Greeting (See the Gospel)
Blessed are they who believe with Mary that the Lord will fulfill his promises. The Lord be with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
- God Visits His People
Our world is full of humble, ordinary people living in obscure hamlets, and yet some people like these have changed the course of the world. Within the history of the Church we are shown today the first person coming from such an ordinary milieu who by a simple phrase of her YES turned around the course of the world and the Church to be. It is Mary. Her YES to God, her “Here I am,” gave to her and to us Jesus, the Son of God. It made possible the “Here I am, I come to do your will,” of Jesus. Her YES and the YES of Jesus call us and the whole Church today to give our unconditional YES to God. Let us ask in this Eucharist that we may join Jesus and Mary in their YES. Then we can change the course of the world today.
- God’s Way of Coming
To solve our human problems we have recourse to strong means, like authority, influence, money and power. God’s upsetting standards are quite different from ours. To save our world and us he joins people in their weakness and becomes human among us. The Savior is born not in the capital but in a sleepy rural town. He is born in poverty. He overthrows the power of evil with the apparent weakness of humility, obedience and service. A woman and a child are at the beginning of our salvation. Let us recognize God’s astonishing way of coming.
Penitential Act
- God Visits His People
Too often we have said “no” to God and to the people who appealed to us. Let us ask God and one another to forgive us. - (pause)
Lord Jesus, Mary said her YES to God and thus you could be born as one of us: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, you said your “Here I am” to the Father and to all of humanity, and thus you could bring us life and love: Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you invite each and all to say YES to God and to people together with you and your Mother: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord, and forgive us all our sins. Make us entrust ourselves to you and carry out your plans, so that you can lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
- God’s Way of Coming
Are we willing to welcome the Lord and let him work in us not in the way we want but on his own terms? Let us examine ourselves.(pause)
Lord, you came to restore our strength by coming among us in human weakness: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, you made us rich in grace by your poverty and humility: Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord, you displayed your saving power in service and suffering: Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord, save us and the world from the evil of sin, convert us to your ways and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
- God Visits His People
Let us pray that with Mary we may eagerly prepare for the Lord’s coming (pause)
Faithful God, let us see the face of your Son and we shall be saved. Let Jesus come so much alive among us your people that with him we can seek your will in all we do. Help us to serve you and our brothers and sisters together with Mary, your humble servant, and with her sing the joyful song of those you set free through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
God’s Way of Coming
Let us pray to God that we may welcome his Son with deep faith. (pause)
Our God and Father, we are eagerly awaiting the deeper coming of your Son among us. Prepare us to recognize and receive him when he comes in his own astonishing way. We expected him to come with great power and he comes in poverty and humility; we looked for him in far places and he stands by our side; we waited for extraordinary signs and we discover him in the simplicity of everyday life and everyday people. Accustom us to your Son and his ways that he may change our lives to conform to his, for he is our Lord and Savior for ever. R/ Amen.
First Reading: Micah 5:1-4a - A Humble Ruler Brings Peace
A shepherd king born in humility will bring peace and salvation.
Second Reading: Hebrews 10:5-10 - I Am Coming to Obey Your Will
When Jesus comes, he gives himself totally to the Father. Can we say with him: Here I am to do your will?
Gospel: Luke 1:39-45 - Blessed Is She Who Believed
While she was bearing God’s son, Mary paid her cousin Elizabeth a visit of loving service.
Intercessions
With Mary we firmly believe that God is fulfilling his promises. With Mary we pray to the Father:
R/ Lord, give us your Son.
– That the Church, God’s People today, may welcome the Lord Jesus with warmth and joy in the poor and the little people, let us pray:
R/ Lord, give us your Son.
– That people with their hearts set on peace may bring to our torn and divided world the harmony and the cooperation which Jesus, the Prince of Peace, wanted to give us, let us pray:
R/ Lord, give us your Son.
– That justice may flourish in our day, that the needy may be filled with good things and that there may be love and mercy among people as they accept Jesus as their Savior, let us pray:
R/ Lord, give us your Son.
