49 / 88
remembered, experienced and looked toward at Christmas.
Each reading today affirms this same message of joy and excitement. Our
Gospel reading speaks of Elizabeth’s blessing of Mary. Elizabeth sees her
cousin and the child in her womb leaps with joy causing Elizabeth to declare
to Mary “blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the
Lord would be fulfilled.” This blessing is one we should all seek as we ap-
proach the feast of the birth of our Lord, that each day our belief in the
hopes of our faith would be deepened, increased and fulfilled. These passag-
es invite us to remember that God fulfills God’s word, and knowing this in
our souls to be true, we rejoice!
Prayer
God of joy, God of mirth and exultation, God of happiness and wonder, ful-
fill the hope of our hearts – that as we celebrate the birth of our Lord we
will also see Him return to us, in acts of kindness given and received through-
out the season. Unite us more closely to you, let us hear your voice and see
with your eyes. Let us look with excitement upon opportunities to serve one
another and spend these final days leading up to the birth of your Son with
gladness. Amen.
_______
Angelina Duell