The fourth Sunday of Advent brings us not to the birth of Christ but to those nine months after his conception. 
Mary, the living tabernacle of the Lord, went on the first Eucharistic procession. She carried the Saviour to the house of Zechariah and Elizabeth.
John the Baptist leaps for joy in his mother’s womb and Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and recognises the mother of her Lord.
Also, we are reminded that the perfect obedience of the incarnate Son of God is the cause of our joy, our praise to God, and our thanksgiving.

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The beautiful and uplifting tones and sights of Gaudete Sunday lift our hearts and summon our minds to the nearness of Christ's nativity. We begin to experience the joy of all those who surrounded the birth of Jesus: His holy Mother and His earthly father, the shepherds and the Magi, and the angels who rejoiced in heaven. Although we have to contain our joy, for the day has not yet arrived, it is right and fitting that we rejoice with all our heart.

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On the Second Sunday of Advent, we are reminded of the vigilance that we need to be ready to receive our King; both in remembrance of His first coming at Bethlehem; in His regular coming in mystery and sacrament into our hearts and souls; and His Second Coming in glory. Are we ready? Do we keep ourselves in a state of readiness?
Come, Lord Jesus.

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A new liturgical year begins!
We find our attention being thrust forwards and backwards as we enter into this holy season of preparation and waiting. As our attention moves quickly back and forth, Our Lord demands of us vigilance and holy expectation for His coming again in glory. There is so much going on during Advent that it really becomes an exciting and constantly moving few weeks.
Come, Lord Jesus.

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The liturgical year draws to a close with this Feast of Christ our King.
This was instituted in 1925, at a time when the world needed to hear loudly and clearly that the way to peace, harmony, and the fulfillment of peoples rests in and with Christ. All forms of government and all forms of headship of states must find their model in Christ. All nations must allow Christ to be King. Only then is real peace and genuine harmony achievable. Is this unrealisable? No, everything is possible for God but He waits patiently for every human heart to claim Christ as the King of the whole world and the whole created order.

The image is Christ the King by C.B. Chambers, circa between the 1920 and 1950 (used on the website of the Archdiocese of Sydney)

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As we come towards the end of the liturgical year, and the beginning of Advent, the Church always reminds us of the last things of our own life and the cosmic event that is the Second Coming of Christ. While awesome and of immense significance, these will be times of hope for all who have remained faithful and in friendship with Christ.

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There are many lessons for us always in Holy Scripture. The two widows presented to us in this Sunday's readings demonstrate genuine and real kindness; not being nice; not being polite; but exactly what kindness is and should be. As Jesus teaches the apostles and disciples what this means, He reveals to us that real kindness makes demands upon us.

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The Scripture readings are centred upon love this Sunday. Charity is the virtue infused into our souls at Holy Baptism that enables us to love God for His own sake and to love others out of love for Him.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus shows us this charity perfectly because He has divine love within a human heart. By divine grace, although not perfectly in this life, that is also possible for us.

The Australian composer whose name I couldn't recall is James McCauley and he worked with Richard Connolly. Together they have left to the Catholic Church in Australia some worthy and memorable hymns. Look them up!

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Bartimaeus, the blind man, is healed of his blindness by Jesus in this Sunday's gospel reading.
The joyful and trusting faith of Bartimaeus is both an example for us and an encouragement to us. It is a reminder that faith saves us, liberates us, and draws us deeper into the mystery of our redemption, which is presented to us at every Holy Mass.

The statue in the photograph is Jesus healing blind Bartimaeus, by Johann Heinrich Stöver, 1861

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We continue to witness the apostles being taught and formed by Jesus in this Sunday's gospel reading. As we do this, we too are formed, taught and instructed. This Sunday we are called to examine the connection between suffering and humility, but also obedience in following Jesus. Then also, once more the wider question of who will be saved?

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