– That people who have lost the way in life and those who live in the night of doubt and fear may come to know who their Savior is, let us pray:
R/ Lord, give us your Son.
– That all our communities, great and small, which celebrate the joy of Christmas, may grow in unity and friendship and in commitment to unselfish service, let us pray:
R/ Lord, give us your Son.
Father in heaven, give us your Son, for we need him to make us and our world new. In him, we place all our hope, now and forever. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
God of mercy, you are so near to us that Jesus, your Son, born of the Virgin Mary, becomes one of us as our Emmanuel, our God-with-us. He looks so much like us that we are afraid not to recognize him when he passes among us. May we truly discover him in the poor and those in need and even in ourselves, in our own weakness, that he may take us by the hand and lead us to you, our God and Father for ever. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
The Lord Jesus is near this Christmas to take a greater place in our lives. He is near to us here in this Eucharist. With him we thank the Father for his lasting kindness.
Invitation to the Lord’s Prayer
In the words of Jesus, our brother, let us pray to our Father that with Jesus we may do his will: R/ Our Father...
Deliver Us
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil and let your Son be our peace. Help us to understand that to love is not only to give but also to take and receive. Open our hearts to welcome your Son and to receive from him light and life, as we prepare in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus, our Lord, who said on coming into the world: ”God, here I am; I am coming to do your will.” Happy are we to be invited to receive the bread of life that will help us to seek God’s will. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
Prayer after Communion
Lord God, loving Father, in this Eucharistic celebration you have given us Jesus your Son. Help us to welcome him always with the attitude of Mary, his mother, ready for him when he is least expected, recognizing him in events and in people, and sharing him with those we meet in the joy of serving love. We ask you this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
We are now close to Christmas and we are already full of joy. Let it not be a superficial cheer but a joy that comes from saying YES to God, to his plans, to his love, and of giving ourselves in love to those around us. May God give you this joy and bless you all: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Let us go and recognize the Lord and welcome him when we meet him. R/ Thanks be to God.
Commentary
God journeys to live among his people
The liturgy of this Fourth Sunday of Advent focuses on the figure of Mary, the Virgin Mother, expecting the birth of Jesus, the Saviour of the world. What were her thoughts in these months while she was expecting? The answer comes precisely from today’s Gospel passage, the narrative of Mary’s visit to her elderly relative Elizabeth (cf. Lk 1:39-45).
This episode helps us to interpret the mystery of man’s encounter with God that is not characterized by astonishing miracles, but rather, is characterized by faith and charity. Indeed, Mary is blessed because she believed: the encounter with God is the fruit of faith.
Without faith one remains inevitably deaf to the consoling voice of God; and incapable of speaking words of consolation and hope to our brothers and sisters. That explains the meaning of Zachariah turning dumb, because he himself was in doubt of the message of the angel – how could he be speaking of the message of God’s consolation?
Pope Francis gives the example of “People who have no faith, when they have to approach a person who is suffering, they speak words suited to the occasion, but they do not manage to touch their hearts. A person of Faith on the other hand, is capable of touching the lives and hearts of those in distress because they are in the first place, nourished by charity.
The visit of our Lady to Elizabeth is not just an encounter of two people, but also an encounter between God and his people. A person of faith is capable of touching the hearts of people because their faith allows them to touch and experience their God.
The Spirit teaches us to look beyond appearances and enables us to speak well of others – to bless them. This is especially true with regard to our brothers and sisters who are homeless, exposed to the rough world, lacking perhaps not only a roof over their head or a piece of bread, but also lack the friendship and warmth of a community to embrace, a shelter to protect them and a society that accept them.
Mary, as she journeys to visit Elizabeth, reminds us where God desired to dwell and live, where his sanctuary is: it is in the midst of his People. There he is, there he lives, there he awaits us. We can apply to ourselves the prophet’s call not to fear, not to let our arms grow weak! For the Lord our God is in our midst; he is a powerful saviour (cf. Zeph 3:16-17) and he is in the midst of his people. This is the secret of every Christian: God is in our midst as a powerful saviour. Our certainty of this enables us, like Mary, to sing and exult with joy.
