Daily Gospel Reflection for December 21, 2016

Today's Gospel: Luke 1:39-45

I was in the quiet church at least an hour before the sun would rise and well before any sane person would be awake.

It was just me and Jesus...and the baby in my womb.

It was my first pregnancy, and I was filled with all the usual emotions and terrors. I was exhausted and overwhelmed and excited. Most of all, I was unsure of how I would be a mother and mostly convinced this was all a big mistake.

I trusted God with it, and I knew that I was married to the World's Best Dad-to-Be, but the doubts and uncertainties lurked in the corners and recesses of my heart.

I was ~~dozing~~ praying during that Adoration hour when suddenly, I felt it: a fluttery something in my stomach, butterflies come to life.

It took a moment before I realized what had happened: my baby had moved! Right there! With Jesus looking on!

Later that day, at the parish office where I worked, I shared the story with a colleague.

"That's so amazing!" she gushed. "Do you know anyone named Elizabeth?"

It took me a moment to realize that she was referencing today's Gospel, Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth and the infant leaping in Elizabeth's womb at the sound of Mary's voice.

We hadn't told anyone the name we were planning to give her baby girl, but after that morning in Adoration, I felt sure that it was the perfect name: Elizabeth Mary. Incidentally, that baby girl was born on one of the major Marian holy days of obligation in the United States.

God has a way of getting our attention in the most beautiful ways. Let's keep our eyes open today as we await another amazing birth in just a few days.

Ponder:

What's holding you back from going in haste to God? Will you leap for joy when you hear God's voice in your life?

Pray:

Jesus, we're so close to your birth, and yet it can feel like a thousand miles away. There's so much, so much, so much. Help me to be like Elizabeth and Mary, embracing your will for my day today and leaping for joy that I get to be right here, right now.

When she’s not chasing kids, chugging coffee, or juggling work, Sarah Reinhard’s usually trying to stay up read just one…more…chapter. You can find her online at SnoringScholar.com.