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Advent Study: Light a Candle for Love!

In observance of the Advent season, Rev. Dr. Charles Yoost has written four messages based on the four candles of Advent: Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. Read the fourth and final message in this series…

“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.’” (Luke 1:41-42)

Is there anything that says “Love” more than the birth of a baby? What anticipation! What excitement! What promise! Can you picture in your mind’s eye these two pregnant women, Mary and Elizabeth, anticipating what God has in store, not only for their unborn children but eventually, the whole human race?

Every time I baptize a baby, I dream of what this child may become. Will he discover a cure for cancer? Will she become President of the United States? Surrounded by love, there’s no limit to our expectations. Yet, in our wildest dreams, we cannot envision what God anticipates for this little one. As the angel said to Mary, “Nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37)

Can you see Mary and Elizabeth dreaming together? They wanted the best for their children, as we all do. Yet, filled with the Holy Spirit, these women sensed that their children were part of God’s plan to create a better future, not just for themselves and their families, but for all people. 

Mary’s song of praise, known as the Magnificat, envisions a day when God, through her son, will bring down the powerful from their thrones and lift up the lowly; when God will fill the hungry with good things, and send the rich away empty. (Luke 2:52-53)  The love in Mary’s heart is not a sentimental feeling, it is a love that reaches out to all people. It is love in action. 

Christina Rossetti wrote, “Love Came Down at Christmas.” As we sing this song, let us remember that authentic love means looking beyond our families and friends to all people everywhere. It means concern for the poor and the downtrodden. It is the concern that Mary expresses, and the concern that Jesus showed throughout his life. 

We are called to light a candle for love, the mature love that wants the best for every baby, every child and every adult. God’s love extends to all people, and our love must do so as well. As we light a candle for love, only God knows what possibilities our candles will illumine!         

– Rev. Dr. Charles Yoost, Senior Director of Religious Life & Pastoral Care 

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