Today we hear the wonderful story of Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth from the Gospel of Luke. Right after today’s Gospel is where Mary proclaims the Magnificat, a wonderful response of faith and justice to the way God was at work in the life of Mary. I think of how Mary and Elizabeth had their lives upended by God’s plans for them and by their role in his plan of salvation for humanity. Elizabeth was very old and had been unable to conceive a child when she found herself pregnant. Mary was very young and not yet married when she found herself with child. They had plans and had prepared for themselves and for their families; their plans were thrown into complete chaos.
Last week, we had the chancery Advent lunch and Mass. I had failed to tell our speaker that the we were having the Mass at St Jude, so she assumed it would be at the cathedral in downtown Jackson. She called me trying to get into the cathedral just five minutes before she was to begin her reflection. I apologized profusely and we had to change our plans, first having the Mass and then having her speak afterwards. Yes, sometimes in life we have to go to plan B or plan C or plan D. Sometimes God calls us to do something we would not have imagined for us in life. But as Mary and Elizabeth responded to God’s will with faith and obedience, we too are to respond positively to God’s call in our lives, even if God's will and the reality of our faith do not adhere to our plans or preparations or expectations.
With this being the fourth Sunday of Advent, we will celebrate our Christmas Masses next Friday on Christmas Eve and next Saturday morning on Christmas day. We hope you will join us for one of our Christmas Masses. I have a special love for the traditional Christmas Eve midnight Mass that we have here at St Jude; it is such a wonderful tradition. Blessings to all of you as we near the day of the birth of our Savior.
Blessings - Father Lincoln.
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