Gospel: Vessel of Truth

 Today is the Fourth Sunday of Advent, and the Gospel passage will be read according to St Luke.

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

He went in and said to her, "Rejoice, you who enjoy God's favor! The Lord is with you."

She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, "Mary do not be afraid; you have won God's favor. Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end."

Mary said to the angel, "But how can this be come about, since I have no knowledge of man?"

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called the Son of God.

"And I tell you this too: your cousin Elizabeth also, in her old age, has conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God."

Mary said, "You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have said." And the angel left her. 

This Sunday, we read the story of the angel Gabriel's announcement to Mary about the birth of Jesus. This story is only found in the Gospel of Luke. On this last Sunday of Advent, the liturgy shifts our attention from St John the Baptist to Mary, the mother of God. Both St John the Baptist and the Virgin Mary serve as important figures for our reflection during the season of Advent; they both played instrumental roles in preparing the way for Jesus. 

Last week we reflected on St John the Baptist's announcement that the Savior was among us, although not yet recognized. This week we reflect upon Mary's example of faith and obedience to God, traits which permitted her to receive the angel's message that God's Son would be born as a human person, as one of us.

We are familiar with the Annunciation, and it is fitting that we recall how God announced the birth of Jesus as we make the final preparations for our celebration of the Incarnation. The angel Gabriel visited Mary, a Virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph. Mary greeted the angel's news with awe and wonder and asked how it could be possible that she could give birth to a child. 

The story of the Annunciation calls to our attention God's wondrous action in human history. God chose a human person to give birth to his Son so that all humanity would know God's salvation. Mary, already full of God's grace, was able to cooperate in this great plan for our salvation. Thus Jesus was born as one of us, fully human and also fully divine. This is the mystery we prepare to celebrate Christmas, the mystery of the Incarnation. In the model of the Blessed Mother, we pray that we will be people of faith who recognize God's saving plan for us and are able to respond with obedience.

The Advent candle of love is very true in light of the Gospel today: that God so love the world that he gave us his only begotten Son to save us from our sin.

Amen.

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