THE ANGEL’S CANDLE: LOVE

As we approach the end of the season of Advent, we recall it is divided in two parts (the first Sunday to 16th of December and 17th to 24th December). We recall the three dimension of Christ coming: in incarnation, sacrament and His coming in majesty. While the first part of advent focused on his coming in majesty, the second part emphasizes His incarnation, which helps us to reflect on the Angels Candle, as regard the visitation of the Angel to Mary and Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth. In view of this, we light the fourth candle of Advent, which symbolizes love.

In the first reading, the prophet Micah tells us that the Lord keeps to His promise. God promised to send a Redeemer who will save his people from sin and in this reading, he announced the birthplace of the Redeemer through the prophet Micah. He said, “You, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth from me one who is to be ruler of Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days” (Micah 5:2-3). His promise will be fulfilled with a new leader in the linage of David. This leader will rise, not from Jerusalem, the royal city, but from a small village. He will not exercise military might like the Assyrians king Senacherib who carried military campaign and attack several towns in Judah (2 Kings 18-19) but will be one of peace who provide for his people like a shepherd. The image of this ruler has an allusion to David whose occupation was shepherd and was born from this little village. So it is with Christ, a descendant from David, born in Bethlehem. However, we cannot limit Christ’s origin to Bethlehem. The prophet went further to tell us that His origin is from of old, from ancient days. Like the circular shape of the Advent Wreath, Christ as God has no beginning nor end. Before he was born in Bethlehem, he existed as the second person of the Blessed Trinity (John 17:5; 24).

Bethlehem was well known as the hometown of David, Israel’s greatest king; yet it was never a great or influential city but God chose it as the birthplace of the Ruler in Israel. When King Herod made enquiry of where the Messiah is to be born, he was told Bethlehem of Judea as it was written by the Prophet Micah (Mathew 2:5-6). The prophet Micah combines two words to describe the birthplace of Christ, ‘Bethlehem Ephrathah,’ which signifies the ‘old and new.’ Bethlehem in itself means ‘House of Bread’ and Jesus Christ is the bread of life (John 3:35). Ephrathah was the old name of the place, which means ‘faithfulness’ or ‘abundance.’ Invariably, the prophet Micah assures us that God is faithful to his promises and his words are certain. He fulfils his promises in an unexpected and unpredictable ways. He urges us not to only seek Christ with prominent and magnificent places or people, but also with the poor, the powerless and vulnerable. We can find Christ in little and humble places as he identified Himself with such on various occasions.

The Gospel fulfills the prophecy of Micah as Luke tells us how two insignificant women met to celebrate the faithfulness of God. These women are Mary and Elizabeth, and their binding force is the Holy Spirit. Mary conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35), Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41). Right in the womb of Elizabeth, John the Baptist felt the power of the Holy Spirit and leaped for joy. He recognized the presence of Jesus in the womb and would be the first to recognize Him as the Lamb of God (John 1:29). This brings to mind the sacrificial gift Mary offered to her cousin. She was sensitive to the needs of her cousin who became pregnant miraculously in her old age and herself available to assist.

In a parallel line with the first reading, while the prophet Micah prophesy of the uncommon or ordinary city of Bethlehem for the birthplace of the Messiah, in the Gospel, God singled out an ordinary woman like us and made her extraordinary in carrying out the salvific mission. This pericope portrays Mary as the first missionary to take Jesus to her cousin Elizabeth. This journey has enormous significance: we see the movement of Mary’s journey to the hill country and the movement of the Ark of the Covenant, which was on the hill of the house of Abinadab (2 Samuel 6:3). Both the Ark and Mary remained in the hill country for three months (2 Samuel 6:11). Both were greeted with ‘Shouts of joy.’ While David danced round the Ark, john leaped for joy before the Ark of the new Covenant (2 Samuel 6:5; Luke 1:41). In view of this, Elizabeth said, “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord” (Lk 1:45).

This season of Christmas is the ideal time for us to carry Jesus to others as Mary did. It is time we remember and visit the less privilege as God did to the city of Bethlehem. It is time we visit the sick, the aged and those who probably have no one to care for them. This is the time we give room for the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts and let Christ be reborn in us. When we engage ourselves with the act of sharing our time and resources, we make manifest the Word Incarnate. The Spirit of God drive us to works of charity, love and sacrifice. It is on this note that the second reading tells us like Mary, “Behold I come to do your will” (Heb 10:7).

Dear friends in Christ, the liturgy of today urges us to allow God dwell in our hearts just as Mary did. When God dwells therein, love abound. Where there is love, God is there.

Happy Sunday!

Fr. Ken Dogbo, OSJ