First Reading
4th Sunday of Advent-Cycle C-2009 Micah 5:1-4a

Thus says the Lord: You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from of old, from ancient times. Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, and the rest of his kindred shall return to the children of Israel. He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the Lord, in the majestic name of the Lord, his God; and they shall remain, for now his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth; he shall be peace.

Second Reading
Hebrews 10:5-10

Brothers and sisters: When Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; in holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight. Then I said, ‘As is written of me in the scroll, behold, I come to do your will, O God.’” First he says, “Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings, you neither desired nor delighted in.” These are offered according to the law. Then he says, “Behold, I come to do your will.” He takes away the first to establish the second. By this “will,” we have been consecrated through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Gospel Cycle Cycle C
Luke 1:39-45

Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

We are getting so very close to the celebration of the Birth of our Lord Jesus. The readings continue to echo in our hearts: how great is God’s plan for us. How wonderful that He chooses to save us!

The Prophet Micah repeats the message to us: God is near, God is peace and God’s goodness will reach the ends of the earth. These and other prophecies of the Old Testament keep responding over and over to our great longings for peace, prosperity and love.

The Letter to the Hebrews reminds us today that what God wants is our hearts. This God who loves us and sends us His Son is not a God who is asking for some kind of external obedience; rather, this God who loves us invites us to return His love and to share His life. Advent is a time when we are reminded over and over that God loves us and sends His Son to save us.

Today’s Gospel is that of the Visitation, when Elizabeth recognizes that God is working in Mary. It presents a wonderful moment in the lives of the Virgin Mary and her cousin Elizabeth because John the Baptist in the womb leaps for joy, recognizing that the Savior is near. As these two holy women greet one another so also their babies also recognize one another.

Our attention in Advent is on the coming of the Lord. We come to see that God comes to us in every human being. We come to recognize that each other person is a special presence of God for us if we truly have eyes of faith. We come to recognize the incredible presence of our Lord in the Eucharist. We are lead to believe that after any darkness, there will again be light. We can begin to trust that out of suffering can come joy and life.

The response that God invites from us is simply to live completely and to live by faith. Far too often we live timidly and without clear choices for the Lord. May this Advent serve to deepen our faith and our love. Come, Lord Jesus, and guide us in your way of peace.