3rd Week of Advent
21st December 2023 (Thursday) Readings and Reflection
Psalter: Week 3
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Song of Solomon 2:8-14
The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills. My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, there he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, looking through the lattice. My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away, for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land. The fig tree ripens its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away. O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the crannies of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.
Psalm 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21 (R. 1a, 3a)
R/. Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just; O sing him a song that is new.
Alleluia
V/. Alleluia R/. Alleluia
V/. O Emmanuel, our King, and Giver of Law: come to save us, Lord our God!
R/. Alleluia
Gospel : Luke 1:39-45
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
Daily Gospel Reflection
The Reflection by Fr. Thumma Mariadas Reddy MSFS{alertWarning}
Highlight: When you carry Jesus, Joy overspills!
Guidlines: The presence of the beloved fills the lover with exceeding joy. God is our greatest beloved and His presence must gladden us beyond measure{alertSuccess}
1. Today’s readings depict the joy at the encounter with the beloved. In the first reading, the lover-bride is passionately craving to meet the beloved. The beloved-bridegroom is also burning with passion for her. When both encounter each other, the joy is unsurpassable.
2. We have a similar picture of encounters in the gospel. Already Mary encounters God’s grace at the annunciation. She is overshadowed by the Holy Spirit. She conceives the Son of God in her womb without any human intervention.
3. If this is the work and the effect of the encounter from the part of God, from her part also Mary shows the fruits of this encounter. The immediate fruit is total surrender, saying, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word”. This faith flows out into charity. Thus Mary sets out to visit Elizabeth to serve her in her last months of pregnancy.
4. There takes place another encounter. It is an encounter between Mary and Elizabeth, the two greatest mothers. One is the mother of the messiah himself and the other is the mother of the precursor of the messiah. As a result of this encounter, there is an eruption of the Holy Spirit by which Elizabeth recognizes the presence of the Saviour and the greatness of the vocation of Mary as the mother of the Saviour.
5. There is a further encounter between the two babes in the wombs, the two greatest. One is the messiah himself and the other is his precursor. At this encounter, John the Baptist in Elizabeth’s womb leaps with joy. He already receives the grace of the encounter with the messiah. He is already anointed by the Holy Spirit.
Practice: God encounters us unceasingly in numerous ways. He always reveals to us His will and plans. He is ever ready to transform our ordinary and dull situations into saving experiences and journeys. Are we ready to sense and cooperate?{alertSuccess}