Fourth Week of Advent: Receiving Jesus with Joy
The climax of Mary’s joy and the true cause of our own joy approaches as we await the Incarnation of the Word: Jesus Christ. Let us be close to our Mother Mary’s heart at Jesus’ birth so we can share in her joy. It’s an incomprehensible mystery of love that God loves us so much that he sent his only son so that we mere humans would be raised by grace to become like God.
Through her immaculate heart, so united to Jesus, Mary faithfully embraced this mystery and fully received all the love that the Lord had poured into her heart. Every mother understands something of Mary’s overwhelming joy at Jesus’s nativity. Joy is one of the first and most evident signs of love. Joy bursts forth from the heart that loves. This love of Mary’s was no ordinary love but divine love poured out by the Holy Spirit and willingly received by a pure heart habituated to pondering the things above. Her tremendous love of God made her heart overflow with joy.
The Mother of God had a special vocation and mission to receive Jesus, the God Man, as a tiny, helpless, and fragile child. What wonderous love that gives himself to us in poverty and vulnerability to save us and draw us back to our Father in heaven! Let us share in Mary’s joy of Christ’s presence. Still your soul and within your prayerful imagination enter into the cave at midnight. Go as a wide-eyed, simple child and dispose yourself to adore the newborn King in the manger, alongside your heavenly mother, St. Joseph and the poor shepherds. Hear the angels singing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of Goodwill.” See Mary’s radiant joy and the light beaming from Jesus’ divine countenance. See Mary embrace you with her joy and motion to you to open your heart and your arms to receive the infant God. Bask some moments in his holy and redeeming presence. Let this holy night be a transforming encounter with love and mercy itself. Allow your soul to feel its great worth, and its belovedness as God’s child. In all your struggles, loneliness, grief, and sorrow, be assured when you receive Jesus in your arms and in the Eucharist, he wants to love, heal, and encourage you.
Those poor and simple shepherds in a field near Bethlehem also waited, hoped and prayed for the long-awaited messiah. They were prepared through suffering to receive with joy the angels’ song, “Glory to God in the Highest.” Allow Mary to remind you of that joy filled message, “Be not afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
May this proclamation of the Savior who comes again fill your heart and bring you to a renewed encounter with Love itself. May his love impel you and all of us Christians forth to our apostolic mission, to build up the Kingdom by engendering new life in Christ through our prayer, virtue, and service.
Mary, Cause of our Joy, pray for us.
