Fourth Week of Advent Reflection
Welcome to the Fourth Week of "A Journey through Advent and Christmas." In order to facilitate access to the Advent bundle including the reflections and audio for this Advent Program, information from the Companion Guide and links to the audio are included in this email. If you have already downloaded the content based upon our prior emails, this is the same information contained in the download for the Fourth Week of Advent.
Seeing Things Familiar
Advent and Christmas occur in a season of barrenness: the lifeless trees and bushes of a winter landscape, frozen grass, and dry, empty gardens.
Unfamiliar Again
In a garden, life and death are intimately related. To prepare for new life to grow and thrive, we first kill weeds and other pests. Throughout the seasons, we watch plants fade into barrenness and then spring forth with new buds and leaves. After the peak of a plant’s lifespan, its death is the catalyst for new seeds to develop and new life to emerge again.
God is the Creator—He constantly brings life and makes things new. When we see ourselves as failures, burned- out with stress, or exhausted of hope, God sees in us beauty and life. Sometimes we must die to our own selfishness and sin in order to be brought to the fullness of who we are made to be. Sometimes we must even die to lies about ourselves that deaden our hearts. In Advent, we have the precious gift of time to examine our hearts and become fully alive by receiving God’s Incarnate love.
Read: Luke 1:26-38
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. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
Listen:
- Barren (Fr. Dave’s talk)
- Oh Mother (song by The Vigil Project)
- To Save Us All (song by The Vigil Project)
- Away in a Manger (song by The Vigil Project)
Reflect:
- What’s the part of your life that is barren? Where does God need to bring life?
- Do you really believe that God’s love is unconditional? Do you really believe God’s mercy is endless?
- What are some simple ways that can you bring life to others—your family, friends, co-workers, fellow parishioners, and even strangers?
Pray:
Pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary, which focus on the Incarnation. Take time to really ponder the experience of the human persons who lived through these events, in order to help bring to life the greatest story in history.