Advent Meditations: The Fourth Sunday of Advent
ADVENT MEDITATIONS FOR THE FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT
| Sun Dec 20 |
am: 24, 29 pm: 8, 84 |
Isa 7:10-14 | Rom 1:1-7 | Matt 1:18-24 |
ADVENT IV – The Antiphon’s of Advent IV – O KEY of David – O Key of David and Scepter of the House of Israel; you open, and no man closes; you close, and no man opens. Come, and deliver from the chains of prison those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
Of course, on this day of the O Antiphons Key of David foretells the authority of the one who has been foretold for the one having the Key of David would have authority of David’s domain, i.e., Jerusalem, the City of David, and the kingdom of Israel. The fact that, in Revelation 3:7, Jesus holds this key shows that He is the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant, the ruler of the New Jerusalem, and the Lord of the kingdom of heaven
MEDITATION: The Eucharistic Lessons for the 4th Sunday of Advent presents to us profound examples of humility and submission in the vocation of being a husband and a foster father. By receiving the revelation of the angel in holy obedience, Joseph, embodies fatherhood and shows us what it means to be a true man before God. Today’s Gospel passage is the second movement in this story. In the preceding verses of the first chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, the Evangelist has listed the genealogy of Jesus, tracing his lineage through King David to Abraham. In the chapter to follow, Matthew tells of the visit from the Magi, the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt, and Herod’s massacre of the infants in Bethlehem. (The other stories which we associate with Christmas, the Annunciation, the Visitation, the angel, and the shepherds, are found in the Gospel of Luke). All the joy of this season should be embraced but we should not lose sight of the difficult circumstances described in today’s Gospel. The way that Joseph and Mary faced these circumstances tells us much about these holy people and their faith in God.
To believe in God’s call when the tide of publica opinion is against you is not easy. To stand against the culture puts one outside looking in and yet Joseph and Mary willingly did so. There are many in our world who are faced with the same from Armenia to Syria. Let is pray that as they make the Advent journey amidst great challenges they are inspired by the example of Blessed Mary and Joseph.
PRAYER: O Christ, living sign of the Father’s love, we adore You as the Center of our lives. You are have given us models of grace in the witness of Blessed Mary and Joseph. Help us find strength in their example in these days of sorrow and trouble; may we look ahead as they did to find joy in times of sadness. In these final days of Advent, we pray you be our light in the darkness of this troubled world so we may encounter Your holy Presence. Amen.
Activity/Spiritual Discipline – Consider of the Keys. What Key do you hold that can open a door for another person today The Key of wisdom to share The key of wealth to open a door for another person to eat The key of Kindness to open the door of caring for another person to experience. Use the best key you have at your disposal to pen the portal of grace for another person.
ANCIENT WORDS/PRESENT GRACE:
“When we learn to read the story of Jesus and see it as the story of the love of God, doing for us what we could not do for ourselves – that insight produces, again and again, a sense of astonished gratitude which is very near the heart of authentic Christian experience.”-N.T. Wright
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