December 22, 2024 Fourth Sunday of Advent
Daily Readings: Micah 5:1-4a; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45
There’s another side to entitlement, and that is the side of those who feel they have none. They think they are entitled to receive more, be the first to be attended to, or be helped simply because they have nothing.
I see a lot of this too – senior citizens acting arrogantly because of their age, or poor people breaking laws because they are poor and just trying to earn a living.
Our Gospel today, which is the same as yesterday’s, shows us Elizabeth not feeling this sense of entitlement. She didn’t think, “Well, I’m old and need assistance, so it’s only right that Mary, who is blessed among women, comes and visits to take care of me.”
Instead, Elizabeth recognized how blessed she was to be visited by the mother of her Lord. Elizabeth saw it as a great favor, not something she was entitled to.
We pray that, like Elizabeth, we may view every blessing we receive as a great favor and not as a reward for something we did or something we deserve. On our own, no matter how hard we work, we cannot do as much. Everything we have is a gift from God. We do not claim anything as our own. Everything is grace.
A Call to Action for Catholic Living: Like Elizabeth, may we recognize every blessing as a gift from God, not something we are entitled to.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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