Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent – December 21
The Joy of Encounter
Liturgical Cycle: B | Lectionary Cycle: I
Introduction
Few things, if any, are more beautiful on the human – and the divine – level than the encounter between persons. An encounter is a great joy and a grace. The first reading (from the Song of Songs) speaks of the encounter between a suitor and the young woman he loves; this is probably an image of the love between God and Israel. The second option (from Zephaniah) describes the joy of Jerusalem because God stays with his people.
In the gospel, Elizabeth encounters Mary; even the unborn John the Baptist encounters the Savior and his mother. Deeper than meetings between people in business, science, politics, or their jobs, are the understanding, love and sharing of real human encounters. This is the kind of encounter that awaits us with the Lord on Christmas and in this eucharist. Encounters are even deeper when God is a partner in them.
Opening Prayer
God, we tend to lose ourselves
in the bustle and stir of the day,
in our work and our petty worries.
Give us the freshness of heart
to look for the things that matter,
those that make our lives deeply human
and at the same time open us
to your world and to your values.
Make us long to encounter you with joy,
that we may discover again the quality
of gratuitous giving, of respect,
and of carefree, self-forgetting love,
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
First Reading
IX. Spring
The voice of my lover! Behold he comes, springing across the mountains, jumping over the hills,
like a gazelle or a young stag.Now he stands behind our wall,looking through the windows,peering through the lattice.
My lover speaks to me,“Arise, my love, my beautiful one!
Come, the winter is gone,the rains are over.
Flowers have appeared on earth;the season of singing has come;the cooing of doves is heard.
The fig tree forms its early fruit,the vines in blossom are fragrant.Arise, my beautiful one,come with me, my love, come.
O my dove in the rocky cleft,in the secret places of the cliff,let me see your face,let me hear your voice.Your face—how lovely!Your voice—how sweet!”
Responsorial Psalm
R. (1a; 3a) Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
Sing to him a new song;
pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law:
come to save us, Lord our God!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Mary then headed to a town in the hill country of Judah.
She entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and,
with a loud cry, said, “You are most blessed among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
How is it that the mother of my Lord comes to me?
The moment your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby inside me suddenly leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed that the Lord’s word would come true!”
Prayers of the Faithful
– That the deeper coming of Christ to us on Christmas may fill us all with gratitude and joy, we pray:
– That God may give us the gift of having many friends, we pray:
– That we may learn to appreciate people and rejoice in their gifts and talents, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord God, loving Father,
in this eucharist you encounter us again
through your Son Jesus Christ.
In these signs of bread and wine
may we really meet him
from person to person.
Let him set our hearts afire with his Spirit,
that we may give up our self-made securities
and dare with him to become
your people and your world
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
God, our Father,
we have encountered your Son
in his word and his body.
Let him go with us now
to speak through us your word
of courage and lasting hope
and to make us his body to the world,
that every encounter among people
may from now on become
a blessing and a grace and a joy,
and a commitment to one another and to you,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
The coming of Christ has brought joy to the world. With him, there is hope. No more room for sadness and fear! Even the cross can lead to joy! May almighty God make you people of joy and bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
Gospel: Luke 1:39-45
Mary Visits Elizabeth
Two women stand out in this story: two children in their mothers’ wombs, and the Holy Spirit who fills Elizabeth with joy to bless Mary and the “fruit of her womb” (42). The Holy Spirit also moves Mary to sing the “Magnificat” (46-55), exalting the greatness of the Lord through humble people—those who do not count but trust in him. Luke observes that the powerful and ambitious drive history through power, possession, and domination, leaving behind a trail of impoverished, marginalized, and excluded people. However, God works precisely through these humble individuals. This is why Mary’s song is revolutionary: it invites us to trust in the power of the Lord who works through the humble. The “Magnificat” is an invitation to every believer with a simple heart to proclaim the greatness of the Lord, not only with their words but also through their daily efforts and struggles.
Commentary on the Gospel passage from the Bible Claret online commentary.