Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent
Readings: 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16; Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29 (2a); Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38
How are you going to spend the last few days of Advent?
In few days, we will be celebrating Christmas. For most us, that means spending time with family, opening gifts, eating candy & Christmas dinners. For too many people, because they have been celebrating Christmas all month, instead of Advent, once Christmas Day is over, they will be taking down the tree and putting away the decorations. For them, Christmas will be over. But in reality, it will have only just begun. In the remaining days of Advent, we need to do what we have been, or should have been doing for the past three weeks. We need to continue to take the time to prepare ourselves, to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, and also prepare for his second coming.
Often during Advent, parents will make promises of gifts to their children, if they “follow the rules”. In return, kids promise their parents, they will “be good”. In some respects, this is similar to our relationship with God.
Another word for promise is covenant. In the bible, we hear the word covenant mentioned many times. A covenant is a promise by God, to protect his people, if they promise to follow God’s laws and remain faithful to God. But as we know from the stories we’ve heard many times in the bible, unlike God who always keeps his promise, the people often fail to keep their promise. And just like sometimes, a parent will allow their child to experience the consequences for disobedience, such as the loss of a toy or getting grounded, God sometimes allows us to suffer, not necessarily because of something we have done or failed to do, but in order to learn to trust and have faith in God, and in His promises.
Like many others have experienced, ten weeks ago, Nancy & I learned about our daughter-in-law Emily’s diagnosis of an aggressive form of breast cancer. They told her if treatment wasn’t started very soon, the cancer could take her life by summer. So, within a very short time, Emily was going through multiple tests, getting blood drawn many times, undergoing surgical procedures and beginning chemo treatments. In these ten weeks, she has endured much suffering. I would do almost anything to swap places with her, to take on her suffering, so she would not have to suffer. But I cannot do that; it is not within my power.
But, for God, he has that power, and that is exactly what God did when He sent His Son to earth. He knew of our suffering because of our sin. He had promised us, his children, through His covenants, He would protect us. We know God keeps his promises. In the first reading from 2nd Samuel, we hear God’s promise to David, that God would raise up an heir to David, and will make his house and kingdom endure forever. In the gospel reading, we hear God fulfilling that promise, when Gabriel visits Mary and tells about the Son she will have, a son of the house of David, and his kingdom would not end. As Mary asks, “How can this be,” Gabriel replies “nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary’s trusting in God, her faith in God, helps make our faith possible.
While this Christmas, we may be expecting a new toy, such as an action figure from the movie Frozen, or maybe remote controlled helicopter, a tablet or new smart phone, we really need to set our sights on something bigger, something even better. Our life on this earth will not last forever. For some, they only get a very short time, days or months. Others may get 80 or 90 years or more on this earth. For most of us, it will be somewhere in between. So what gift should we be seeking? It is the gift God most wants to give us, His protection and eternal life in Heaven.
So what do we need to do to “be good”, to be able to expect such a gift, a gift that will bring us more joy than a thousand Christmas Days? We simply need to keep our part of the covenant with God, to follow God’s laws and remain faithful to God. To do our part, we need recognize that it is God who can strengthen us; that we are never alone, because God is with us wherever we go.
My challenge for each of you is to use these last days of Advent well, in preparing for Jesus’ return. Make a commitment to spend at least 10 to 15 minutes or more, today, with God, in addition to the time we are spending together here at Mass. Spend some time thanking Him for all the gifts He has already given you, by naming those gifts. Learn about God’s laws by reading the bible. It only has to be a small section; many bibles have the chapters broken into sections with bolded headings. Do this as a family, especially if you have children at home. Kids, offer to read from the bible. A great place to start right now is chapter 1 of Luke, where you will hear about the announcement and birth of John the Baptist, you will re-read today’s gospel reading, you will hear about Mary visiting Elizabeth, all leading up to the birth of Jesus. Then, spend some time in quiet; listening for what God is trying to teach you. End your time with God by asking Him for help in following God’s laws and to grow your faith. And then make one more promise, to do it all again tomorrow.
For Emily and Matt, Nancy & I, Emily’s family and friends, our Advent season started early, and will last well into next year. The gift we want, won’t be under the Christmas tree in a few days. But, with our growing faith and trust in God, knowing God is with us on this journey, we are preparing to meet Jesus, whenever he comes, and we are thankful for the gifts He gives us every day.
So spend your last days of Advent, well. And have a Blessed Christmas.
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