4th Sunday of Advent (B)

• Lectionary Readings from the USCCB

We’re getting close to Christmas, and this is reflected in this Sunday’s gospel reading which recounts the annunciation of the angel Gabriel to Mary (Lk 1:26-38). Mary’s assent to God’s word results in her conceiving the Word in her womb; the divine Son of God takes on flesh and dwells among us. This is the moment that the incarnation of God takes place!

The entrance chant for the 4th Sunday of Advent is from Isaiah 45:8: Let the clouds rain down the Just One and the earth bring forth a Savior. I think this verse provides us with a beautiful image of what the incarnation is all about: the meeting of heaven and earth, the wedding of the divine and human. This is what happened some 2020 years ago with the incarnation of the Son of God; this is what continues to happen in the Church today whenever the sacraments are celebrated; and this is what we hope to be an ongoing reality in the heart of every Christian who lives in God’s grace, following the example of our Blessed Mother by saying, in all circumstance, “Be it done unto me according to your word.”