Sunday, December 18, 2011 (Fourth Sunday of Advent))

REFLECTION FOR TODAY
We always find that those who walked closest to Christ were those who had to bear the greatest trials.
-- St. Teresa of Avila

READINGS FOR TODAY
First Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16
(Nathan's Message to David)
1 King David was settled in his palace, and the Lord kept him safe from all his enemies.
2 Then the king said to the prophet Nathan, “Here I am living in a house built of cedar, but God's Covenant Box is kept in a tent!”
3 Nathan answered, “Do whatever you have in mind, because the Lord is with you.”4 But that night the Lord said to Nathan,
5 “Go and tell my servant David that I say to him, ‘You are not the one to build a temple for me to live in.
8 “So tell my servant David that I, the Lord Almighty, say to him, ‘I took you from looking after sheep in the fields and made you the ruler of my people Israel.
9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have defeated all your enemies as you advanced. I will make you as famous as the greatest leaders in the world.
10-11 I have chosen a place for my people Israel and have settled them there, where they will live without being oppressed any more. Ever since they entered this land, they have been attacked by violent people, but this will not happen again. I promise to keep you safe from all your enemies and to give you descendants.
12 When you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will make
one of your sons king and will keep his kingdom strong.
14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him as a father punishes his son.
16 You will always have descendants, and I will make your kingdom last forever. Your dynasty will never end.’”
Psalms: Psalm 89:2-5, 27, 29
2 I know that your love will last for all time, that your faithfulness is as permanent as the sky.
3 You said, “I have made a covenant with the man I chose; I have promised my servant David,
4 ‘A descendant of yours will always be king; I will preserve your dynasty forever.’”
5 The heavens sing of the wonderful things you do; the holy ones sing of your faithfulness, Lord.
27 I will make him my first-born son, the greatest of all kings.
29 His dynasty will be as permanent as the sky; a descendant of his will always be king.
Second Reading: Romans 16:25-27
(Concluding Prayer of Praise)
25 Let us give glory to God! He is able to make you stand firm in your faith, according to the Good News I preach about Jesus Christ and according to the revelation of the secret truth which was hidden for long ages in the past. 26 Now, however, that truth has been brought out into the open through the writings of the prophets; and by the command of the eternal God it is made known to all nations, so that all may believe and obey.
27 To the only God, who alone is all-wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever! Amen.
Gospel: Luke 1:26-38
(The Birth of Jesus Is Announced)
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee named Nazareth. 27He had a message for a young woman promised in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was a descendant of King David. Her name was Mary.
28 The angel came to her and said, “Peace be with you! The Lord is with you and has greatly blessed you!”
29 Mary was deeply troubled by the angel's message, and she wondered what his words meant.
30 The angel said to her, “Don't be afraid, Mary; God has been gracious to you.
31 You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was,
33 and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end!”
34 Mary said to the angel, “I am a virgin. How, then, can this be?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God's power will rest upon you. For this reason the holy child will be called the Son of God.
36 Remember your relative Elizabeth. It is said that she cannot have children, but she herself is now six months pregnant, even though she is very old.
37 For there is nothing that God cannot do.”
38 “I am the Lord's servant,” said Mary; “may it happen to me as you have said.” And the angel left her.