This is the final article in our "Spiritual Renewal in Advent" series. 



The Mother of the Word Incarnate



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“Oh Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in thy mercy, hear and answer us!” 



(End of the traditional Memorare prayer.)



Advent symbolizes the waiting that takes place during a pregnancy, and that’s why Our Lady appears as a key figure in the season, perhaps the key figure of all. 



The exalted Virgin Mother prepares us for Christ’s birth by helping us to let go of inner obstacles to grace. She teaches us patience and attentiveness to the movements of the Spirit. Mary is the best guide for our Advent journey because she is the one who waited and watched for the Word Incarnate like no one else in history. 



The Stages of Speech



Let’s use an analogy for this type of waiting. When we consider the phenomenon of human speech, we see that it normally occurs in a three-stage process. 



First, we have an idea of what we want to say. That is the conception stage where the idea takes root in the mind. 



Then, we need to ponder the original idea and mentally formulate the words in language that will express the idea. That is the gestation period of the word, which may be a shorter or longer period of time depending on the importance of the message. 



Finally, we articulate (speak) our word outwardly in speech to make manifest what is inside our minds and hearts. That is the expression stage of speech. Before that, the rest of the development process of the word is internal.



We may not have thought about it before, but a “word” is an amazing hidden reality that comes to light in this distinct three-step process: conception-gestation-expression. 



Sounds something like the way we come to be born, doesn’t it? Conception, gestation, and eventually, birth. 



Divine Self-Expression



God also spoke a Word in human history, and when He did, He used a most worthy instrument of expression: a humble, immaculate virgin named Mary. And He did so in the same three-step process by which every human word is formed. 



At the Annunciation (our Gospel reading this 4th Sunday of Advent), we celebrate the moment when Mary conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. At that point “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). 



During the season of Advent, we celebrate the gestation of the Word in Mary’s womb but also in our hearts through our spiritual preparations. Much like the way a mother becomes more and more aware of the presence of the growing child during the months of pregnancy, we too become more sensitive to the movements of grace during Advent. 



Finally, nine months after conception: birth! Advent only last four weeks, of course, but arriving at Christmas after preparing our hearts during Advent is symbolic of coming to the end of a pregnancy and giving birth to our renewed spirits. 



The Christ Child is now real and present to us in new ways. He is God’s Word who has entered the world in time. The Letter to the Hebrews says:



In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe.



Think about that: Jesus is the Father’s one and only Word, and with that Word, He speaks all we need to know about Him and about His love for mankind. 



Our Guide for the Advent Journey



This year, the Fourth Sunday of Advent is the very day before Christmas. We are literally on the threshold of the Lord’s divine birth!



Let us not lose the opportunity to unite ourselves to Mary, the Mother of the Word Incarnate, and ask her to make all our Advent preparations up to this point fruitful for our souls. 



- She can teach us prayer because she was attentive to the Word of God in pondering all things in her heart (Luke 2:19). 

- She can teach us obedience because she was perfectly docile to the word of angel and through him to the Father’s Will (“Be it done unto me according to thy word”, Luke 1:38).

- She can even teach us redemptive suffering because she was found at Calvary when the disciples had fled (John 19:25): faithful to Christ to the very end.

- Above all, Mary can train us to enter into that profound dialogue between the Word of God and our souls. 



If anyone knows our deepest concerns about our spiritual lives, our vocations, and our families, Mary does. She has experienced them all. 



Surely, on this final day of Advent, the woman who gave expression to God’s human speech, will not despise our petitions but will hear and answer our prayers. Amen!



Yours gratefully in Christ,







Thomas J. McKenna



Founder and President



Catholic Action for Faith and Family



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