By Msgr. Joseph Prior • Posted December 20, 2024

(See the readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent)

Jim was coming home from work. Jill, his wife, was at the door waiting as she arrived before him. She had left work early to stop by the doctor’s office. She had great news and could not wait to share it. She did not want to tell Jim on the phone so she waited. Now she was pacing the hallway waiting for him to arrive. She heard the car pull up and ran to the door, opened it and went outside.

Jim was surprised to see her running over to the car. What could it be? He first thought something was wrong but the smile on her face told him otherwise. “I have some news, great news, to tell you,” she said. “What’s going on?” Jim asked. “You’re going to be a father,” she said. Jim took her in his arms and hugged her. They just stood there outside the house hugging each other. Words were hard to come by for they were overcome with such great joy.

The expectation of a child is a tremendous joy for parents and families. New life coming into the world. A family ready to welcome a new member. Sharing the good news with family and friends who likewise become filled with joy. It is a wonderful event in the life of the family.

We are now only a few days away from Christmas when we celebrate the birth of Christ Jesus. The anticipation for the celebration is great. We celebrate with great festivity because his birth is the dawn of salvation, life for all. We, his family, remember and recall everything that led up to his first advent. The Gospel for the liturgy for the Fourth Sunday of Advent is from the Gospel According to Luke. The evangelist recalls the visit of Mary to Elizabeth.

Joyful expectation abounds. Elizabeth, in her old age, is awaiting the birth of her child, who will be called John (and later, the Baptist). Mary has now conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit as told by the angel Gabriel. After Mary greets her cousin, but before Elizabeth gets the chance to reply, “the infant leaped in her womb,” overcome with joy. Elizabeth then says: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” She too is filled with joy.

The joy these women experience has been relived these past 2,000 years as the Church prepares to celebrate Christmas. Advent is a time of waiting. We await, with joyful expectation, for the Lord’s return. And we await, likewise with joyful expectation, the celebration of his birth at Christmas.

The visitation reminds us of the significance of his first coming. The child in Mary’s womb is the Lord. Elizabeth acknowledges him as she says to Mary: “And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” The Lord comes into this world to bring salvation to all humanity.

The first reading from the prophet Micah prepares his way by heightening the expectation of an heir to the throne of David. One whose “origin is from of old who is to be ruler in Israel.” He will “shepherd his flock by the strength of the Lord, in the majestic name of the Lord, his God.” And “his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth; he shall be peace.” These expectations are fulfilled in Christ Jesus.

As we spend these final days awaiting the celebration of his birth, perhaps we can allow ourselves to be filled with the joy of expectation. We can recall the good news our families experienced when we were told a child was or is coming into the world. We can take that joy and amplify it because the birth of this Child is a gift for all.

So much is going on right now as we make the final preparations for Christmas. Time is limited but perhaps we can carve out a little time for prayer to help us focus on the meaning of what we celebrate. It can be a prayer of praise acknowledging the great love the Lord has for us. It can be a prayer of petition seeking a deeper awareness of this great gift. It can be a prayer of blessing seeking his intercession for our families. It can be a prayer for peace acknowledging him as the Prince of Peace.

No matter what the type of prayer it is, it will help us celebrate this Christmas with great joy and thanksgiving so that we never forget that his coming is the dawn of our salvation.

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Msgr. Joseph Prior is pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish, Penndel, and a former professor of Sacred Scripture and rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.