Three short Readings fills us with eager anticipation for Christmas.
On this Fourth Sunday of Advent, Micah’s words create the atmosphere. Micah (aka Micheas) is one of the Twelve Minor Prophets, a contemporary of Isaiah, Amos and Hosea. He castigated Jerusalem for her sin of idolatry would lead to her fall. He also prophesied her recovery and the restoration of the Judean state.
The First Reading of today (Mic 5:2) is a key passage in that regard. Micah honours Bethlehem, a small village south of Jerusalem, as the future birthplace of the Messiah: ‘You, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,[1] who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old.’ This provides the convincing proof that Jesus is God!
The Gospel text (Lk 1: 39-45) endorses the fact that Jesus is God. ‘When Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, Blessed are you among women, and blessed in the fruit of your womb!’ Further, Elizabeth refers to her cousin as ‘the mother of my Lord’, who was ‘blessed’ for believing that there would a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.
And what manner of man would the babe of Bethlehem grow up to be? The Second Reading (Heb. 10: 5-10) defines him: he would despise sacrifices and offerings and offer Himself as a holy sacrifice once for all. Seldom do we realise that the gentle spirit of the Nativity prepares the way for the drama of the Cross and the Paschal victory.
That Supreme Sacrifice speaks volumes of God’s love for humankind. We are called to live in the light of that ineffable love.
[1] Ephrathah, to distinguish this town from another called Bethlehem.