What Am I Celebrating?

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, December 22nd, 2024:
The Fourth Sunday of Advent

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Micah
​5.2-5a

The Lord says to his people:
“You, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judea,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.”


Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labour has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred
shall return to the children of Israel.
And he shall stand and feed his flock
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.


And they shall live secure,
for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth;
and he shall be peace.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Probably most of us, as children, were pretty excited by the time the Church was celebrating the Fourth Sunday of Advent. I personally had no idea what this Sunday meant as a child and I didn’t really care because CHRISTMAS!!! 

As I reflect on the First Reading for this Sunday’s liturgy I experience a similar feeling of excitement as when I was a child but for very different reasons. As a child, the excitement was about decorations, presents, family, food, joy, etc. Those are all good things in themselves, of course, but now the excitement I experience during this time of year is deeper and lasting because He is peace! 

The prophet Micah preached two basic themes: punishment and salvation. The verse we hear this Sunday is about salvation, and it is accompanied by a sense of haste and hopeful urgency for the coming of the Messiah. Micah tells us that the smallest branch of the smallest clan of the children of Israel will bring the salvation we await. It stirs hope in the hearts of all of us who feel so small and insignificant in our place in the Church and in the proclamation of the kingdom of God. This verse reminds us that we belong to the Body of Christ and so we play an important part in the plan of salvation. I am called to be a saint and to live the Gospel. I am called to witness to others of the love of God, the peace of God, as Micah says. I am not peace, I am not love, but I may be God’s vessel to bring those gifts to others. God uses the smallest of us for this very purpose, if we let Him.  

The Fourth Sunday of Advent gets a bit of a raw deal because, by the time it arrives, most people are already fully into Christmas — and when Christmas is on a Monday or a Tuesday we really miss out on the opportunity that participating in this final Sunday of Advent allows us to prepare for the coming of Christ and to experience and share the peace that is our Lord. 

Can I slow down enough to experience this final Sunday of Advent as a time to receive the grace, the peace, the joy and the love of God before I am bombarded with the presents, the turkey and the excitement of Christmas itself?

Lord, let me enter into this final Sunday of Advent. Let me prepare myself for Your coming and be a light to others, that they too may desire to receive You this Christmas. 



Sr. Teresa MacDonald​

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