These final days of Advent are particularly Marian. Her
faith, her wonder, her humility help us to prepare well, with faith, wonder, and
humility, for the celebration of the Nativity. Yesterday, we read heard how,
though she had just had the most unique and profound experience of God in human
history, she in haste goes in charity to help her cousin Elizabeth. When Mary
arrived, we heard of the incredible wonder of Elizabeth, that the Mother of Her
Lord should come to her, a wonder that even filled John the Baptist in utero,
who leapt in joy.
Today continues that story; when Mary witnesses the reaction
of Elizabeth and her baby, Mary explodes in a song of wonder and praise. As Mary
made that 60-mile trek from Nazareth to the hill country to visit Elizabeth, imagine
how that wonder and praise began to bubble-up in within Mary. As she began to attempt
to understand her profound and unique vocation, to be Mother of the Son of God,
how did she even start to understand what just happened to her? As a woman of
faith, no doubt, her reference was God’s word.
She is like Hannah, so joyful over God’s intervention, she
is like Sarah amazed at what God has done, Mary is the tabernacle in the
wilderness, carrying God’s presence, she is the burning bush which burns with
fire but is not consumed, she is the ark of the covenant, carrying within it
signs of God’s power and law, and of course she is the virgin foretold by
Isaiah, who Son shall be Emmanuel.
Mary is the culmination of the whole history of the ancient
Hebrews. She is the perfection to which all of faithful Israel aspired through
the long centuries of preparation for the coming of the Messiah, beginning with
the promise given to Abraham.
This is one reason why it is so important to read God’s
word, it gives our life a reference. It helps us to understand where we fit in
to God’s plan. It gives us the vocabulary for praising God.
And upon reflection and meditation upon how salvation
history was coming to fulfillment in her, whose praises does she sing in the Magnificat?
She bursts forth with praise of God. It is God who casts down the mighty and
lifts up the lowly, it is God who saves.
In the final days of Advent, perhaps our Christmas
preparations require us to meditate on what God has done in our own lives: how has God humbled us in our pride, and lifted us up in our lowliness, how has God fed us when we were hungry and sent us away when we were rich and spoiled? And
then to do something possibly uncharacteristically: to sing his praises for His activity in our lives, and finally, to contemplate in wonder and awe over what
he accomplishes in our lives and at Christmas. For if we are not filled with wonder and praise
for God on the feast of Christmas, have we really prepared for it?
Mary’s holiness, her profound joy, her wonder and awe stems
from her profound humility in recognizing what God had done for her. Becoming
humble like her is the best way to prepare for Christmas. So, like her, may we
humbly, yet joyfully come to appreciate the great things God has done for us
and for all mankind for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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