Reflection for December 22
Christmas is only three days away. Our wait is almost over.
Soon the promise of Advent, the promise God made to Abraham and his descendants, will be fulfilled as we celebrate Jesus’s birth – the miracle of the Incarnation, God becoming human and living among us. Mary sings of this promise in today’s reading: “He remembered his promise of mercy.” The lowly will be uplifted, the hungry will have their fill, while the proud and mighty will be scattered and cast down. Jesus embodies this kept promise. He will usher in a new way of life as he establishes the Kingdom of God. He has “come to the help of his servant Israel.” He has come to help us. Right now, in this present moment, he is here to help you.
Today's reading finds Mary filled with gratitude. She sings, “The Almighty has done great things for me.” Let’s take Mary’s sense of gratefulness as an example today. Mary’s soul proclaimed the greatness of the Lord. Let us do likewise today. Take some time today and reflect on the “great things” God has done for you this Advent season. Let that gratitude serve as a springboard from which your soul shouts out to the world and “proclaims the greatness of the Lord.”
Jeff Kamradt