“Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans.” (MT 10: 17-18)
Just one day after the celebration of Our Lord’s birthday, we hear such terrible words: “beware of men.” Christmas and Easter are connected, presenting two different sides of the same mystery—God loves us and to save us He became a man and died for us. We, as His children, can experience the same kind of persecutions.
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD: the LORD is God and has given us light.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“When the kindness and generous love of God our savior appeared, not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy, He saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.” (TI 3: 4-7)
We are so happy because today “the kindness and generous love of God our savior appeared.” God came to us as a human being, as a child to save us from our sins, “not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy.” We adore Him and we invite Him into our homes to be with us forever.
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to set us free from the hand of our enemies, free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.” (LK 1: 73-75)
We are God’s children; we are spiritual siblings of Our Lord, and as children, we are “free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.” His birthday “set us free from the hand of our enemies,” from Satan and his angels. We are free to love, to adore and to praise Him in every moment of our lives.
“O Radiant Dawn, Splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Thus says the LORD: You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from of old, from ancient times.” (MI 5: 1)
Nobody is “too small” for Our Lord. He is not looking for who is the strongest or the most powerful; He chooses those who are close to His heart and who love Him with all their hearts and follow His commandments.
“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord may it be done to me according to your word.” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Mary set out in those days and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.” (LK 1: 39-40)
Our liturgy is so solemn and majestic; every gesture, move and word is full of mystery—it looks like time slowed down. It is because we would like to celebrate these moments again and again and enjoy everything we have received from God. But there is also some kind of urgency and haste when we want to share with others the Good News, like Our Lady, who traveled “in haste” to meet Elizabeth and enjoy with her the mystery of God’s presence in their lives.
“O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law: come to save us, Lord our God!” (Gospel Acclamation)
“In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.” (LK 1: 26-27)
The angel Gabriel, who “was sent from God,” perfectly knew where (“to a town of Galilee called Nazareth), when (“in the sixth month) and to whom (“to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary”) to go. God knows everything about us because He cares. He knows our past and present and wants to help us to fulfill our future based on His will.
“O Key of David, opening the gates of God’s eternal Kingdom: come and free the prisoners of darkness!” (Gospel Acclamation)
“He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord.” (LK 1: 17)
Advent is an amazing time for preparing ourselves for our meeting with the newborn baby Jesus. We need to prepare our hearts and invite Him to stay there. God is very humble, choosing to be like us. Our answer is to do everything possible to prepare ourselves to be “a people fit for the Lord.”
“O Root of Jesse’s stem, sign of God’s love for all his people: come to save us without delay!” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (MT 1: 20-21)
Our Lord is coming. We started counting the days of His arriving with the beginning of Advent, but especially this week is a direct preparation for His birthday. Every day we are focused on the mystery of His presence among us. He is coming as our Savior—“to save his people from their sins.” We are under His protection. We are loved.
“O Leader of the House of Israel, giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai: come to rescue us with your mighty power!” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Thus the total number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen generations; from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations; from the Babylonian exile to the Christ, fourteen generations.” (MT 1: 17)
The Bible reminds us that God is the only Lord; He created this world, He redeemed this world and still protects it. Every generation is close to His heart: when we are at home or when we are in exile, we are His beloved children.
“O Wisdom of our God Most High, guiding creation with power and love: come to teach us the path of knowledge!” (Gospel Acclamation)
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near.” (PHIL 4: 4-5)
Our motives to rejoice don’t come from circumstances or from our daily successes; the motive is one: “the Lord is near.” Joy is His gift and comes from His presence in our lives. Our response to this is our kindness.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor.” (Gospel Acclamation)
