Br. Joe Trout, OP breaks open the readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, which celebrate the coming messiah. The Prophet Micah promises that one day a ruler will come who will lead justly, not just for Jerusalem, but for the whole world, so that the poor might flourish. The letter to the Hebrews explains how the sacrifice of Jesus actually frees people from sin, unlike the sacrifices in the Temple. Then, in the Gospel of Luke, Mary believes that the time has finally come for these things to come true, helping to bring them about.
Readings: Micah 5:1–4a; Hebrews 10:5–10; Luke 1:39–45