Friday of the Third Week of Advent

Today's Mass Readings

Today we make the turn towards the Feast of the Birth of the Lord. There are now eight days of preparation that remain. We focus our attention on the mystery of the Incarnation in an even greater way than before. You could say the unfolding of the Incarnation over many centuries. The time when God led the Chosen People towards the coming of Jesus, though far off.

For seven nights now, we sing the Great “O” Antiphons: O Wisdom, O Adonai, O Root of Jesse, O Key of David, O Rising Dawn, O King of the Nations, O Emmanuel.

Today we hear proclaimed the genealogy of Jesus. These verses in themselves place before us the entire sweep of salvation history, beginning with Abraham, through Judah, through King David, to Joseph, the husband of Mary. From Abraham’s call, the days of Isaac, Jacob. The time in Egypt and the Covenant on Sinai. Entering the promised land. Through judges and prophets and kings. Saul, David, Solomon. The time of exile, and the return. To Joseph the husband of Mary. Much is contained in the litany of the ancestors of Jesus: Promise. Exile. Deliverance. Restoration and Redemption.

A phrase we will hear during the coming days is “in the fullness of time.” In the fullness of time, God sent His Son as Savior of the world. Each year we celebrate the Birth of the Savior. Each year we come to these days slightly different than the previous year. What might the increasing of the fullness of our time, of our lives mean for us this year? What graces have we received? What greater fullness do we still await?

Reflection by Fr. Peter Ullrich, OSB