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The Fourth Sunday in Advent |
"Come, O Lord, and do not delay!"
Today's Mass is really a celebration of the Advent Ember Days for those people who were
unable to come to church during this past week. Formerly the Saturday Ember Day Mass was
actually celebrated early Sunday morning, and the Mass of this Sunday is now a composite
of the Masses of the Ember Days.
This Sunday sums up all the preceding Sunday's of Advent. On each Sunday up to now there has been more or less only one Advent figure. On the first Sunday, Isaiah, on the second, John the Baptist, on the third, in a certain sense, Mary, for with the Incarnation in her womb, the Redeemer was "already near", "in our midst", though still unknown and hidden. today we have before us all three figures of Advent: Isaiah in the Introit of the Mass with his cry: "Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above!" - John the Baptist in the Gospel with his injunction: "Prepare ye the way!" - Mary in the Introit and Communion Hymns. Today's Mass bears a pronounced impress of Mary, as is only to be expected. For already the Redeemer is stirring in Her womb and we are awaiting only the hour of His birth in the manger and in our hearts.
With the lighting of the fourth and last candle on the Advent wreath, the children are made to realize that the Savior is almost at the gate of their souls. Jerusalem awaits the great King and Savior in silent and awed expectancy. With the singing of the Magnificat and the "O Antiphon" of today, a little pageant could be organized in correspondence with today's Mass. The first figure represents Isaiah and the first 2 weeks of Advent and the long and ardent awaiting of the Old Testament world. The second figure represents St. John the Baptist who sounds the joyous trumpet announcing the arrival of "Him Who is to follow"; it is he who leads the groom (Christ) to the Spouse (the Church), as we read in today's Gospel. The third and final figure is our Blessed Lady. The Hail Mary of the Offertory tells us that the period of preparation is drawing to a close. During all the Mass of the Faithful, it is Mary who is our shepherd and guide. On Sunday evening, Marian Advent hymns and carols remind home and neighborhood that our hearts must be made ready for the coming of Christ. The valleys must be filled and the hills leveled.
What an apostolic reminder of the need of a good Confession before Christmas! That is why the stational church of this Sunday is the Basilica of Reconciliation. By means of the divinely instituted powers of absolution given to the shepherds of the flock, the sacrament of Penance makes us ready for the coming of the Redeemer. The purity and simplicity of the children may remind their elders that in order to enter heaven they must become as little children.
Now that Advent is almost completed and the children are truly prepared for rejoicing upon the heights of the Christmas - Epiphany Feasts (Christmas being the Feast of Christ's HUMANITY and Epiphany that of His DIVINITY), they should begin the preparation of their seasonal greeting cards. Since the FULLNESS of the Advent preparation is achieved on the Feast of the Epiphany rather than on Christmas, it is more in the spirit of the Church to send cards representative of the themes of the Epiphany. We all realize very well that the custom of sending Christmas cards has received commercially inspired encouragement, which often impedes our celebration of the solemnities of Advent because of social obligations. This may be averted somewhat by placing our emphasis upon the Feast of Epiphany which is actually the Liturgically greater feast.
The result of making these cards on the days that follow and sending them out before Epiphany, would be for the child an increase of INTEREST AND KNOWLEDGE of the mind of the Church with a corresponding possibility of an increase in grace. For the recipient it would be a highly personalized and spiritually inspirational Christmas card.
And so, when we come today to the Communion Hymn of the Mass, we read: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and His name shall be called Emmanuel (God-With-Us);" then in that moment, we ourselves are truly Mary. For the same Savior has just come also to us in Holy Communion, stirs in our hearts also with His manhood that He received from Mary. Would that He might find in us also the worthy heart that He once found in her: a heart full of purity and humility, free from all sin and all selfishness, and ready always and everywhere to submit utterly, even in suffering and sacrifice, to the most holy will of God, and to seek nothing on this earth but Him.
