The Advent of Joy

Gospel Reflection for December 22, 2024, the Fourth Sunday of Advent - Luke 1:39-45

And Mary rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste into a city of Juda.

And she entered into the house of Zachary, and saluted Elizabeth.

And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

And she cried out with a loud voice, and said: Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.

And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord. (Luke 1:39-45 DRA)

Today, on this fourth and final Sunday of Advent, we are given a final eschatological message, one which points directly to Christmas but also pertains to Christ’s Second Coming in the End Times.

The story of the Visitation, when Our Lady, carrying the Word of God in her immaculate womb, visited the home of her sister Elizabeth, who despite being elderly was pregnant with Christ’s cousin and future herald, St. John the Baptist, is an interesting choice for this context. The Feast of the Visitation itself is on May 31 in the modern calendar, but today, only three days from the joyous Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord, it should serve as a reminder that, although Christmas is also a celebration of His Incarnation, the Son of God did not truly take on human nature then but at the Annunciation, when He was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary. This makes the Annunciation a kind of “pro-life Christmas,” but the Visitation is like it in that the unborn Christ is recognized, worshipped and celebrated not only by Elizabeth but also by St. John who is also already a living human being in her womb.

Some of you may hear that the Incarnation began or is chiefly celebrated at Christmas, whether in wider society or even by fellow Catholics, but this Gospel reading should help correct that mistake, one which is all the more grave in a world where the mass genocide of the unborn is still so rampant.

The story of the Visitation is related both to Advent and to the other readings for today in another way as well. The Visitation serves as its own “Advent” of Christ, when He “comes to” (ad-venit) fallen humanity in the form of Elizabeth and St. John, bringing them the same supernatural joy which He would give to the angels, the shepherds and the magi in His infancy and to the millions who have discovered the unfathomable beauty and power of His divine love for over two millennia since. We do not need to wait until the End Times for Christ to come to us: He has already come to us in the flesh and remains with us “all days, even to the consummation of the world” (Mt 28:20) through His Church, the Body of Christ, dwelling in us sacramentally through the grace of the Holy Ghost as He once dwelled in the womb of the Virgin.

In the Milan-based Ambrosian rite for today, their Sixth Sunday of Advent, for what is called the Mass of the Incarnation is sung this magnificent Ingressa:

Videsne Elisabeth cum Dei Genitrice Maria disputantem: Quid ad me venisti, mater Domini mei? Si enim scirem, in tuum venirem occursum. Tu enim Regnatorem portas, et ego prophetam: tu legem dantem, et ego legem accipientem: tu Verbum, et ego vocem proclamantis adventum Salvatoris.

(Dost thou see Elizabeth discussing with Mary, the Mother of God: Why hast Thou come to me, o mother of my Lord? For if I had known, I would have come to meet Thee. For thou bearest Him that reigneth, and I the prophet; Thou the Giver of the Law, and I him that receiveth it; Thou the Word, and I the voice of him that proclaimeth the coming of the Savior.)

This is the true joy of Christmas, the satisfaction of the hopes of all mankind throughout history, for God to win our reclamation from sin and death and unite us to Himself in love, but only in Christ is this promise truly fulfilled. No matter what temporal pleasures and distractions the modern world may offer, or what “alternative” answers can be found in false religions, Christ alone is “the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No man cometh to the Father, but by Me.” (Jn 14:6) It is our mission as Christians to bring this good news of the Gospel to the world, reminding those who enjoy the festivities of the Christmas season that it is not only for a fun time with family and friends but is ultimately empty without the invincible joy given by Christ.

The Old Testament readings for today, from the prophet Micah and the Psalm of David, corroborate the uniqueness of Christ. Who else could “come forth” from Bethlehem, be born of a woman and call the LORD His God, yet also be one “whose origin is from of old, from ancient times”, as Micah prophecies? Or who else could be the “shepherd of Israel” who reigns “from [His] throne upon the cherubim” and comes to save us personally, but does so through a “vine”, “the son of man” who is “the man of your right hand,” as the Psalm sings? Only He who is the God-man, “God-with-us” (Emmanuel), “God is salvation” (Yeshua), the “true vine” whose “Father is the husbandman”, (Jn 15:1) and “the good shepherd” (Jn 10:11) who “sitteth on the right hand of God.” (Mk 16:19)

This is why Elizabeth and St. John rejoiced over His presence – after receiving Him through the mediation of the Blessed Virgin, whose greeting directly inspired their reaction: they knew that history had come to its end, that a new age, the Year of the Lord (Anno Domini), was beginning. This is the true meaning of Christmas and the unique promise given by Christ to His Church, one for which the world today, Christian and non-Christian alike, is in direst need.

As this is my last reflection before Christmas Day, I would like to wish everyone a blessed and joyous Nativity as you celebrate the birth of Christ, which J.R.R. Tolkien called “the Eucatastrophe of Man’s history,” with your loved ones and with all the saints and choirs of angels at Mass!