We cannot give what we do not have: We cannot bring peace to the world if we ourselves are not peaceful. We cannot bring love to the world if we ourselves are not loving. Our true gift to ourselves and others lies not in what we have but in who we are - No one can give you a clean heart but God………..

The joy of the presence of Jesus, you must be able to give wherever you go. But you cannot give what you don't have. That's why you need a pure heart, a pure heart that you will receive as a fruit of your prayer, as a fruit of your oneness with Christ. - Mother Teresa: (1910 – 1997: Founded the Missionaries of Charity)

Scripture Text: (Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24)

Thus says the Lord GOD:
Lo, I am sending my messenger
to prepare the way before me;
And suddenly there will come to the temple
the LORD whom you seek,
And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.
Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
But who will endure the day of his coming?
And who can stand when he appears?
For he is like the refiner's fire,
or like the fuller's lye.
He will sit refining and purifying silver,
and he will purify the sons of Levi,
Refining them like gold or like silver
that they may offer due sacrifice to the LORD.
Then the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem
will please the LORD,
as in the days of old, as in years gone by.

Lo, I will send you
Elijah, the prophet,
Before the day of the LORD comes,
the great and terrible day,
To turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,
and the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike
the land with doom.

In the first reading from today’s Mass the prophet Malachi speaks of a messenger who will clear the way, who "will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold or silver."

As we near the celebration of the birth of Jesus and spend time with the Lord today in prayer, I invite us to consider that sometimes we are called to speak out and be bold.  But also remember, that simply how we live our lives can be prophetic as well. 

Consider today:
“How are we called to be prophets in the world today?”

“No truth is more pervasive in Scripture and Christian tradition than this one—that real freedom is found in obedience and servanthood. And yet no truth is more incongruent with modern culture. Here we stand before a stark either-or: the gospel message of true freedom versus the culture's ideal of self-creation, autonomy, and living "my way.”

If we wish to serve God and love our neighbor well, we must manifest our joy in the service we render to Him and them. Let us open wide our hearts. It is joy which invites us. Press forward and fear nothing. – St. Katharine Drexel: (1858 –1955) was an American heiress, philanthropist, religious sister, educator, and foundress.)

Gospel Text: (Luke 1:46-56)

Mary said:

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
and has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever."

Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months
and then returned to her home.

God really wants us to be happy. He wants us to rejoice in Him, but on His conditions: in doing His Will and not the world’s or the evil spirit’s or as our natural inclinations urge. What a lie to think that joy is found in our self will. Hell was born of that myth. Not even speaking of Heaven, there is no other true joy on earth except in God, with God, and because God became man, like God. Mary had a clear idea of who she was, that she was the Mother of the Messiah, even as Elizabeth had told her she was the ‘mother of the Lord Who made her.’ Mary also knew by whose favor she was thus blessed. Compare the two phrases “lowliness of His handmaid” and “He that is mighty has done great things for me.” God did do great things for Mary because in her own estimation she was His lowly servant. This is all God asks us to tell Him: “You alone are mighty and I, except for You, am nothing; and the moment my conscience tells me You have spoken, I don't for a second wish to hesitate doing what you ask.” The only reason why Mary became, under God, the Mother of God is because she was so profoundly aware of being the servant of the Lord.

Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead

Faith in action is love, and love in action is service. By transforming that faith into living acts of love, we put ourselves in contact with God Himself, with Jesus our Lord. – Mother Teresa: (1910 – 1997: Founded the Missionaries of Charity)

Gospel Text: (LK 1:39-45)

Mary set out in those days
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled."

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Today’s Gospel tells us of an expectant Mary’s journey to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, also expecting a child of her own.  This seems quite the joyful meeting between these two, this joy reaching even the child Elizabeth is carrying in her womb.  And yet, Elizabeth and Mary have endured and are enduring a difficult task; namely, that of waiting.  Expecting. 

The Christian life is one of waiting.  In fact, among all that faith requires waiting is, perhaps, comparatively underrated in its difficulty.  And it truly can be difficult.  But while waiting may be part of the Christian life, it is not done passively.  For the Christian, waiting is accompanied by preparation and this preparation is done based upon a promise, God’s promise of His Son.

“Our Lord was born not just of her flesh but also by her consent.”

“Mary showed complete trust in God by agreeing to be used as an instrument in his plan of salvation. She trusted him in spite of her nothingness because she knew he who is mighty could do great things in her and through her. Once she said “yes” to him, she never doubted. She was just a young woman, but she belonged to God and nothing nor anyone could separate her from him.” – St. Teresa of Calcutta: (1910 – 1997: Founded the Missionaries of Charity)

Gospel Text: (LK 1:26-38)

In the sixth month,
the angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end."

But Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?"
And the angel said to her in reply,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God."

Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.

Mary is a person as God created human persons to be. Jesus is a divine person who has both human and divine natures. But Mary is like you and me in that she’s a human person born of a man and a woman. She shows us what it truly means to live as a human person: that is, to relate fully to others, and to the Other who created and redeemed us in His Son. Mary accepts God as her Creator and Savior, and lives for Him rather than for herself.