Readings Between the Lines

Reflections

Advent: A time to reflect on the word of God, embrace it, and act on it

Readings Between the Lines

Father Glenn LeCompte

Advent, the season when we reflect on readying ourselves for Christ’s second coming and preparing ourselves to celebrate his first coming, is here again. In 1988, the late Roman Catholic biblical scholar, Father Raymond E. Brown, S.S., published a small book entitled, A Coming Christ in Advent (Collegeville, MN, Liturgical Press). In this book Father Brown sets out to demonstrate how the Scriptures from Matthew’s and Luke’s first two chapters, when read during Advent, help us to prepare ourselves especially to celebrate Christ’s first coming. In the foreword of the book, Father Brown says, “The Messiah did not come without the preparatory period of Israel’s history or without the preparatory responses of fidelity by Joseph and Mary. The liturgy offers a third time of preparation that affects our lives, for Christ will not come in his fullness to us unless we too are prepared.” In this article I will summarize Father Brown’s reflections on three texts from Luke’s Gospel: The Annunciation to Mary (1:26-38), read on Monday of the fourth week of Advent; Mary’s Visitation of Elizabeth (1:39-45), read on the fourth Sunday of Advent this year; and The Magnificat (1:46-55), read on Wednesday of the fourth week of Advent. I will also offer some of my own reflections on the topic Father Brown treats in his book.

A primary motif which runs through Luke’s Gospel and Acts of the Apostles is the announcement of the Good News, people’s response to it and how that response affects their lives. Akin to the motif of evangelization The visitation of Mary and Elizabeth is that of prophecy, which here means “the announcement of God’s word.” Those who will hear Jesus’ or his apostles’ prophetic word and embrace it are known as disciples. In the episode of The Annunciation, a word of God is proclaimed to Mary by the angel, Gabriel. This word is a divine announcement which engages Mary’s life, but does not deprive her of her freedom. The angel begins by declaring to her the prerequisite to his announcement; Mary is “full of grace.” On the one hand, this phrase refers to what will happen to Mary (she will conceive the Messiah); on the other hand, it acknowledges that by the way she has lived her life up to this point she is disposed to fulfill God’s intended role for her (Brown, A Coming Christ, p. 63).

God has ordained that Mary is to conceive, by means of divine power, a child who will be both the anticipated Messiah descended from David and the divine Son of God. This is God’s word to Mary, but she must respond to it. Her first response is a question as to how this will happen, since she has had no sexual relations with her betrothed (Joseph). This question enables Gabriel to explain how the process is to take place. She will become pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit, thus the child she will bear will be, in addition to being the son (descendant) of David, the Son of God.

So the stage is set and Mary must respond. Her response is, “Behold the female slave of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word.” That response of Mary’s highlights Luke’s central characterization of Mary as the primordial disciple of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel. In Luke 8:19-21, when Jesus is told that his mother and brothers are outside waiting to see him. He responds that his (true) mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and do it. This is exactly what happens with Mary’s response to Gabriel’s announcement. She demonstrates true discipleship by heeding God’s word and acting upon it.

Regarding Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, Father Brown states, “Elizabeth’s prophetic greeting is of interest in Luke’s portrait of Mary’s discipleship” (Brown, A Coming Christ, p. 66). Her prophetic utterance is phrased in the form of three statements of blessing: 1) “Blessed are you among women” (1:42), 2) “Blessed is the fruit of your womb” (1:42), and 3) “Fortunate (blessed) is she who believed that what has been told her by the Lord is to be accomplished” (1:45). Mary, as a woman, enjoys God’s favor because she is the mother of the Messiah. For the third blessing mentioned above, Luke uses a Greek word different from the two previous blessings, makaria, a word which anticipates Jesus’ a

Reflections

beatitudes pronounced over the poor, the hungry, the weeping and the despised (6:20-22). Mary is primarily fortunate or blessed because she heeded God’s word spoken to her. While Mary is blessed to be the mother of the Messiah, she is blessed even more because she heeds the divine word. In Luke 11:27, an anonymous woman in the crowd will pronounce a blessing (makaria) over Mary as the one who bore and suckled Jesus. But Jesus corrects her by saying, “Instead, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it” (11:28). In other words, the greatest characteristic, in the context of the Kingdom Jesus proclaims, Mary possesses is her listening to God’s word and doing what God says. Father Brown comments on Elizabeth’s third declaration of Mary’s blessedness, “This reiterates the supreme importance of hearing the word of God and doing it, and anticipates Jesus’ own encomium of his mother (Luke 8:21).” Elizabeth confirms what Mary displayed in her “yes” to God’s plan announced by Gabriel; she is faithful to God’s word and as such is a true disciple.

Mary’s response to all of this is the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55). Father Brown states that “By placing this canticle on Mary’s lips ... Luke has made a statement about discipleship and gospel” (Brown, A Coming Christ, p. 67). He goes to say, “... she does not proclaim the greatness of the saving God because He has sent the Messiah, His Son. Rather, her praise interprets the sending” (Brown, A Coming Christ, p. 68).

How do these passages help prepare us to celebrate Christ’s coming? First, they cause us, in imitation of Mary, the model disciple, to reflect on how we listen to the word of God, embrace it and act on it in our own lives. Secondly, we must announce the word of God we have heard and interpret it for others. As Father Brown (A Coming Christ., p. 70) says, “As we look forward in Advent to the coming of Christ, let us ask ourselves how this year we are going to interpret for others what we believe happens at Christmas, so that they will be able to appreciate what the angel announced at the first Christmas (Luke 2:10-11).” BC

Reflection Questions

v How can you put God’s word into practice in your life during this Advent season? v What kind of preparations do you make in your life in anticipation of Christ’s return? v How would you explain to others the message of the angel to the shepherds in Luke 2:10-11, “I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.”