Homily For The Fourth Sunday Of Advent, Year B, December 24, 2023.
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“I plead with you. Never, ever give up on hope, never doubt, never tire, and never become discouraged. Be not afraid.” –St. John Paul II
Sunday Readings
My Dearest Friends in Christ,
Welcome to this Fourth Sunday of Advent. This fourth week of Advent marks the beginning of the end of our waiting. The gift we’ve been longing for is almost here.! The readings of today are filled with Divine promises and hope. They remind us of God’s love in promising to send us a Redeemer, Who is coming to save us.
What Shall You Offer To God
In the first reading, David was troubled by the thought that he lived in a nicer house than the Ark of the Covenant. David thought it would be better and more appropriate to build a temple to replace the Tabernacle. David’s heart was filled with this question. “What can I do for God?” He was so filled with gratitude and concern for God’s Glory that he wanted to do something special for God. Though God refused David the realization of his wish, He did it most graciously. God promised him safety and to perpetuate his dynasty. When people think of noble things they will do for God, and live honorably to please Him, God always visits them with Divine surprises and even does more in return for them. What will you do for God this Christmas? Think about it.
The Promise Of A Son
In God’s message to David through the prophet Nathan, we heard of a promise of a Son and a Kingdom that will last forever. This message was a pointer to a New Testament reality that was fulfilled in the person of Christ born of David’s lineage. In the Old Testament God used Nathan to deliver this message of the Divine Promise to David; while in the New Testament God sent the angel Gabriel, to deliver it to Mary. This historic Divine Promise ushered in a new era of grace and enthronement of a Kingdom and Kingship that will last forever.
If you expect good news, be good to others. God often finds favor in those who prepare themselves and are disposed to receive Him. It wasn’t a Divine accident that God promised to raise from the dynasty of David, a Son for His people. David was himself a man after God’s own heart, despite his many failings. God promises humanity a future, a Redeemer and a Messiah that will deliver His people from the slavery of sin in the same way God delivered David and subdued all his enemies of old. When a man or woman presents themself as an instrument, God uses them to accomplish great works. God did it with David and Mary.
Mary Never Betrayed God’s Choice Or The Favour Found In Her
You can imagine the number of women there were in Nazareth when God singled out Mary to be part of this great work of human redemption. Before birth, God saw in Mary a woman capable of being part of the redemptive mission. Marv found favor with God. Even though Mary had already been sanctified in her mother’s womb, Mary prepared herself in a manner that never betrayed God’s choice or favor found in her. She committed no actual sin. Many of us have been chosen by God for great missions, but we have misused and abused God’s choice by our waywardness in life. God’s choice of a person for a mission is always a call to great spiritual preparation; a mission of submission of oneself without omission of the spiritual responsibilities that are entailed in that Divine commission. Having prepared herself as a vessel, God filled Mary with grace. The angelic salutation, “Mary full of grace”, left Mary troubled because she found herself undeserving of such a salutation and of undertaking such a role in the history of mankind. Like every human, Mary never fully understood the Will of God for herself. She had her personal spiritual and physical struggles. God’s choice of her never made her an exception to the miseries and challenges of the human condition. She was subjected to all but never sinned against God.
When You Say Yes, God Accomplishes Impossible Tasks
The promise of a Son is the high point of the angelic visitation and connects us to the first reading. The promised Son will not just be the Son of Mary, but the long-expected Messiah and the Son of the most High. When the angel said, “The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David”, it becomes clear that Jesus is the Messiah promised to David (2 Samuel 7:12-16), who has the rightful authority to rule over Israel; and His Kingdom, there will be no end. Mary’s question, “How can this be since I am a virgin?” (1:34). is a very logical one since she was not a man. She asked the same question Zacharias asked (Luke 1:18), but his question was asked in skeptical unbelief, and Mary’s question was asked in wonder-filled faith. The Divine exchange between Mary and the angel further assures her of God’s Presence, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the Power of the Highest will overshadow you. Therefore the Child to be born will be Holy. He will be called Son of God” (1:35). Mary’s virginal birth was an act of the Holy Spirit taking over completely and transforming what is impossible in the physical realm. When we, like Mary, consent to and surrender our wills to God, the Holy Spirit takes over and through us accomplishes humanly impossible tasks. The angel strengthened Mary’s belief by informing her that her kinswoman Elizabeth, whom many called barren, had conceived a child; for nothing is impossible with God. With such an amazing assurance, Gabriel also brought evidence that, if God could do that with Elizabeth, He could also do what He promised to Mary and all children of Mary. May this Divine assurance strengthen your faith in God.
Mary’s fiat or consent to God’s word, ” Let it be done to me according to Your Word”, is an affirmation of faith. It is the proper response of every believer to every promise of God. It teaches us that while we might be troubled or doubtful of the possibility of certain experiences in our lives, we do not need to fully comprehend God’s plan for us to say yes to God, and to abandon all our anxieties to Him. With her yes, Mary became the Mother of Jesus in faith. It was her faith that gave birth to Christ and made her the Mother of God.
There is No manger except The Interior Castle of The Soul
We are privileged to be experiencing the redeeming effects of this mystery, hidden for ages, but made known in our time. Let us, therefore, cultivate the obedience of faith as Paul instructs us today. In this period of Advent, as Christmas is nearer, may we open up ourselves to the overshadowing power of the Holy Spirit by saying yes to God in every situation of life, so that Christ may be reborn in our hearts and fill us with the grace that comes with the obedience of faith. There is no manger except the interior castle of your soul. Welcome Jesus, into your soul and His promises will be fulfilled in your life.
I keep you and your family always in my prayers. ©Clem C. Aladi (2024)
