Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love

Gospel: Lk 1:26-38

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122423.cfm

The theme of the Fourth Week of Advent is Love. The previous weeks were Hope, Peace, and Joy. Today is not just the fourth Sunday of Advent, it is also Christmas Eve. Imagine Mary nine months pregnant journeying to Bethlehem with Joseph for a census. Once they arrive, they are informed that there is no room for them; they are told that they can stay in a stable for the night. Their life after Gabriel visited them was far from predictable or glorious. They had so many mishaps, and this was just the beginning.

Mary through these moments probably reflected on her experience with Gabriel. God sent Gabriel to Mary to help her prepare for what was to come. Through their conversation, Mary found hope that God would work through the incidentals of her life to fulfill her purpose. She found peace in moments of struggle because she knew that things would eventually lead to the full revelation of the Messiah. Gabriel helped Mary understand that God was with her and would care for her. This made the experience in Bethlehem easier for her.

Her sense of hope and peace was a trust in God’s providence for her. It freed her from the worries, fears, and obligations that limit us from fully seeing God’s presence. She was fully open to experiencing God. She encountered God directly; she experienced Love. In giving her will fully to God, she was freed from fear, worry, and obligation, leaving her with a complete sense of hope, peace, joy, and love.

What fears, worries, and obligations limit you from fully experiencing the advent of God as Mary did? How can Mary’s example help you fully experience hope, peace, joy, and love?

“Nothing will be impossible for God.”