Friends, welcome to Word on Fire Catholic Ministries. Word on Fire is an

apostolate dedicated to the mission of evangelization using media both old and

new to share the faith on every continent and to facilitate an encounter with

Christ and His Church. The efforts of Word on Fire engage the culture and bring

the transformative power of God's Word where it is most needed. Today we invite

you to join Bishop Robert Barron as he preaches the gospel and shares the

warmth and light of Christ with each one of us.

Peace be with you. Friends, we come to the fourth Sunday of Advent and the

Church gives us this marvelous story of the visitation Mary's visit to her

cousin Elizabeth. I'll tell you the word I've always loved in this story. It's

the word haste. Let me just read to you at the beginning of this so this

famous account. In those days Mary set out with haste to a Judean town in the

hill country where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

So we're right after the announcement Mary has discovered her mission and she

goes quickly. She goes in haste. The reason she moves fast is she knows who she is

and she knows what she's about because she's found her role in the Theodrama.

I know I've used that word with you many times before. See most of us are stuck

in the boring and narrow confines of the Eagle drama. That's our little drama. I'm

producing it. I'm directing it. I'm above all starring in it. It's this story

that I'm making up on my own terms for my own purposes. For me to death with the

Eagle drama. When you're caught in the Eagle drama, you don't really know who you

are. You don't know where you're going because you've not been galvanized by

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