Monday after Rorate coeli, The Fourth Sunday in Advent
Posted on December 20, 2021 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 1:39-56 (NKJV)
1:39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”
46 And Mary said:
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 “and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 “For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
49 “For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name.
50 “And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.
51 “He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 “He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly.
53 “He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.
54 “He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy,
55 “as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.”
56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.
Devotion
In yesterday’s Gospel (John 1:19-28), John the Baptist proclaimed that the Christ had finally arrived. In today’s reading, the same John the Baptist, still in his mother’s womb, proclaimed the same thing with his leap for joy. Elizabeth proclaimed it, too, as both she and her child were filled with the Holy Spirit. They both rejoiced to be in the presence of the Word who was so recently made flesh in the womb of the virgin Mary.
Mary rejoiced, too, and sang that Spirit-inspired song that Christians have been singing ever since St. Luke recorded the words for us. Her song teaches us to rejoice for all the right reasons: (1) Because God shows grace and goodness to the humble and lowly, urging us to reject pride and arrogance and to humble ourselves before God and man. (2) Because God Himself will bring down the powerful who oppress His people, urging us to wait patiently for His help, in His time. (3) Because God shows mercy and kindness to all who fear Him, urging us to fear Him and to expect good things from Him. And (4) because God is faithful and keeps His promises, urging us to learn what He has promised and to trust in Him firmly, no matter what is going on in the world around us. Let us rejoice, then, for all these reasons, which are both wrapped up and revealed in the Advent of Christ.
Prayer: Stir up, O Lord, we beseech Thee, Thy power, and come, and with great might, succor us, that by the help of Thy grace whatsoever is hindered by our sins may be speedily accomplished, through Thy mercy and satisfaction; Who livest and reignest with the Father, and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for Advent: Stir up, we beseech Thee, Thy power, O Lord, and come, that by Thy protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins, and saved by Thy mighty deliverance; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
