Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 1, 39-45
Mary set out in those days
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”
Mary
1) She went without delay. We, Christians, are called to announce and serve. But that service must be done without delay. There are times when we procrastinate and delay doing good and we always find an excuse not to do it just yet. I remember when I was a child and my mom would ask me to go buy something, I would say ‘Going, I am going to finish this’ and I would never do it. Today, Jesus invites us to help others, to be well-disposed. We cannot be excessively calm or lazy Christians who seem to be going around in slow motion, as if we were doing others a favor, instead of serving others.
2) Joy. In the presence of Mary, the child leaps in his mother’s womb. Today, you and I have to take our experience with Jesus with joy and remember that Jesus is the center of Christmas and not purchases and food, and get-togethers… True joy is knowing that Christ is at your table, in your family and in your community. You must bring joy to these days, not conflict.
3) Humility. The mother of the Lord goes out to visit. You and I must do something for our neighbors, we cannot be complacent, let’s do something for someone before baby Jesus is born on the 25th. Think what can you do for someone today. Yes! We are remembering Mary’s attitude of going out without delay, so do not leave it for tomorrow, do it today, do something good for someone, so that someone meets that SOMEONE, with a capital letter, who is Jesus because Jesus is Christmas.
God bless you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Remember Heaven is our goal.
