4th Sunday of Advent ~ Year A

Spiritual Reflection

4th Sunday of Advent ~ Year A (PDF)

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” Mt 1:24

The Difficult Silence toward Joseph

Being silent to her betrothed Joseph about the mystery of God, i.e., that “she was found with child through the Holy Spirit” (Mt 1:18), must have been a very difficult trial for Mary, since she foresaw with certainty his pain and confusion.

How difficult must it have been to remain silent – a silence about God’s mystery,
as well as about her love and fidelity to Joseph.

She included in that silence the acceptance of the suffering of the one she loved, an acceptance that stemmed from the fortitude of faith.

Mary knew the Jewish law and customs. Mary also knew that conceiving a child before marriage could lead to her being stoned. “If within the city a man comes upon a maiden who is betrothed, and has relations with her, you shall bring them both out to the gate of the city and there stone them to death” (Deut 22:23-24).

The one who exemplifies for us the way of self-abandonment to God in every situation was not free from the prosaic situations in life, from the all-too-common suspicions and accusations.

The difficult experiences did not diminish her faith. God led her through them in a way known only to Him.

Moreover, she accepted every design of God.

The Acceptance of the Difficult Experience in Bethlehem

When Mary is directed to go to Bethlehem, she knows that the time to give birth is near. But submitting herself to the will of God, she nevertheless sets out on the long and difficult journey. She sets out with the attitude of the evangelical child and abandons herself in everything to the will of the Father, whom she loves and in whom she trusts, despite not always understanding His will.

Later, too, at the moment of the birth, she fully accepts everything that occurs and the extreme conditions, which were totally inappropriate from a human point of view.

Any mother who would find herself
in similar circumstances would have many questions and doubts,
perhaps even rebellion against the will of God –
so incomprehensible and so difficult to accept. In every situation,

Mary
realized the will of God
with full inner peace,
because she accepted everything
with childlike trust.

S. C. Biela, In the Arms of Mary, pp. 126-128

References from the Catechism of the Catholic Church

51  "It pleased God, in his goodness and wisdom, to reveal himself and to make known the mystery of his will. His will was that men should have access to the Father, through Christ, the Word made flesh, in the Holy Spirit, and thus become sharers in the divine nature."2

526 To become a child in relation to God is the condition for entering the kingdom. 205 For this, we must humble ourselves and become little. Even more: to become "children of God" we must be "born from above" or "born of God". 206 Only when Christ is formed in us will the mystery of Christmas be fulfilled in us. 207 Christmas is the mystery of this "marvelous exchange":

O marvelous exchange! Man's Creator has become man, born of the Virgin. We have been made sharers in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share our humanity. 208

148 The Virgin Mary most perfectly embodies the obedience of faith. By faith Mary welcomes the tidings and promise brought by the angel Gabriel, believing that "with God nothing will be impossible" and so giving her assent: "Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be [done] to me according to your word." 12 Elizabeth greeted her: "Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." 13 It is for this faith that all generations have called Mary blessed. 14

Questions for Reflection

1.          In this reflection, what is God trying to share with me about His will?
2.          What divine qualities do I see in Mary’s response to her difficult situations?
4.          What qualities have I seen in my own response to difficult events or situations?
3.          This Christmas, what spiritual gifts do I desire from Jesus through Mary?

Prayer after Sharing

Thank you, God, for allowing me to see the truth about my weaknesses and how it calls upon the abyss of your merciful Love.