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Homilies are posted no later than during the week
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4 Advent
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Fourth
Sunday of Advent - B Cycle - Luke 1:26-38
An African girl gave her teacher a gift. The teacher
said, "You walked miles to get this." The girl replied, "Walking is
part of the gift.
People speak of Christmas in July. Yet, it was
in August 1993 that The New York Times excitedly gave us a Christmas
gift about the House of David. An Israeli archaeologist had
just "discovered a fragment of a stone monument with
inscriptions bearing the first known reference outside the Bible to
King David and the ruling dynasty he founded."
Why not research the family tree of Jesus
whose birthday approaches? We will not have to dirty our hands in mud
as the archaeologist did. Our information is in the Old Testament.
One does not require a massive brainpan to
conclude that the awesome entry of God into the body of an itinerant
preacher named Jesus of Nazareth was no hit and run accident. It
was set from day one. For Him the long journey was part of the
gift to us.
His birth of a teen-ager named Mary was the
end of the promise made by God in the Bible's first pages. The promise
was given to spaceship earth. God addressed the serpent in Genesis
3:15, "I will put enmities between you and the woman...She shall crush
your head and you will lie in wait for her heel."
Centuries move on. The general promise of the
Christ becomes more specific. It is placed in the care of the Semite
people. They descended from Shem whose father was the famous Noah of
the ark. The Semites developed into many nations - Israel, Arabia,
Syria, and Jordan.
Of these Semitic nations, God selected one to
whom Jesus' promise was given. That nation was Israel. The promise was
given to Abraham, its founder: "Through you shall all the nations of
the earth be blessed." The Jews were the chosen people.
Abraham gingerly passed the promise to his son
Isaac. That young man married and he gave it to Jacob, his son. He
proved to be a most fertile fellow. With a little help from his wife,
he had twelve boys. Mr and Mrs Jacob felt they were cheaper by the
dozen. Each son would found one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
To the tribe of Judah among the twelve was
given the age-old promise of Christ. "The scepter shall not depart from
Judah, nor the staff between his feet, until he comes to whom it
belongs."
If you are still counting, the promise of Our
Lord has been given by this point to spaceship earth, then the Semite
people, the Jewish nation, and the tribe of Judah. Within the tribe of
Judah, the promise was carefully given to the family of David.
The centuries passed in their happy and
doleful fashion. Christ's long journey was coming to an end. A clue of
this is found in the prophecy Isaiah, "A virgin shall conceive and
bring forth a son. His name shall be called Emmanuel...God with us."
Then one special night the melancholy Roman
emperor Caesar Augustus was finishing pasta with clam sauce and vino in
his splendid palace along the polluted Tiber river in Rome. A gentleman
called Quirinius was living it up as governor in Syria. Wonders of
wonders, the global village that was earth was at peace. A peasant and
his expectant wife were making a long journey to the town of
Bethlehem. Or, as a poet put it, "The lady rode a donkey, the man
walked, and the baby was in the lady."
There Mary gave birth to Jesus. He was
the promise made flesh, God become Man. The infinite had at last
become finite. Say you were a lab technician and were allowed by Mary
to take DNA from the Baby's finger. You would discover He was a Semite
out of the Jewish nation. Further, you would conclude He was of the
tribe of Judah and, more exactly, of the family of David.
Talking of His mother, we might all want to remember
the line of Meister Eckhart. "We are all meant to be mothers of God. He
is always waiting to be born."
We ring down the curtain with the twenty-six
hundred
year old Jeremiah. "I will perform, saith the Lord, the good
word I have spoken to the house of Israel and to the house of
Judah...I will make the bud of justice to spring forth unto
David...they shall call him the Lord our just one."
As a gift to Jesus, why not embrace Walt Whitman's
advice?
"Love the earth, sun, and animals. Despise riches. Give alms to
everyone. Stand up for the stupid and crazy. Devote your income and
labor to others. Argue not about God."
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http://www.st.ignatius.net/pastor.html
4 Advent
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4
Advent: Actors in the Eternal Christmas Pageant
The
mystery had been kept secret for ages. Then the prophets spoke
about it. It really began with the prophecy of Nathan to King
David, one thousand years before Christ. David had thought it was
his pious duty to build a Temple to house the Ark of the
Covenant. At first Nathan agreed with him, but then God spoke to
Nathan and sent him to David with this message: “You want to build a
house for me, but I will build the House of David. My son will
come from you, one of your descendants. He will be the Eternal
King.” This is the first time that the anointed of the Lord, the
Messiah, was spoken of.
