2nd Sunday in Advent
Baruch 5:1-9 | Psalm 126:1-6 | Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11 | Luke 3:1-6
"The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.”
Psalm 126
As this second week of Advent begins, we are called to remember how “ God is leading Israel in joy by the light of his glory, with his mercy and justice” (Baruch 5:9). While the days grow shorter and colder, our God is not in hibernation mode. He is alive and active in the world, even if we find ourselves in a season of hiddenness, silence, and waiting.
Dec. 8th is also the day we remember and honor the Immaculate Conception of Mary, her being conceived in the womb of St. Ann without the stain of original sin. In the 5th century, the Council of Ephesus (431 AD) and Chalcedon (451 AD) both declared Mary to be the Theotokos—”the Mother of God.” Mary gave birth not just to one aspect of Christ (his humanity or his divinity), but one divine person. This is the mystery of Jesus who lived, died, and resurrected for us in human history, almost two thousand years ago, “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea” (Luke 3:1).
No one wants to lead us closer to Jesus than his own mother—honoring her takes nothing away from Christ. St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Franciscan martyr at Auschwitz, wrote that we need not be afraid of loving Mary too much, because “we can never love her more than Jesus did.” Indeed, as the Fourth Commandment calls us to honor our earthly fathers and mothers, how much more can we celebrate our Father in heaven and our Lady, the Mother of Christ our Savior?
What are your thoughts on Mary? Do you have a relationship with her or turn to her for prayer?
How might you or your family increase in devotion to Jesus through Mary this Advent season? (Praying the Rosary together, reading an Advent devotion, etc)
Do you have hope that God can move in and transform your life? Do you believe that “the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it?” (Phil 1:6)