Encountering Jesus

Encountering Jesus
December 20, 2015    Fourth Sunday of Advent - C
by Dcn. Bob Bonomi

Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the land,
   People were worried, wringing their hands.
What should I buy, what should I get?
   Will my expectations of Christmas be met?
Mom in her apron, in a very foul mood,
   Worried about cooking, would there be enough food?
Dad, too, was cranky, showing ill-will,
   Worried about paying those after-Christmas bills.
And the children were impatient – the girls and the boys,
   As they thought only of presents: the gifts, the toys.
But then, what to my blood-shot eyes should appear,
   But an angel of God, with good tidings to share.
“A child will be born in just a few days,
   That, if you will let him, can change all your ways.”
“The gifts He will bring are joy, mercy and love,
   Sent by the King of Kings from above.”

What kind of gifts do you want for Christmas this year? Are you hoping for a Big Gift?  An Expensive Gift?  Maybe LOTS of Gifts?

Or are you the gift-giver?  Well, there’s less than a week to go – I hope you got your shopping done. 

In today’s first reading and in Luke’s Gospel, we see that God’s gifts come from sources that would be considered insignificant by human standards: 
•  Bethlehem - The smallest of the clans of Judah
•  Elizabeth - An old woman beyond child-bearing age, and
•  Mary - A young girl, not much more than a child, married to a carpenter

And yet, none are as unimportant as they may seem.
•  Bethlehem - Who will be the source of a great ruler.
•  Elizabeth - Who will have a son that will be a great prophet.
•  Mary - Who will be the mother of the Son of God.

But more than gifts, today’s Gospel is about an ENCOUNTER.  An encounter With JESUS.  Through MARY.

Let’s look at the Gospels from last week that lead up to today.  We began the week with various passages focusing on the encounters between the Jewish leadership and John the Baptist, as seen through the eyes of Jesus.  Then we began to shift focus, to Joseph’s and Zechariah’s encounters with the angel Gabriel.  And today we witness the FIRST person to encounter Jesus – Elizabeth.

Elizabeth knew her child was special in God’s plans, and yet at first she hid herself, going into seclusion – Why?  To avoid questions about a “baby bump” appearing?  After all, she was well past child-bearing age.  And with Zechariah now a mute – he couldn’t help explain what was happening. 

Or maybe it was because at her age she might have needed the time to adjust to her unexpected situation?  She was only secluded for 5 months so maybe she didn’t want to build false hopes.  After all, they didn’t have the tests to confirm early pregnancy like we do today.  Maybe she just wanted to make sure everything went according to a normal birth.  Interestingly, it’s at about 5 months  that the baby begins to move.  Or maybe she just didn’t want to see anyone while she suffered from morning sickness.

In any case, by the time Mary encounters the angel Gabriel and receives the Good News that she will bear a child, Elizabeth has just returned home.  Mary will spend the remainder of Elizabeth’s pregnancy with her.  Interestingly, it doesn’t say that Mary was there at the time of John’s birth, although the timing given would suggest that she was there right up to that point.

So today, we see an important encounter between four people:  Elizabeth; her soon-to-be-born son, John; the Virgin (yet pregnant) Mary; and her newly-conceived son, Jesus.  And what an encounter!

Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit by the mere presence of Jesus in Mary’s womb.  She breaks out into spontaneous prayer and knows immediately that Mary is carrying the Messiah, her Lord.

John responds to the presence of Jesus, “leaping for joy” in Elizabeth’s womb.

Yet, it has been only a couple of weeks at the most since Mary conceived Jesus.  He’s barely there, physically.

For those who don’t believe that life begins at conception, or that it has to “develop” enough to be “viable”, they should read this Gospel passage.  The preciousness and the power of God’s gift of any life begins the instant that God sends that gift to Earth.  The gift of life IS an encounter with God – from the very moment of conception.

And an encounter with God – with Jesus – is what Christmas is all about.  Elizabeth accepts the gift of a new life – a son – who will prepare the world for an encounter with God.  Mary accepts the gift of Jesus, an encounter with God Himself, who will open the doors of mercy and restore our ability to encounter God for all eternity.  Mary brings Jesus to Elizabeth and John in an encounter which rocks them with enlightenment and joy.

There’s a lesson here for us today.  Like Mary, we are called to bring Jesus to others.  But first we must encounter Jesus.  And like Elizabeth and John, we can encounter Jesus through His mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Through her example and intercession, she shows us the way and helps us when we fail. 

If we do – if we help others to encounter Jesus through our words and actions – then they too will be filled with the Holy Spirit and leap for joy.

Today’s Gospel ends with Elizabeth proclaiming: “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”  Jesus told us that whenever two or more are gathered in His name, He is there with them.  Jesus is here, with us, now, waiting for us to encounter Him.  This Christmas, let us believe what He has said to us.  Let us seek to encounter Him. During this Jubilee Year of Mercy, let us accept the gift of mercy He offers us, and also share that gift with others – a gift more precious than anything wrapped and placed under a tree.

Will you encounter Jesus at Christmas?  Will you bring Jesus to others?  I hope so.

And so let us exclaim, as we prepare for this week,
   Merry Christmas to all; Christ comes, whom we seek
– and who seeks us.

AMEN?