Each year on the 4th Sunday of Advent, we hear of the visitation of the angel Gabriel to Mary, announcing that she has conceived and will bear a son. “Hail, full of grace! (remember the Holy Day we celebrated on December 8th of Mary’s own Immaculate Conception within her mother’s womb? This is a reference to that belief. She was born with-out the stain of original sin.) The Lord is with you.” Mary’s response: “May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)
On this final Sunday of Advent we sing of our continued waiting for the Lord in our opening song “O Come, Divine Messiah” – “the world in silence waits the day when hope shall sing its triumph and sadness flee away.” How that text has a different meaning in our world today than most years! The silence of staying apart from one another to keep each other safe; the sadness that accompanies the distancing that must be done to keep COVID deaths at bay. Ah, but we’re really talking about the Second coming of Christ – when truly sadness will flee away and hope will prevail! As we are on Day 4 of the O Anti-phons during the office hours (refer to last week’s article for info on that!), we sing ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’ once again – O Key of David is the O Antiphon for today.
Our second Communion song, ‘Holy is His Name’, is Mary’s response in the scripture passages immediately following today’s Gospel (Luke 1: 46-55):
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness;
behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.
He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.
He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy,
according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
May we use the last few days of our season of Advent to respond to God in the same way that Mary did – giving praise and glory to God for everything in our lives.