Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent

Readings of the Day 

Late Advent is one of my favorite times of the year liturgically, primarily because of the wonderful characters who populate the Scripture readings, and in particular the strong female characters. There is of course the Blessed Mother herself, but also there is Mary’s cousin Elizabeth – the mother of Saint John the Baptist who, along with her husband Zechariah, are the first major characters mentioned in Luke’s Gospel. Elizabeth plays an essential role along with Mary as an active participant and spokesperson for God’s plan of salvation.

While best known for being John the Baptist’s mother, Elizabeth – like her son to follow – was also the first herald of the yet unborn Jesus when she greeted her pregnant cousin Mary and proclaimed the child Mary was carrying as “my Lord.” And in the reading from today’s Gospel, we hear how it is Elizabeth who, after the birth of her child, speaks in a prophetic voice for herself and her husband, breaking with tradition to announce that her child’s name will be “John” – the name God had chosen for him -  thereby setting the tone for his ministry to follow.    

I always find it instructive that Saint Luke – in writing the Infancy Narratives – tells the story primarily from the perspective of the women involved. While for the modern reader this is nothing unusual, for Saint Luke’s First Century Roman and Jewish audiences – where women were often relegated to “Second Class status” – such a focus was highly unusual.

I believe Saint Luke chose to tell the story this way to remind us that to God the margins of society matter: Jesus was born not in the center of power in Rome or even Jerusalem, but far from it in a stable in Bethlehem to simple people. In announcing His Kingdom, God in the Gospel spoke to and through those on the margins – women, shepherds, Samaritans and lepers. Today God is still speaking to us from the margins through those in need: the sick, the unemployed, the poor, the incarcerated, the homeless, the undocumented and the unheard.              

After this very challenging year for all of us, as we approach the baby in the manger on this December 25^th, let us be sure that we remain “mindful of the margins” – and listen for the prophetic voices who speak to us from the margins still!       

Tom Dobbins Jr. is the Justice and Peace Coordinator of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, a Producer for the “JustLove” radio broadcast on Sirius/XM’s Catholic Channel, and the Chair Emeritus of the Roundtable Association of Catholic Diocesan Social Action Directors. 

View this message in your browser. 
Forward this message.
Update your email preferences.