Merry Christmas, everyone! Time for me to send some shoutouts to the some of the things that help me enter more deeply into the spirit of Christmas.
Country: Madagascar! Okay, I fell in love with Madagascar this summer. And the poinsettia is also their national emblem! Their flag is green, red and white and, because they are on the southern half of the globe, their winter starts in June… so their Independence Day coincides with the blooming of the poinsettia! I would encourage you to visit this amazing place if you ever get the opportunity. So yes, with all this, a country has earned a spot on my Christmas highlights.
Reflection (on Luke 1:39-45):
Advent is a time of hope, a time of looking forward to the coming of Christ. But today we are reminded that we cannot be so focused on the promise of future graces that we forget to take the time to appreciate the graces that God is giving to us right now.
In today’s Gospel, St. Mary and St. Elizabeth give us the example par excellence of rejoicing in a time of expectation, of being fantastically present to each other and to the dwelling of God in their present moment. When Mary appears to Elizabeth, Elizabeth is keenly aware that the Messiah is not only on the way – but present to her right then! St. John leaps for joy in Elizabeth’s womb – joy for the coming Nativity, yes, but also joy for the unique blessing of being in the midst of the Lord in the womb of Mary. God’s grace is not only a future promise, but an ever-present reality.
Pregnancy is a time of both joy and anxiety, a time filled with challenges and graces; a time of expectation, but also a time where the mother needs to be deeply attuned to her present moment. Consider how your own life is “pregnant” right now: what is ongoing for you? What are you expecting? Are you present to right now even as you look forward?
For students, it is tempting to always be looking forward to the future: the end of the semester, graduation, the beginning of a career. This is natural – but today’s Gospel reminds us to take time to rejoice in the graces of being a student for its own sake. Consider what opportunities are unique to the student experience and glorify God for them: the forging of new friendships, the opportunity to grow in knowledge, the time to discern what is most important in your life.
Being in the seminary, it is difficult for me to not always be looking ahead to ordination, so this Advent I strive to be mindful of the graces of seminary for its own sake: growing in my relationship with God, the blessing of seminary brotherhood, and the unique closeness I am able to have with parishioners as a seminarian.
Had Mary and Elizabeth been solely focused on the births of their children at the end of pregnancy, they would have overlooked the joyful fact that the Messiah and His forerunner were already present there with them! This Advent, let us take time to see the joyful ways that God is present to us in the “pregnant” phases of our lives. For truly, the entirety of the Christian life is a pregnant one, as we take on the Christian task of bringing about the Kingdom of God in this age even as we look forward to the fullness of the Kingdom which Christ has promised upon His return.
Saints Mary, Elizabeth, and John the Baptist, pray for us.
Lord Jesus, be with us now and always.
Amen.
Written by a wonderful student of mine, John Murcko, for the USD Advent Series, December 21, 2024.
Art/Image: Nuestra Señora de Humildad / Our Lady of Humility by Allan Rohan Crite
Movie: Klaus (2019)
Song (religious): O Holy Night… all three verses.
Song (secular): “We Need a Little Christmas” (just about any version is great!)
Children’s Book: “Why Christmas Trees Aren’t Perfect” by Richard Schneider in the Christmas anthology The Night The Stars Sang: A Christmas Celebration
Short/Episode: “Christmas Story” on The Andy Griffith Show. Season One, Episode 11.
Organization: Tongabezi School
Consumable: Gingerbread houses… fresh-made from scratch, not the kits!
Merry Christmas!
Maureen K. Day, Ph.D. 