Advent - 2024; Week One

Advent - 2024;  Week One

Anticipation of the Birth of Christ begins with his Mother whom God has chosen to be the vessel of love from God for the salvation of mankind. 

To become the mother of the Savior, Mary “was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role.”  The angel Gabriel at the moment of the Annunciation salutes her as “full of grace.”  In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God’s grace.  (CCC 490).

Although none of us was elected to a role of severe acceptance by God, we nevertheless, through baptism, are mandated to pick up the requirement of evangelizing the Church in our own way that the Holy Spirit will induce in each of us.  This is the role given us by the Church, following its direction of faith.

Be attentive to the analogy of faith.  By “analogy of faith” we mean the coherence of the truths among themselves and within the whole plan of Revelation.   (CCC 114).

From the Liturgy of the Hours:

Ant:  This is our heavenly King; he comes with power and might to save the nations.  

We do not preach only one coming of Christ, but a second as well, much more glorious than the first.   The first coming was marked by patience; the second will bring the crown of a divine kingdom.  At the first coming we said:  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.  At the second we shall say it again; we shall go out with the angels to meet the Lord and cry out in adoration:  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.   (St. Cyril of Jerusalem).

As we begin our journey waiting to greet the Lord at his birth, we are advised to look deeply into the very role he expects each of us to pick up and embrace the full meaning of his Incarnation.  God hasn’t sent his Son just to forgive us our sins, but to live the life of eternity beginning now as we walk with grace through the countenance of his being.

Ralph B. Hathaway