4th Sunday of Advent, C

 The little things matter

Luke 1:39-44

Now that we are in the 4th week of Advent, the 4th and final candle symbolizing space and time is also lit.  Light is upon us, not darkness.  And the first reading points to an insignificant, small place in Israel and in the map of the world - Bethlehem.

It's like the story of Tolkien's The Hobbits and even The Lord of the Rings.  The destruction of the evil ring now falls on two Hobbits. In the present movie, however small and insignificant they are, the more are instruments of freedom for the dwarfs. 

Mary is also the small, insignificant woman of the New Testament.  But in her consent and action lies the salvation of the world - Jesus Christ.

Before Christmas, we are asked to consider these 3 things that mark "smallness".  For these are the marks our Lord took to save us.


Quoting from the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "In all of his life Jesus presents himself as our model. He is "the perfect man", who invites us to become his disciples and follow him. In humbling himself, he has given us an example to imitate, through his prayer he draws us to pray, and by his poverty he calls us to accept freely the privation and persecutions that may come our way."  (CCC 520)

3 small things we need to enter Christmas:
1. discipleship - we need to be followers like Jesus who was the obedient Lamb led to the slaughter.
2. Humility - a quality of the heart that links us up with Jesus.
3. Poverty - Because Jesus chose to deprive himself of Godhead to enter into our fallen wounded world that makes salvation possible, for the sake of our suffering brothers and sisters, let us also take up their cause.

These 3 small things

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