by Carl Olson

A Scriptural Reflection on the Last Sunday of Advent

Readings:

Mi 5:1-4a
Ps 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
Heb 10:5-10
Lk 1:39-45

The readings for this fourth Sunday (and final day) of Advent emphasize the lowly origins of Jesus - both geographical and familial - and the loving sacrificial work that He, as Lord and Savior, would undertake for the sake of Israel and the entire human race.

The ascent from lowliness to greatness via the startling path of sacrifice is hinted at in the reading from the prophet Micah. His message followed a basic pattern similar to that of his contemporary Isaiah: the announcement of judgment due to the rejection of God’s law, the prophecy of a restored Zion, and an exhortation to a spiritual renewal based in trust in God’s mercy.

The Messiah, the future ruler of Israel, will come from the little town of Bethlehem, the city of David; centuries later this prophesy is emphasized in Matthew’s Gospel (Matt 2:5-6). This promise echoes the covenantal vows made to King David, including the eternal establishment of his house, throne, and kingdom (2 Sam 7:11-13, 16). There is also a reference to the mother of this ruler in Israel, an identification fully expressed and realized in the Gospel reading.

"He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock", states Micah. So, too, the Psalmist depicts the coming Messiah as the "shepherd of Israel" who comes from the throne of God to save His people. Psalm 80 is a song of lament in the wake of a military defeat, possibly involving the capture of the Temple in sixth century B.C. Its author asks God to remember His people - "this vine" - and have mercy on them. He humbly acknowledges that only the Lord, by taking merciful initiative, can save His people by turning His face to them.

The Epistle reading is a reminder that the divine initiative in the work of salvation centers on the Son’s desire to fulfill the will of the Father. "By his loving obedience to the Father," states the Catechis of the Catholic Church, "‘unto death, even death on a cross’ (Phil 2:8), Jesus fulfils the atoning mission (cf. Is 53:10) of the suffering Servant, who will ‘make many righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities’ (Is 53:11; cf. Rom 5:19)" (CCC 623).

Drawing from Psalm 40, the Son twice declares: "Behold, I come to do your will." This is the perfect expression of divine love, the same divine love that fills those who have been baptized into the Son because of the sacrificial gift of His body on the cross (cf. Rom 6:3-4). Again, glory does not come through merely external acts or proud aspirations, but from humility before God, obedience to His divine will, and gratitude for the gift of His life.

In the final Gospel reading of Advent, Luke depicts two mothers-to-be praising God for His blessings and marveling at His mysterious ways. The emphasis on obedience and faith that marks today’s readings reaches a climax in the person of the young Jewish virgin. "The Virgin Mary," the Catechism teaches, "most perfectly embodies the obedience of faith" (CCC 148; cf. CCC 144). It is this faith that is recognized by Mary’s relative, Elizabeth, when the pregnant Mother of God visits her: "Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."

Elizabeth’s recognition of her Lord in the womb of Mary is dramatic and, at the same time, almost matter-of-fact in tone. The title "Lord" is usually meant for God (see Luke 1:6, 9, 11, 15), and it is applied to Jesus often throughout Luke’s Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, knows that Mary’s child is special and that His life will have a significance surpassing that of her son. Earlier, in verse 15, her husband, Zechariah, had been told that John would "be filled with the holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb." John’s leaping for joy in the womb is evidence of this; the precursor of Jesus announced the presence of the Messiah even before either had been born.

This marks a fitting conclusion to the season of Advent: humble praise and joyful anticipation on the cusp of the Nativity, when the God of Israel joins history and humanity as the Incarnate Son of God.