Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • December 20, 2024 5 MORE THAN FUNERAL DIRECTORS We are Professional Remembrance Planners Explore the many unique ways to honor and celebrate lives. Call or visit Bradford O’Keefe today. BRADFORD-O’KEEFE FUNERAL HOMES Professional. Compassionate. Dignified. 228-374-5650 • Bradfordokeefe.com In thanksgiving to the Holy Spirit, Blessed Mother, and St. Jude, for prayers answered. BAB Opening Reflection: Today, we reflect on the “want” lists from our Scripture readings. Micah’s God wants all exiles to return to Him. Those of the sheepfold who have wandered into pastures of carnal self-satisfaction, cold indifference, and allegiance to other shepherds. The Psalmist wants new life to strengthen relationship with God, prevent withdrawing from truth, and give confidence to their salvation. Hebrews author wants a people consecrated (holy, blessed, and set apart) to God’s will according to the submissive example of Jesus Christ. In today’s Gospel, Mary wants Elizabeth to experience Jesus -- so she brings Him to her. What a unique idea. Liberation Theology: The wait for liberation will soon end. The Messiah is coming, says the prophet Micah to those in exile. Your hopes and dreams will be realized, and misfortunes reversed. The eternal Shepherd will care for His sheep; strength will be given to the weak and peace to those in turmoil. The savior of the world will be born not in a palace but to a virgin in a small, obscure village -- with God, all things are possible. The promised Savior is not an afterthought; His origin is from ancient times. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God… all things came to be through Him” (John 1:1- 3a). Therefore, Advent’s irony is that we are not waiting for the Lord; He is waiting for us. And, as the scourge of victimhood gives way to the mantle of leadership, responsibility, and ownership of God’s gifts and graces, we ponder the question -- what are we to do now? Philip Kolin’s Fourth Sunday of Advent poem on page 35 of Reading God’s Handwriting: Poems is titled “Construction Sunday.” It reads in part, “The waiting and watching are soon to stop. God calls us to get busy building this Sunday/A dwelling for His son… Under your roof, receive Him/This child of starving flesh and pure light. You are the building material He needs/For eternity to enter time…” In our day, exile is an affliction of those who separate from the bosom of the Good Shepherd, turn a deaf ear to His voice, or fail to acknowledge His will as beneficial to their lives. Find some creative ways to deliver a dose of eternity to anyone so afflicted. Encourage: Hebrews letter is a “message of encouragement” (13:22) to Christians who have become weary with the demands of the Christian life and discouraged in their efforts to live up to the higher calling. The solution resides in Christ’s eternal self-sacrifice as atonement for sins, inaugurating a new covenant, and providing new and open access to God. The Lord has made a way for us to persevere in hope, thrive in faith, and adopt the ministry of encouragement as our own. “The authentic life begins with the simple desire to be who God created us to be and cooperate with God by playing the part He has designed for us in human history. The adventure of salvation begins when we stop asking, ‘What’s in it for me?’ and turn humbly to God in our hearts and ask, ‘How may I serve? What work do you wish for me to do? What is your will for my life?’” Advent Reflections, Matthew Kelly Mission Trip: Imagine the trauma of a first-century teenage girl, promised (betrothed) in marriage to a man, discovering that she is pregnant. How does she deal with the shame brought on both families and the stress of knowing that, by Law, she must be stoned to death? But remember, Mary received the angel’s announcement and was assured that this pregnancy was in God’s plan so, for her, the trauma and stress would not stop her mission. Today’s Gospel finds the pregnant Mary traveling, in haste, to help her elder cousin Elizabeth with her pregnancy. Mary was all about “proclaiming the greatness of the Lord” (Luke 1:46-55). No time to sit around worrying, there are lives to touch and kingdoms to build. Immediately, at Mary’s greeting, John (the child in Elizabeth’s womb) encounters Jesus. Whom have you brought Jesus to today? For Reflection: 1. Finish the sentence, “All I want for Christmas is … ” 2. What is God’s plan for your life? How can you work toward fulfilling it? 3. What is the meaning of the statement, “Advent’s irony is we are not waiting for the Lord, He is waiting for us.” 4. How would you advise someone to act on the belief that God’s word would be fulfilled? For Action: 1. Contact someone in “exile” and invite them to accompany you to Christmas Mass. 2. Put your answer to Reflection #1 and #2 into action. Record in a journal how you or others were blessed by such action. Deacon Ralph Torrelli is retired and lives in Tennessee. Visit his website: www.homilypearls. com. 1st Reading: Micah 5:1-4a Responsorial Psalm:80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19 2nd Reading: Hebrews 10:5-10 Gospel: Luke 1:39-45 4th Sunday of Advent All I want for Christmas is … Deacon Torrell i Sunday Scripture Commentaries