A
thousand years would past, and then God made known His plan to
all people. The Messiah would not be a hidden mystery, known only
to the Jews. The Messiah would be revealed to all the
nations, so that all may submit to God in faith through Jesus
Christ. The plan began with a simple scene: an angel, Gabriel by name,
appeared to a young girl, the Virgin Mary, and told her that she would
have a child conceived not through a man, but through the overshadowing
of the Holy Spirit. St. Bernard put it so beautifully: the angel
asked and mankind waited for Mary’s reply.
St.
Paul concludes his Letter to the Romans with this Sunday’s second
reading. This was God’s plan all along. The prophets
revealed it, but then the Plan took effect through Mary, all so we can
have a union of obedient love to God our Father through Jesus Christ.
Each
one of us has part of this plan. We might not be the founder of
the dynasty like David, nor the mother of the Savior like Mary, but we
are called to lead others to Bethlehem, to lead others to our
Lord. Sometimes we lose this with all the hectic running around
necessitated more by cultural and custom then by the reality of the
Birth of Jesus. So we become like the audience of a children’s
Christmas Pageant, listening to well worn words, and getting caught up
in the romance of the celebration of the birth of a Special Child.
But
we are not merely part of the audience. We are actors in the
eternal Christmas pageant. Like the shepherds and the magi,
angels and stars are calling us to worship Jesus. Like Mary, we
can make the spiritual physical. No, we can’t give birth to the
Savior, but we can make His Presence a reality in the world.
How? By being people of God.
God
calls us to particular missions in life. These missions might be
to be a faithful and faith-filled husband or wife, father or mother,
grandmother or grandfather. The mission may be to be a single man
or woman with the time to extend God's love to others. The
mission may be, right now, to be a holy widow or widower, offering the
love cultivated during marriage to those around you. The mission may be
to be a good little boy or girl, or a good teenager or young adult,
learning how to love as God loves, sacrificially. When we do our best
to respond to His call we give evidence to His Presence in the world.
People are not just physical. People are physical and spiritual.
When we view someone as a Man of God, Woman of God, or Child of God,
Teen of God, we see the total person body and soul. When others
view us, any of us, as a Person of God, they see us as in our totality,
physical and spiritual.
We
are called to make the spiritual within us a reality in the world
outside of us. We are called to help others recognize their
ability to be spiritual.
God
calls us to do more than build a house for His Presence. He calls
us to be the House of His Presence. He calls us to radiate His
Reality to a world that looks for a Savior, that longs for a Savior.
We
need to stop selling ourselves short. We are part of the wonder
of the plan. We are part of the wonder of the Word Made Flesh,
the Wonder of Christmas. People in our families, in our
neighborhoods, people we associate with at work, people we know, and
people we do not know, all need us to bring the Presence of the Lord to
them.
Gabriel spoke to Mary and the world waited for her answer. God
speaks to each of us throughout our lives, and the world waits for our
answers. For we are not Christians for ourselves, we are
Christians to bring God to others and to serve God in others.
O
Come O Come, Emmanuel. Come and give us the strength and the
courage to radiate your presence to a waiting
world.
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http://stmaryvalleybloom.org/
* available in Spanish - see
Spanish homilies
4 Advent
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The
Promise of God
(December 18, 2011 - 40th Anniversary Homily)
Bottom line: Open yourself to God's power, his mercy, his promise. For
him nothing is impossible.
(Some practical details, especially for visitors - rest rooms,
collection procedure, times for kneeling, etc.)
Before giving the homily, I want to say a few thank-you's. Regarding
"thank-you's" here at St. Mary of the Valley - like other parishes - we
have the discipline of not applauding, but praying. After Mass, you can
express your gratitude any way you want: applause, shouts, whistles,
whatever. But in Mass we express gratitude by praying, by thanking and
glorifying God. I certainly feel that way about my forty years as a
priest. If I have done anything good, the credit goes to God.
With that in mind, I want to express some words of gratitude. First, to
all of you for coming to this 40th anniversary Mass. I thank my
brothers and sister, their spouses, children and other family members
and friends. I thank the parishioners here from Holy Family, Seattle,
where I served for 14 years before I came to St. Mary of the Valley in
2009. I also thank those from Ferndale, Blaine and the Lummi Indian
Reservation, as well as St. Luke in Shoreline and St. Alphonsus,
Seattle. I am grateful for Fr. Narciso and Fr. Bill Traecy for
concelebrating this Mass. Fr. Narciso recently arrived from Peru and
will be here at St. Mary of the Valley for the next two months.
