Cheerfulness

4th Sunday of Advent 
23 December 2012
First reading   Micah 5:1-4
The Lord says this: But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, the least of the clans of Judah, out of you will be born for me the one who is to rule over Israel; his origin goes back to the distant past, to the days of old. The Lord is therefore going to abandon them till the time when she who is to give birth gives birth. Then the remnant of his brothers will come back to the sons of Israel. He will stand and feed his flock with the power of the Lord, with the majesty of the name of his God. They will live secure, for from then on he will extend his power to the ends of the land. He himself will be peace.
Psalm   Psalm 79:2-3,15-16,18-19   Lord of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved. O shepherd of Israel, hear us,   shine forth from your cherubim throne. O Lord, rouse up your might,   O Lord, come to our help. Lord of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved. God of hosts, turn again, we implore,   look down from heaven and see. Visit this vine and protect it,   the vine your right hand has planted. Lord of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved. May your hand be on the man you have chosen,   the man you have given your strength. And we shall never forsake you again;   give us life that we may call upon your name. Lord of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved. Second reading Hebrews 10:5-10 © This is what Christ said, on coming into the world: You who wanted no sacrifice or oblation, prepared a body for me. You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin; then I said, just as I was commanded in the scroll of the book, ‘God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will.’ Notice that he says first: You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the oblations, the holocausts and the sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to obey your will. He is abolishing the first sort to replace it with the second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body made once and for all by Jesus Christ.
Gospel Acclamation   Lk1:38 Alleluia, alleluia! I am the handmaid of the Lord: let what you have said be done to me. Alleluia! 
Gospel   Luke 1:39-44
Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’
Reflection Cheerfulness by Nats Vibiesca
Can you imagine the happiness of Mama Mary when she traveled to the hill country “in haste” to share her joy with Elizabeth? Mama Mary shines out cheerfulness from God’s love of humanity. The German word for cheerful is ‘heiter’ which means clear, bright, cloudless, shining. A light so bright shines from Mama Mary upon visiting her cousin. I know many times I am not a cheerful person as it is not just a disposition we are born with. Many people are obsessed with negative things which they discover everywhere. We look at everything gloomily if we are with depressing people.  But we can shine cheerfulness when we let God’s light penetrate into our hearts. The love of God will make us feel lighter and feel brighter inside so that we become cheerful to everyone we meet. Have you worked with some cheerful people? Cheerful people are infectious. When you are with them, you also see everything from a different perspective, the positive side.  Although you can also see the negative side, you do not dwell on them because you manage to rise above it holding on to God’s light. Despite all the hardships, you regard everything with inner cheerfulness. Mama Mary’s great joy enlivens us and fills us with spirit. We are transformed to give joy for the people we meet. We can be sure that the people we meet will also become cheerful and bright, shining the love of God around the world.   Prayer
Lord, help us to be always cheerful like Mama Mary. Let us show concern to those in need by reaching out to them in their most difficult times. Let your love shines to everyone we meet as we welcome our Emmanuel in our life.  Amen.