Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent
Today’s Gospel: Luke 1:39-45
“He’s coming. He’s coming! He’s coming home!”
Imagine someone exclaiming with great joy after she has heard the news that a dearly-loved one (husband, son, brother, cousin, or friend) is returning home after being away for a very long time. Her face may first register shock, then joy, and then eager anticipation of all that needs to be done to welcome him. The news would be a great gift—especially after anxious waiting makes each passing day grow longer and darker than the last: would the time ever arrive for him to come home?
Like Elizabeth when she hears Mary’s greeting, we respond with joy when we remember that God joins our humanity—with her, we marvel, “Why has this happened to us, that our Lord comes to us?” We hasten to share this joy with others—just as Mary did—so they, too, may hear this wonderful news and help prepare for the Coming One.
Many of us have experienced waiting in vigil with what seemed like tiny lights in the darkness—the birth of a child in the delivery room, a brother coming home after a semester at college, or the return of a father to his family after years at war. The waiting inspires us to seek each other out, to enter one another’s homes, to greet each other with the good news that is coming to fulfillment.
As we await the celebration of the Light of the World at Christmas, let us join Mary and set out with haste to greet each other, share joy, prepare room, keep vigil, show mercy, and magnify God. The Coming One enters the doors of our hearts—may we leap for joy at the sound of his greeting.
Copyright Grace Mariette Agolia ’17
Grace Mariette Agolia is currently a student at the University of Notre Dame class of 2017.
This reflection comes from FaithND’s Daily Gospel Reflection series, which can be found here.