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December 22, 2024 - Fourth Sunday of Advent

Luke 1:39-45, And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

Title: How We Can Welcome Jesus Into Our Hearts and Homes

Gospel

Lk 1:39-45

Mary set out

and traveled to the hill country in haste

to a town of Judah,

where she entered the house of Zechariah

and greeted Elizabeth.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,

the infant leaped in her womb,

and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,

cried out in a loud voice and said,

“Blessed are you among women,

and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

And how does this happen to me,

that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,

the infant in my womb leaped for joy.

Blessed are you who believed

that what was spoken to you by the Lord

would be fulfilled.”

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122224.cfm

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The words from today's Gospel that speak to me are:

'When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,

the infant leaped in her womb,

and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,

cried out in a loud voice and said,

“Blessed are you among women,

and blessed is the fruit of your womb...'

As Catholics, we are called to leap with joy when we sense the presence of Jesus through the Holy Spirit, just like Elizabeth did. This can happen in moments of prayer, worship, or even in the midst of everyday life. When we feel the Spirit stirring within us, we are reminded of the incredible blessing that Jesus is to us, and we are filled with gratitude and praise.

This is the last Sunday before Christmas, and it's a time to reflect on how we can welcome Jesus into our hearts and homes. We're all a little unworthy, not because we don't have much stuff, but because we don't always show the humility, kindness, and faith that we should. Let's try to be like Joseph and Mary, who were humble and kind, and had a lot of faith in God's goodness. We can't be perfect like them, but we can follow their example and try to be a little better every day.

The Christmas season is all about God's love for us, and how he came to earth as a helpless baby to show us how much he cares. It's a pretty amazing thing, and it's something that we can all learn from. Even though we're not perfect, God still loves us and wants to be with us. So let's try to accept the love that he's offering us, and trust that he'll help us become a little more worthy of it every day.

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