Come Lord Jesus series Fourth Sunday of Advent Year A

Come Lord Jesus series

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Fourth Sunday of Advent — Year A

Entrance Antiphon:

“Drop down dew from above, you heavens,

and let the clouds rain down the Just One;

let the earth be opened and bring forth a Saviour.”

(cf. Isaiah 45:8)

Reflection

Advent now reaches its final threshold. The long watching, the repeated promises, the patient waiting all gather into a single, urgent prayer: “Drop down dew from above.” The Church no longer speaks only of preparation; she speaks of imminence. Heaven is addressed directly. Earth is commanded to open. Salvation is no longer distant — it is about to take flesh.

Isaiah’s imagery is rich and deliberate. Dew does not fall with force or noise. It arrives gently, silently, almost unnoticed — yet it brings life wherever it rests. This is how God chooses to come. Not with violence, not with spectacle, but with a quiet, life-giving descent. Advent has trained us to recognise this kind of coming: humble, faithful, transformative.

“Let the clouds rain down the Just One.”
The Saviour who comes is righteous — not merely morally upright, but perfectly aligned with the will of God. He comes to set right what is distorted, to restore what has been bent by sin, to bring justice that heals rather than wounds. Christ is the “Just One” because in Him, mercy and truth meet.

Then the prayer turns toward us: “Let the earth be opened.”
The earth is no longer passive ground. It must open, receive, cooperate. Advent reaches its climax here. God is ready to give — now the question is whether we are ready to receive. The opening of the earth mirrors the opening of the heart. Salvation is never forced; it is welcomed.

“And bring forth a Saviour.”
This is the heart of Christmas waiting. The Church stands on the edge of fulfilment, knowing that the promise will soon be realised in Mary’s womb, in Bethlehem’s poverty, in a child laid in a manger. God’s answer to the world’s longing will not be an idea, but a person.

Fourth Sunday of Advent is quiet, intense, and deeply focused. There is nothing left to add. Nothing left to prepare except the heart itself. Heaven is ready. Earth is summoned. Salvation is at hand.

Practice for Today:
Pray slowly, throughout the day:
“Lord, open my heart to receive You.”
Then rest in the stillness of this final waiting.

Come, Lord Jesus.