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Word To Life
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Sunday Scripture Readings: Dec. 24, 2006
By Jeff Hensley
Catholic News Service
December 24, Fourth Sunday of Advent
Cycle C Readings:
1) Micah 5:1-4a
Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
2) Hebrews 10:5-10
3) Gospel: Luke 1:39-45
I have a friend who burns with the desire to proclaim Jesus, come in the flesh, born of the Virgin, walking among us, teaching and sanctifying, crucified, died, buried and raised from the dead. He's an imperfect guy like the rest of us, but he loves Jesus and wants everyone else to love him too.
But he gets frustrated. I think he sees the ideas and the scenes in today's readings and wants them to happen now. He sees the Micah reading that points to the coming Messiah as one who "shall stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the Lord" and whose "greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth," and he wants it to happen now.
He looks at Luke in which Elizabeth's baby, John the Baptist in the womb, leaps for joy in the presence of Jesus inside Mary, and he leaps himself, aware of his Lord's presence in our world.
His is a holy impatience. He wants the coming kingdom to be the present kingdom. He wants to have the moment happen now when all the kingdoms of the earth bow down to worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
His is a model of holy impatience for the rest of us as we strain toward not only the birth of the Christ Child at this holy season, but toward the fulfillment of his kingdom: swords beat into plowshares; the lion lying down with the lamb; the poor and humble lifted up and the rich and haughty pulled down.
And I seem to hear a refrain that will carry us forward from the stable in Bethlehem all the way to the throne room of the Lamb: "O come let us adore him. O come let us adore him. O come let us adore him, Christ the Lord."
QUESTIONS:
Have you contemplated the coming kingdom of our Lord and how it proceeds from the small and humble beginning of the birth of a child? How can you personally hasten its coming?
SCRIPTURE TO BE ILLUSTRATED:
"I have come to do your will" (Hebrews 10:9b)
END
Copyright © 2006 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS Word To Life column may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service.
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