Fr. Treacy is the senior priest of the Archdiocese. He is in his
nineties, but going like sixty - a wonderful model for younger priests.
Fr. Treacy, for many years, was pastor of St. Cecilia in Stanwood where
he got to know my parents, Melvin and Mary Bloom.
I want to thank, above all, Archbishop Sartain for being the celebrant
of this Mass. Archbishop Sartain came to Seattle a little over the year
ago. At our priests gathering last June, he said that people have
confused him with Fr. Phil Bloom. The priests started saying to me,
"Hello, your Excellency" and "Good morning, archbishop." I told them
that I am finally getting some respect. Part of the reason for the
confusion is that we have similarly shaped heads. When I was growing
up, my older brother made fun of my head and I always felt
self-conscious. Now, it has finally paid off. There is a lesson here
for young people: what seems like a liability can turn out be an
advantage.
Now, that ties in with the homily for this Mass.* God can turn a
liability into an advantage - not because we are so great, but because
of his promise. In the first reading we hear about the promise God made
to King David. The prophet Nathan tells David that his house and
kingdom will endure forever. The amazing thing about this promise is
that it does not depend on David's worthiness. Remember that David had
committed adultery with Bathsheba and then had her husband killed. God
punished David - and he repented. In the Psalms we hear echoes of
David's repentance. Even though David sinned greatly, God did not
withdraw his promise. There is a message here for us: Not to go out and
sin, but to know that every day we depend on God's mercy - and his
promise.
We can see God's promise in the ordination of a priest. God chooses men
who are weak - like David - but through them accomplishes amazing
things. In my years as a priest, I have been astounded by what God
does. Once a man told me, "Father, when I was having some troubles, you
said something that got me through them."
"What did I say?" I asked. He replied, "You told me to trust God." The
simplest words can sometimes make the greatest difference - not because
of the speaker, but because of God - his power, his mercy, his promise.
We see the promise of God in today's Gospel. The angel Gabriel tells a
Jewish maiden that she will conceive a son - not by a man, but by the
overshadowing of the Most High. That child, he says, will receive "the
throne of David."
So God's promise comes down to that - a child, a child smaller than a
sesame seed. Jesus began his human existence like you and me - a tiny
embryo.** Using ordinary human biology, God does something unexpected.
He fulfills his promise not by politics, not by military power - but by
the birth of child: in the city of David, Bethlehem. God uses what
seems insignificant to accomplish mighty deeds.
Something similar applies to the priesthood. A priest takes ordinary
things and God uses them for something extraordinary: Water to bring
re-birth, oil to heal the sick and soothe the dying - and, above all,
bread and wine to renew Jesus' saving death. How does it happen? I can
only respond with the words of today's Gospel, the words of Elizabeth,
words Christian have known for two thousand years: Nothing will be
impossible for God.
I hope I am some small testimony to that. People here from Stanwood and
Camano Island - where I grew up - can witness that I am unlikely
candidate for the priesthood.
If a young man here is thinking about the priesthood, maybe feeling a
little afraid, I ask him to remember God's promise. With him nothing is
impossible. The same applies to those thinking about marriage. For
sure, we have seen a lot of family breakdown, but that does not mean
God's promise is empty. He can do great things - and he will.
To sum up: Be like David. Open yourself to God's power, his mercy, his
promise. For him nothing is impossible. Amen.
**********
*To fellow homilists: This is the point to begin if you are looking for
ideas and illustrations for your homily.
**Zygote is a more exact word, but even medical sites apply the word
"embryo" beginning at fertilization.
General Intercessions for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Cycle B (from
Priests for Life)
Spanish Version
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http://www.agreeley.com/homilies.html
4 Advent
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Background:
Father Raymond Brown in his masterful book on the Infancy
Narratives says that these stories are “theologumena,” not so much
literal history but stories with a theological point – the other
gratuitous and revolutionary impact of Jesus’s birth life and death. It
is perhaps not too necessary to fixate on this point.
People love the Christmas stories because of their beauty and
their hopefulness and their excitement. In fact, we do not know how
they were put together or where they come from or how they got into the
Gospels. It is certainly not forbidden to think that there might be a
good deal more history in them that we are able to prove. But the
important point is that they are stories of God’s love and of Jesus
role in history and that’s what counts, not historical details. One
element is literally true, however. The story teller puts on
Mary’s lips the totally accurate prediction (which perhaps the real
Mary would not have dared to say) that all nations would call her
blessed. They sure have.
