Daily Gospel Reflection
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December 22, 2024
Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”
With Christmas only a few days away, today’s gospel is a wonderful opportunity to consider our hearts. Are we ready to receive baby Jesus into the world?
We know that Mary, with the grace of the Holy Spirit, was ready. Her fiat, translated as “let it be done,” in response to the angel Gabriel, allowed God to become man through the mystery of the incarnation. In today’s reading, Elizabeth honors Mary, proclaiming: “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”
I am reminded of an Advent tradition in my family that helps us remember to say, “Yes,” to God. At the beginning of Advent, my mom puts out an empty rectangular box and a small can of straw. When someone does something loving, such as saying something nice to a friend, calling a grandparent to say hello, or helping with household chores without being asked, we put a piece of straw into the box. We are filling the manger of Jesus, giving him a soft place to rest his head.
Each piece of straw is a little yes to Jesus. These small acts of faith fill us with the love of God, and when put together, they overflow from us to fill the world with this divine love. In these last days before Christmas, may we prepare our hearts to receive Christ so that we might “leap for joy” in his presence, just as the infant John the Baptist did in Elizabeth’s womb.
Prayer
Merciful God, may we recognize the presence of your grace, even in times of fear and doubt. On this day of winter solstice, may we open our hearts to the light of your Son, who fills every dark corner of our hearts with his healing love and abiding peace. We ask this in his name. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Blessed Thomas Holland was a Jesuit priest who was executed in London during the English Reformation.
He was born to a noble family of England in 1600 and was sent to France and Spain for his education. He entered the Jesuit order in 1624 and was ordained a priest soon afterwards. After teaching and serving spiritual needs in France and Belgium, he was sent as a missionary to England, where being Catholic was forbidden.
He was well-suited to be a missionary in the Catholic underground community in London—he spoke flawless Spanish, French, and Flemish, and was known to be very good at taking on various disguises.
On Oct. 4, 1642, he was arrested in the street for a vague suspicion and was imprisoned. He was tried for being a priest—though there was no evidence for this charge, he refused to swear that he was not a priest, and was found guilty. He was sentenced to death.
When he returned to prison to await his execution, he heard many confessions and was even allowed to celebrate Mass several times.
He was executed on this date in 1642, and was led from the prison in a cart. When they arrived to the place of execution, he stood and addressed the large crowd that had gathered to watch. He confessed to being a Catholic, a priest, and a Jesuit, and then placed the noose around his own neck and forgave the judge and jury who had convicted him. He then forgave his executioner and gave him a few coins he had in his pocket. The cart pulled away and he was left to hang till dead.
Blessed Thomas Holland, you were the master of disguise who ministered to underground English Catholics, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Bl. Thomas Holland is in the public domain. Last accessed November 1, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
