# Advent Hope & Promise: The Woman, the Dragon, and the Birth of the Messiah
*2022-12-06*

> Bill and John discuss a surprising encounter with a young woman who prayed for them, explore Revelation 12’s woman and dragon, and reflect on Advent as a preparation for Christ’s coming as a baby and His ultimate return.

## A Strange Blessing in the Parking Lot

After a Legion of Mary meeting, Bill stopped at a Walgreens to pick up his medicine. While waiting in his car, a young Spanish‑speaking woman named Stephanie approached him. At first Bill thought she might be asking for money, but she opened the window and asked to pray over him. She led him in prayer, asked him to repeat some prayers, and then told him the Holy Spirit had prompted her to come. Bill thanked her and gave her a small token, noting that she didn’t even know the word “Advent.” The encounter left him feeling that the Holy Spirit was speaking through an unexpected person.

## Revelation 12: The Woman and the Dragon

Bill turned the conversation to Revelation chapter 12, which describes a woman clothed with the sun, a crown of twelve stars, and a child about to be born. A great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns appears to devour the child. The child is caught up to God, and the woman flees into the wilderness for 1,260 days. Bill linked this imagery to the two witnesses of Revelation 11, who also prophesy for 1,260 days, and wondered whether the timing of the woman’s flight might correspond to the birth of Christ and His eventual return. He suggested that the woman is Mary, though the text does not name her explicitly, and that the male child is Jesus, destined to rule all nations.

## Advent as a Preparation for Both Births

Bill recalled Pope Francis’s words that Advent invites us to open our hearts to welcome Jesus now, while also anticipating His glorious return at the end of time. He emphasized that we should live the Advent season as if Christ were about to be born again as a baby on Christmas, preparing ourselves for both the Incarnation and the Second Coming. He also mentioned Father Chris Allure’s idea that prayer can reach back in time, suggesting that our prayers now may affect future events.

## Today's Readings and Reflections

The hosts read from Isaiah 40 (the “tenderness” passage) and Matthew 18:12‑14 (the parable of the lost sheep). They reflected on God’s tender mercy toward Jerusalem and the shepherd’s love for every lost soul. They also shared a brief excerpt from their Advent devotional, which calls us to reclaim tenderness in a culture that often glorifies violence.

## Prayers of the Day

Bill and John prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the Our Father, Hail Mary, Psalm 130, and the Apostles’ Creed. They concluded with a heartfelt prayer asking God’s endless mercy for the whole world, especially for those suffering in purgatory.

*Advent calls us to welcome Christ now as a newborn while keeping our eyes fixed on His ultimate return.*