Story:
Once upon a time there was a woman who hated children. He had
been raised in a large family where there were constant fights between
the parents, between parents and children, and among the children. She
did not want to be any part of a family like that ever again in her
life. Kids were noisy, obnoxious brats. They were messy, ungrateful,
dishonest. From the moment of conception till you finally got rid of
them when you sent them off to college, they caused nothing but pain.
And they fought with you for the rest of your life and broke your heart.
Her friends who had children said that her picture of children
was incomplete. They were also wonderful, even if they were often pesky
brats. Her husband wanted children desperately, but she told him that
he wanted them so much he should find himself another wife. Well, one
day she found that something had gone wrong and she was pregnant. She
instantly thought about having and abortion to get rid of the child
before anyone found out about it. She hesitated.
You ought to take a chance with the kid, one of her friends – the only
to whom she had told the bad news advised her. She even went to see a
doctor about an abortion, but then she changed her mind at the last
minute and decided to take a chance. Every woman how ever becomes
pregnant takes a chance, her friend said. Well, you know what happened.
You’d think she’d invented motherhood! Moreover she was a very good
mother and did not repeat the mistakes of the family in which she was
raised. Her children adored her.
Mary took a chance too, not utterly different from the one every mother
takes. That is the nature of life, of responding to the kingdom, to
seize the rich opportunities it offers us.
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http://www.saintvincentarchabbey.org/sunday_homily
4 Advent
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Luke 1:26-38
Cycle B
Gospel Summary
On the carefully programmed Advent journey to Christmas, the Fourth
Sunday belongs to Mary. This is so because Christmas, which celebrates
the birth of Jesus, necessarily involves the motherhood of Mary.
However, the story of that birth is reserved for Midnight Mass, while
today's gospel tells us how Mary prepared for that wonderful event by
accepting the message of an angel, which meant allowing God to
determine how she could be a mother and remain a virgin.
If through the centuries Mary has captured the imagination of the
Catholic world, it is in large measure because she faced the mystery of
God and said, "Let it be done to me according to your word “ (Luke
1,28), Even)n her greatest privilege as mother of the Savior
presupposes this radical trust and generosity on her part.
It is easy to ignore the mystery of God until the very end of life. It
is also easy to live in fear of that mystery. However, human life will
never be really successful until we learn to embrace God's mystery with
trust and confidence. Mary shows us how to do that and what wonderful
results will follow.
Life Implications
Although we know very little about the "historical" Mary, her symbolic
presence is real and powerful. In her case, symbolic truth presupposes
an historical person but it reveals the universal and perennial
significance of that person. It is a truth that transcends such
limitations as age, race and gender as it reveals the meaning of Mary,
Virgin and Mother, for all human beings everywhere.
As a virgin, Mary represents hope. Indeed, there are few images that
capture the meaning of hope and promise more effectively than that of a
youthful young lady. All of us then, who strive to be positive and
joyful and hopeful in a weary and despairing society, can look to
virginal Mary as a model who is ready and willing to inspire and
encourage us.
When considered specifically as the mother of our Savior, Mary is also
the most perfect model of fruitfulness. She represents, therefore, both
virginal, promising springtime and fruitful, bountiful summer. She
conquers cold, barren winter in our hearts and leads us to a rich and
meaningful harvest.
There is such a temptation on our part to live off of others and to
complain rather than to contribute. Constant complaining and blaming
others means an empty harvest. By contrast, Mary models for us a life
that is wonderfully fruitful through loving concern for the welfare and
happiness of others. There is no better way to prepare for and to
celebrate the birth of Jesus!
Demetrius R. Dumm, O.S.B.
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http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/lowhome.html Meeting Christ in the Liturgy
4 Advent
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Fourth
Sunday
2 Samuel 7:1-5.8-11.16; Psalm 89;
Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee." (Lk 1:28, RSV Catholic
Edition) For nearly two millennia Catholics, and other Christians, have
committed to memory these words of the angel Gabriel, "Ave Maria,
gratia plena", as they pore devotedly over the sacred scriptures. The
angelic salutation, now incorporated into the prayer of the Hail Mary,
is sent up to heaven millions of times each day from every corner of
the globe. Our frequent repetition of these words can dull our sense of
awe for the fantastic event which they announced: the incarnation of
God.
