Blessed. Graced. On fire. That’s how we describe ourselves when we feel God has visited us—through His Word, His presence, His touch. We can suddenly do things we didn’t think we were capable of. We are empowered to give, to love, to serve. 

Mama Mary, after God touched her through Angel Gabriel’s annunciation, was likewise on fire to serve. She traveled to the hill country of Judea to assist her cousin Elizabeth who was pregnant with John. 

In my early Christian walk, I also felt the same way. I was so on fire that I even wanted to enter the convent. But even if that didn’t happen, I was ready to give my all to the Lord in service. And I did. Maybe not in a flashy way, but true to how God created me—in quiet service wherever He sends me. 

It isn’t easy to keep the fire alive. We need God’s grace to keep it burning so we will always be ready to get up and go when He tells us to. 

This Christmas, may we feel that fire burning in our hearts as we gaze on the Baby Jesus in the manger. Tess V. Atienza (tessvatienza@yahoo.com) 

Reflect:

When did you last feel God’s visitation? 

May the fire of Your love keep me ever ready to serve You, Lord. Amen. 

St. Peter Canisius, priest and Doctor of the Church, pray for us.

One of the emotions evoked by Christmas is joy. Joy accompanies the birth of a child. Let us prepare to celebrate with great joy the anniversary of Christ's birth and enter more fully into the Spirit of Christmas. May our hearts be filled with joy that overflows to those around us. 

⁸ Hark! My lover, here he comes springing across the mountains, leaping across the hills. ⁹ My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Here he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattices. ¹⁰ My lover speaks; he says to me: “Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come! ¹¹ For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. ¹² The flowers appear on the earth, the time of pruning the vines has come, and the song of the dove is heard in our land. ¹³ The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance. Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come! ¹⁴ O my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the secret recesses of the cliff, let me see you, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and you are lovely.” 

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21

R: Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song. 

² Give thanks to the Lord on the harp; with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises. ³ Sing to him a new song; pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness. (R) ¹¹ But the plan of the Lord stands forever; the design of his heart, through all generations. ¹² Blessed the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he has chosen for his own inheritance. (R) ²⁰ Our soul waits for the Lord, who is our help and our shield, ²¹ for in him our hearts rejoice; in his holy name we trust. (R)

Gospel | Luke 1:39-45

Elizabeth is a changed person. From the depression and sadness of a barren womb, to the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, she cries out the wonderful words that have been immortalized in the Hail Mary. May our hearts also be filled with joy as we realize what a tremendous gift Jesus is to each of us. 

Gospel Acclamation

O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law: come to save us, Lord our God! 

³⁹ Mary set out in those days and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, ⁴⁰ where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, ⁴² cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. ⁴³ And how does this happen to me that the motherof my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” 

Read the Bible in one year! Read 1 JOHN 1 - 5 today.

This story of the Visitation contains some of the more important elements that underscore the relevance and place of our Blessed Mother in our Church. First, it presents her as the first Apostle of Christ—a person who has been sent (apostolos). As the Christotokos or bearer of Christ, she brought Him to Elizabeth who, in turn, acknowledges that extraordinary grace of being visited by the “mother of my Lord.”

This should challenge the present-day apostles among us: Whom do we bring with us in our visits? Who or what do we proclaim? An apostle is sent and brings with him the very source of the mandate to proclaim: Jesus Christ.

Second, it highlights the kind of apostle Mary is. She felt the urgency of the call, and so she went in haste to a hill country in Judea even as she knew she herself had some tough circumstances to face back home. The sense of urgency was very much ingrained in her, for she knew that the work, which God wanted her to do, was not to be delayed. This echoes Jesus’ challenge to His disciples about the need to have a sense of urgency as He exhorted them to let the dead bury their dead that they may readily follow Him.

Third, the compliment made by Elizabeth about Mary emphasizes the ground for Mary’s blessedness—she believed that there would be a fulfillment ofwhat was spoken to her from the Lord. It is her deep faith in God that really set her apart from ordinary human beings. Indeed it is this belief that carried her through in the many trying moments of her maternal life. She gave birth to her Son in the most contemptible situation, and yet she believed that her Child is the beloved Son of God. She saw them hang her Son on the cross, yet she believed that her Son is the Holy One of God. She saw how He had been crowned with thorns, and yet she still believed that what was prophesied about Him is true—that He would be the ruler of the world. Fr. Sandy Enhaynes 

Reflection Question

Who do you bring when you go out into the world? 

Let me always bring You, Jesus, wherever I go this Christmas and throughout the year. Amen.

Today, I pray for: ____________________________________