The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
βThe time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.β
These are the words of Jesus that come to us from St. Mark's gospel (Mark 1:15). He proclaims these words after His time of preparation and temptation in the desert, marking the beginning of the very work and purpose Jesus came into the world to accomplish.
This proclamation that God's Kingdom isn't far off, but is indeed at hand and upon us, is a jarring statement to a people who would have been waiting for essentially their entire history for the Messiah to arrive. It is one thing to prepare and feel we have a lot of time, but there is something almost frightening when the moment actually arrives! It should resonate deeply with us now as Our Lord comes into the world at Christmas.
The time of our own preparation to receive Him in the glorious feast of the Nativity is nearly at an end as it was for Jesus before his public ministry. We have eagerly and joyfully anticipated this all last week and now we are on the threshold of its culmination. However, there is a danger that what we have received in our preparation will be lost as we enter into the joy and celebration of the Christmas season. We are a forgetful people, after all, and even our best and purest intentions can go astray. So how should we approach these final days of preparation?
Fortunately, the Gospel today gives us inspiration and draws our mind to the beginning of this blessed season. We hear the beautiful response of our mother Mary in the Gospel Acclamation, "Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." She then immediately sets out to assist her cousin, Elizabeth, to help with Elizabeth's pregnancy. The profound selflessness and humility of this act combined with our Blessed Mother's fiat show us the value of our preparation during Advent. We are to go forward into this Christmas season and beyond with great humility, joy, and desiring God's Will continues to reign over our lives and all that we do. In the words of St. Elizabeth, "Blessed are you who believe that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."
Merry Christmas!