(Luke 1)
In October 1964, Martin Luther King, Jr., was a patient at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta when the news media reported that he would receive the Nobel Peace Prize. The archbishop of Atlanta, Paul Hallinan, took advantage of his stay in a Catholic hospital to personally visit the newly named laureate. He congratulated King for the honor and asked if he might give him his blessing. The request was readily accepted. Upon finishing the sign of the cross, the archbishop sank to his knees and begged Dr. King’s blessing in return.
The act of humility by the archbishop resembles Elizabeth’s recognition of Mary in today’s gospel. The elderly woman cries out, “’How does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?’” It was not the press that informed Elizabeth of Mary’s distinction, however. No, it was the divine interplay between the Messiah in Mary’s womb and the prophet in her own womb that tipped Elizabeth off.
We might suspend our seasonal activities for a few minutes on these days before Christmas to meditate on the divine player. Who is he that whose birth we are about to celebrate? Jesus, son of Mary, claimed by us Christians as son of God as well. Sure, but what does all this mean? The appropriate clues to answer these questions may be found in the antiphons that we use before the gospel the seven days before Christmas. These are the same as the verses to the Advent hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. He is the wisdom that makes sense of our lives. He is the Key of David that opens our way to the kingdom of God. Reflecting on these and the others, we can appreciate why John leaps for joy when Jesus approaches.
