Daily Gospel
READING OF THE DAY
A reading from the Song of Songs
SG 2:8-14
Hark! my lover–here he comes
springing across the mountains,
leaping across the hills.
My lover is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
Here he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattices.
My lover speaks; he says to me,
“Arise, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one,
and come!
“For see, the winter is past,
the rains are over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of pruning the vines has come,
and the song of the dove is heard in our land.
The fig tree puts forth its figs,
and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance.
Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one,
and come!
“O my dove in the clefts of the rock,
in the secret recesses of the cliff,
Let me see you,
let me hear your voice,
For your voice is sweet,
and you are lovely.”
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Luke
LK 1:39-45
Mary set out in those days
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,
“Most 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.”
Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent
December 21,2022
(Lk 1:46-56)
God’s Word for Us
Dear people of God,
The word of God for today speaks of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s joyful journey to visit her cousin Elizabeth.
After the angel informed the Blessed Virgin Mary that she would conceive the Son of God who would come to earth as a human, she believed in what the angel said. And the angel said that her cousin Elizabeth was also pregnant. The Blessed Virgin Mary believed in the power of God because, in her old age, Elizabeth could give birth. The Blessed Virgin Mary believed: This is what God does, and she rejoiced, hurried on the road, brought the Son of God into the world, carried the Son of God in her bosom, and went to visit her cousin Elizabeth. As soon as she arrived, the power and strength of the Holy Spirit poured out on Elizabeth, and the fetus in Elizabeth’s womb jumped for joy, glad that God had visited. At the same time, cousin Elizabeth was also filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. She blessed and praised the Blessed Virgin Mary as the blessed one above all women, and she rejoiced, for she had been visited by the Mother of God.
Through Elizabeth’s blessing and praise, God also told all mankind that the Blessed Virgin Mary is the Mother of God, the Mother of the Most High. God invites all humanity to believe that in the saving work of God the Father, the presence of the Blessed Virgin Mary is always present. She was the first to bring the Gospel to the world, for when she conceived the Son of God by the power of the Holy Spirit, she went immediately to Elizabeth’s family, to Saint John the Baptist who was in Elizabeth’s bosom. It was in Elizabeth’s home that her family received the full power of the Holy Spirit. The presence of God brings joy and happiness, and there is no joy or happiness that can be described as having God with us.
The Word of God today also invites everyone: to have joy, to open their hearts to the Son of God, and to accept His Will. Open your heart to receive God’s own love, strength, and power into your heart, for where God is, there is happiness and joy.
In today’s world, a lot of people are suffering. God invites everyone: to run to the God of love and draw close to Him. Do not leave God the Father. Accept Him into your heart, so you can have joy and happiness, and God will guarantee eternal happiness for your soul.
Thanks Be to God. Amen.