So also the tinsel, lights, gifts and parties, which sometimes
overwhelm us in competition with the message and celebration of Advent,
can take away from the spiritual preparation which should guide the way
for the birth of the Lord at Christmas. Giving complete attention to
the hectic events and attractions around us can dull our awareness of
those less tangible divine realities which are the sure source of
lasting joy. The season has become a steady barrage of advertisements,
with mobbed stores, endless traffic, long lines at the counters and
mass hysteria, such as we see over a small red stuffed animal, for the
sake of attaining which store workers are trampled and which fetches
thousands of dollars on the rare occasion when it is not out of stock.
It is possible that these events can be expressions of happiness, but
more often than not, immersion in material excesses distracts from the
reason for giving gifts, for celebrating, for singing with joy: the
gift of the Savior.
Perhaps the story has been told so many times that we have lost
interest in it as if it is simply old news. The Good News is "good" and
"news" precisely because, if we hear its truth with the grace of faith,
it will move our hearts and minds to praise and glorify God for the
life, the light, the embrace of love he has given us in Christ. We will
be moved to commit ourselves in thought, word and action to live as the
praise of God's glory by renouncing Satan and all his works and empty
promises.
The blessed virgin Mary, saluted as "full of grace" by the angel,
freely chooses to cooperate with God's plan, such that our Savior was
"conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit," as we recite in the Creed.
"From the first formulations of her faith, the Church has confessed
that Jesus was conceived solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in the
womb of the virgin Mary, affirming also the corporeal aspect of this
event: Jesus was conceived 'by the Holy Spirit without human seed.'
(Council of the Lateran, 469)." (CCC 496)
This faith we profess was described by St. Ignatius of Antioch at the
beginning of the second century thusly: "You are firmly convinced about
our Lord, who is truly of the race of David according to the flesh, Son
of God according to the will and power of God, truly born of a
virgin,...he was truly nailed to a tree for us in his flesh under
Pontius Pilate...he truly suffered, as he is also truly risen." (CCC
496)
The virginal birth of Christ and Mary's perpetual virginity are often
ridiculed or questioned, even by Christians. Some so-called
"theologians" misuse their learning to call these facts into question
in books and articles. Comedians and entertainers delight in mocking
the virginity of Our Lady. Each of us can experience a weakening of our
own faith as we hear and see others question the authority of scripture
and tradition underlying these great mysteries of faith or belittle God
and sacred people or things.
"People are sometimes troubled by the silence of St. Mark's Gospel and
the New Testament Epistles about Jesus' virginal conception. Some might
wonder if we were dealing with legends or theological constructs not
claiming to be history. To this we must respond: Faith in the virginal
conception of Jesus met with the lively opposition, mockery, or
incomprehension of non-believers, Jews and pagans alike; so it could
hardly have been motivated by pagan mythology or by some adaptation to
the ideas of the age. The meaning of this event is accessible only to
faith, which understands in it the 'connection of these mysteries with
one another' in the totality of Christ's mysteries, from his
Incarnation to his Passover. St. Ignatius of Antioch already bears
witness to this connection: 'Mary's virginity and giving birth, and
even the Lord's death escaped the notice of the prince of this world:
these three mysteries worthy of proclamation were accomplished in God's
silence.' " (CCC 498) The real event of Christ's birth has taken place
so that the real gift of grace, and its fruit in faith, will enable us
to meet and know Christ here and now. God's love is generous. He gives
the one gift without limit: himself.
Through the miracle of faith, belief in things unseen, we encounter
Christ and grow in our love of him now. Christ is really and truly born
for us only if we are prepared to celebrate the anniversary of his
birth as a moment of faith. Advent is a time for renewal of faith, and
faith grows only with a deeper commitment to renounce sin. Our
preparation for our guests would be patently insincere and a charade
were we to commence our celebration before their arrival. How much more
should our spiritual preparation for the coming of Christ be
accomplished through ardent offering of the Eucharistic sacrifice,
personal prayer, spiritual reading and Confession. Such are the marks
of our sincerity even as we string lights, wrap gifts and fight traffic
in the search of the 'perfect' holiday. The 'holy day' is the best
holiday.
It is a continuing miracle that the whole world pauses to celebrate at
Christmas. Far more marvelous is the blessed Christian for whom the
lights, festive parties and gift-giving are only signs of the real
source of abiding joy: the gift of Jesus, "he who saves his people from
their sins."
Prepare well for a truly merry, blessed, 'Christ-Mass'.
