, to humility. 

Like the shepherds keeping watch over their flocks, let us ready in haste to see this child and make known the message of hope and peace we have been told about him.

–Jim Healy

Send Us Forth are reflections written by St. Matthew parishioners and friends.