4th Sunday of Advent

For grown-ups

This Sunday we meet Mary at the moment she is asked to share in something far bigger than she can understand. The angel tells her not to be afraid, and she answers with a simple yes. In the first reading, God promises David a house and a kingdom that will last for ever. God keeps His promises, usually in ways no one expects.

Family life is full of small, unplanned yeses: getting up for a child in the night, putting down the phone to listen, saying sorry first. None of them feels grand, yet this is how God makes room to work in a home. As Christmas draws near and the days fill up, the readings invite us to slow down and ask what God might be asking of us. As the angel says, “Nothing is impossible to God.”

Dinner-table questions

1. What did Mary say when the angel visited her?
2. What is one kind thing you can say yes to this week, like helping tidy up?
3. How do you think Mary felt when the angel said she would have baby Jesus?