I look forward to meeting you here again next week as, together, we
"meet Christ in the liturgy", Father Cusick
(Publish with permission.) http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/
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http://www.ctk-thornbury.org.uk/
4 Advent
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Fourth Sunday of Advent
When looking at the Sunday Readings and trying to understand what they
are about one very useful rule of thumb is that there is generally a
connection between the First Reading and the Gospel. This gives a good
indication as to what direction to take.
The First Reading this Sunday is from the Book of Samuel. King David
full of zeal and enthusiasm wants to build a temple fit for the Lord
and he asks the Prophet Nathan for guidance. Nathan is initially
positive but then has a vision in which he is told that it is not David
who is to build the Temple but his son Solomon.
David has already done great things but the Lord wants to remind him
that all that has been achieved is God’s doing. It is not David who
provides a home for the Lord but the Lord who provides a home for David
and the people of Israel.
Indeed there is a wonderful pun involved here. David does not build a
house for the Lord but instead the Lord provides a house for David—a
great family of descendents: the House of David.
And we ourselves are indeed spiritual descendents of David; we are part
of his great House.
But even when the Temple is eventually built it is not going to be a
permanent structure; after all, it was destroyed twice. The Temple was
a place of sacrifice to the Lord and it contained the Holy of Holies
where God was said to dwell.
The whole idea of the temple as a place to contain the Lord is, in a
sense, quite extraordinary. It is, of course, impossible to contain the
uncontainable. But we humans cannot seem to comprehend God unless we
are able to pin him down to a specific time and place.
Our human limitations cannot easily cope with a God who is always and
everywhere. It is much easier for us to compartmentalise and to confine
God to the tabernacle, to the Church. We can get on with our lives and
turn to him on Sundays or other special times when we come to Church.
In this way we find that God does not cramp our style as we live out
our daily life.
But if we are to think about God as he really is, it is quite a
different story. For God is with us at every moment, in every thought
and word and deed. His presence is one of total intimacy; he is closer
to us that we are to ourselves.
Wonderful as this may sound some find this a bit worrying, a bit
difficult, and altogether too much to cope with. We might feel that God
is crowding us a bit and that there is no private area we can call our
own.
It might be natural to think like this if we were talking about any
other kind of relationship. But this is a relationship of love. And yet
it is not to be merely equated with the sort of love we humans feel;
no, this is a relationship of love with God himself. It is love raised
to a far higher level that we could ever think of for ourselves.
This is mind-blowing stuff! By refusing to limit God to specific times
and spaces and by opening ourselves up to him in his infinite goodness
we are enabled to live on a completely different level from those
around us.
We find ourselves living on intimate terms with the High King of
Heaven. He is ever-present to us, we are in constant conversation with
him and we walk together on this wonderful journey we call life.
This marvellous relationship is exemplified in the Gospel account we
are presented with today; the story of the Annunciation. Mary is so
open to God and so close to him that God chooses to manifest himself in
the shape of Jesus who is literally born in her.
Thus it is that the final decisive chapter in the story of our
salvation is begun. The deep holiness of this simple girl, Mary of
Nazareth, becomes the opportunity for Christ to make his appearance and
to bring about the salvation of the whole human race.
It is magnificent and mysterious and it is an immensely satisfying
sequence of events which is quite staggering in its scope. And it
brings us to our knees when we take the time to contemplate what God
has done.
On this last Sunday of Advent we begin more intensively to prepare for
the celebration of Christmas. There are the many practical things to
do: the buying of presents, the shopping for food and all the
necessities of a great feast. But we do not forget that this great
feast is in honour of the Lord and we take time to prepare ourselves
spiritually as well.
We look at Mary and we see in her simplicity and in her obedience to
God’s will a wonderful model for our own lives. We cannot imagine very
clearly what went through her mind on that extraordinary day or on the
subsequent days of her pregnancy and all that came afterwards.
All we know is that she placed herself at God’s disposal; and that he
found her to be a worthy vessel to carry his only begotten Son.
The mighty King David was not permitted to provide a home for the Lord.
But his descendent, not the immensely wealthy Solomon, but the poor and
simple Virgin Mary was chosen instead.
She was not to build a Temple for God but to be the Temple of God.
We contemplate this great mystery and we stand in awe of what God
brought into being and we pay honour and reverence to his handmaid
Mary. And it is our prayer today that we may imitate her and be so open
and welcoming to God that he may make his true home in us and that we
will carry him to all those we encounter.
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These
homilies may be copied and adapted for your own use;
however, they may not be commercially published without permission of
the author. |
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