Fourth Sunday of Advent Cycle C
12/15/2021
December 19, 2021
During the past three weeks of Advent we have been inspired by the readings to wait and watch for the coming of the Lord everyday. At times I have not even thought about that until after an event or situation has occurred. Unfortunately for me, it is always finding the Lord in looking back on my daily experiences. God in His mercy comes again and again. There is hope as I continue to watch for Him daily. He will not give up on me and we should never give up on Him.
The readings for this last Sunday of Advent seem to direct us to find the Lord daily in humble and poor situations. We all know that Christ is present in the poor and the humble. But, in our culture we don't spend time seeing the value of the humble and the poor, whether that is people we encounter or in difficult situations in our lives.
In the first reading we hear from the prophet Micah.
He preached during the second half of the eighth century B.C.
He was always preaching against the exploitation by the rich toward the poor. He calls us to find value in the humble and the poor.. He shows that in the poor, in the humble, is where we can find God. How difficult it is a times to believe that we can encounter the presence of the Lord in the humble and poor or difficult situations.
We live in a world that teaches us that we can find peace and happiness in being wealthy and powerful, not in being poor and humble.
The prophet says that the Messiah will come from a little unimportant village, poor and humble. But many would have thought that the Messiah will be born in a large city, not in a poor and humble place. He should be born in a comfortable, hospitable place. But we know the Christmas Story. The Lord was born in a stinking, bug infested, hole in the wall; a stable. Who would think of finding the Lord, the Messiah, in such a place?
In the Gospel reading, Mary has just been told by the angel that she would give birth to the Messiah. Imagine, a virgin, a woman, a humble and poor person would bring the Messiah into the world. And Mary hears from the angel that and old woman Elizabeth, her relative has conceived. Humble Mary travels some 50 or 60 miles to be with Elizabeth. Will she find an experience of God after such a difficult trip? But again, the experience of God is often where we least think it will be.
I continue to be amazed that it is in the humble and in the lowly people and situations where we find the Lord.
Again and again scripture shows us this. It is not in the rich and powerful, in the expected, but in the humble, the lowly and often the unexpected where we will experience God. Sometimes this seems so contrary to what the world view presents to us.
The second reading, a letter written to the Jewish converts to Christianity, to confirm for them that Christ fulfilled the Old Testament and that Jesus was the Messiah.
Again Jesus is the humble one; the one obedient to God.
He truly has come to do God's will, even to face persecutions, sufferings, and death.
For each of us are we willing to do the will of God. That means to humble ourselves and to accept whatever lies before us. But how difficult that is in the world that says no to this line of thought. It says to us that you are to be right, you're not to suffer, you're to be wealthy, powerful, etc.
Perhaps as we now come close to the end of Advent 2021, we can ask for the grace not to be so scandalized when things don't go our way or when, for a while, life can be difficult.
Where will you find the Lord in your life today?
Watch for Him!
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