Fourth Sunday of Advent – Dec 22, 2024
“Do not forget that closeness, proximity, was God’s most authentic language,” said Pope Francis. “That style of God, of closeness, went farther, farther and farther until it reached that great, essential closeness: the Word made flesh, God who became one with us” (address, February 6, 2021).
Today’s reunion between Mary and Elizabeth shows us God’s style. Carrying the Word of God in her womb and on her tongue, Mary desired to be within earshot of Elizabeth’s voice and close enough to feel her cousin’s baby kick for joy. Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, desired to speak God’s most authentic language and embrace Mary with words of blessing.
Advent and Christmas remind us of the irreplaceable power of God’s intimacy.
Technology and the trauma of a global pandemic make us believe we can be connected while staying apart. Yet Pope Francis remarked:
Jesus wants us to touch human misery, to touch the suffering flesh of others. He hopes that we will stop looking for those personal or communal niches which shelter us from the maelstrom of human misfortune and instead enter into the reality of other people’s lives and know the power of tenderness.
– Joy of the Gospel, 270
Advent and Christmas remind us of the irreplaceable power of God’s intimacy. It is a nearness we see with our eyes, hear in our ears, speak with our mouths, and feel in our very bodies.
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