Fourth Sunday of Advent December 20, 2009
Scripture	Luke 1:39-45 (46-55) 39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth . 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And why has this happened to me that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” 46 And Mary a said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel , in remembrance of his mercy, 55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
Devotional	Mary takes time to recognize that God has come into her life. Mary goes to the desert or at least to the hill country. Does this show the contemplative side of Mary? Does Mary go to visit Elizabeth seeking physical or spiritual support? This seems to be a spirituality of joy and companionship with God. Both women recognize the presence of God in their individual lives. A renewed Christian spirituality will be a spirituality of the desert. From the desert experience it will cherish and seek to strengthen the contemplative life of the church. It will seek both solitude and communion as equally important aspects of life of the spirit. 1 Mary’s spirituality was a spirituality of solitude and communion. Mary and Elizabeth find within their shared physical condition a communion with God. Do these two women give us an example of what our spirituality should be like today? The spirituality of the future must be a contemplative spirituality. It must lay stress on stillness, silence, and attention to God. 2 Another thing about their spirituality is the joy each shared with each other. They came with different experiences but share the joy for each other in the experience of God in their life. Their joy came from their experience of the presence of God and their commitment to following God’s will for them. This joy came from their spiritual knowledge and their response to God. Joy does not come from positive predictions about the state of the world. It does not depend on the ups and downs of the circumstances of our lives. Joy is based on the spiritual knowledge that, while the world in which we live is shrouded in darkness, God has overcome the world. Jesus says it loudly and clearly: “In the world you will have troubles, but rejoice, I have overcome the world.” 3 Mary and Elizabeth demonstrate for us a contemplative spirituality that focuses on God and stress the need to listen to God. 1 Kenneth Leech, The Eye of the Storm. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1992. p. 226-27 2 ibid. p. 227 3 Henri J. M. Nouwen, Here and Now, New York : The Crossroad Publishing Co. 1994. p. 39-40