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.
