|
 |
|
Homilies are posted no later than during the week
prior to the Sunday they are needed |
|
|
4 Advent
|
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
wasset 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 longjourney 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
thepromise 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."
|
|
http://www.st.ignatius.net/pastor.html
4 Advent
|
The Word in Mary’s Ear and Ours
I
love art, all forms of art.I love music and opera and
ballet.I love sculpture and architecture.I particularly
love painting.My favorite place in the world that is not a
church is the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.It is
not that I don’t like the other famous art museums, like the Louvre in
Parish, the Uffizi in Florence, the Prado in Madrid,and, of
course, the Vatican Museums.But I first fell in love with art at
the Met.
A
few years ago I was roaming the Met with an audio guide stuck in my
ear.I came upon a medieval painting of the scene depicted in
today’s Gospel, the scene we usually call the Annunciation.There
must be at least fifty paintings of the Annunciation in the Met, all
masterpieces.I don’t know why, but I decided to punch in the
numbers and listen to the commentary on this particular work of
art.The narrator pointed out the various different technical
elements of the painting and then spoke about the dove over Mary and
the Angel’s head.The dove represented, of course, the Holy
Spirit.Rays of light emanated from the dove and seemed to be
entering into one of Mary’s ears. In this painting, the narrator went
on, the artist depicted the quaint theory that since Mary was a virgin
and remained a virgin, the conception of Jesus took place through her
ears leaving the rest of her body virginal.The narrator missed
the artist’s point.The artist’s point was that Mary heard the
Word of God.That was why the Holy Spirit was able to
overshadowed her.That was how the Word of God became flesh
through her.
Mary
was given a choice.The world waited for her answer.
She could have refused to allow God’s plan to work through her.
She could have agreed grudgingly to the plan, like Zechariah, John the
Baptist’s father did when the Angel Gabriel spoke to him in the Temple,
or Mary could have rejected God’s plan.But Mary was open to the
Word of God.She allowed to Word to enter her and transform her
from a simple maiden to the mother of the Second Person of the Blessed
Trinity, to the Queen of the Universe.She was open to the Word
of God, and the Word of God used her to transform the world.The
what of Jesus, what is he, is human and divine, two natures.But
the who of Jesus, who is he, is always the Second Person of the Blessed
Trinity.Mary said “Yes!” to the Word in her ear and became the
Mother of God.
That
same Word of God whispers into our ears, yours and mine.He calls
us to continue the transformation of the world.He calls us to
make the Savior real to those who long for his presence.Will we
reject the Word and force Him to look for another ear?Will we
obey grudgingly and limit His action through us?Or will we make
a decision for the Lord, and offer ourselves totally to God?
We
are here because we have chosen Jesus Christ.We recognize our
humanity, our weakness, and we seek strength to remain faithful to this
choice.Mary’s great virtue was her obedience.Opposite
Eve, Mary is the New Eve that brought new life, Divine Life, to the
world.
The
Word of God calls us to nurture the presence of Christ within us.
We are not pregnant like Mary became, but we still have the Living
Jesus within us.Like an expectant mother, all of us care for
this new and wonderful presence.We eat the food we need, the
Eucharist, to allow this Presence to grow.We take the vitamins
we need,Vitamin P, prayer, so we can stay united to the Living
Love within us.
The
Word of God whispers into our ears and calls upon us to bring this
Divine Presence within us to others.We do this by standing up
for our faith.We do this by searching out for those who need His
Strength.So many people hurt at Christmas time.People who
have lost loved ones need special attention.People who are
wandering the world listlessly, from thing to thing, need special
care.People who are sick and elderly and wondering if this will
be their last Christmas, need the assurance that God’s love will usher
them an eternal Christmas.
What
a wonderful time we are living in.Not just Christmas time.
We are living in the time of the Word of God.His Presence is
within us. His Presence is around us.His presence is real.
He is Real.
The
Word of God whispered into Mary’s ear, and she conceived.The
Word of God is shouting into our ears, and we are transforming the
world with His Presence.
Hail
Mary, Full of Grace.Because you let God work within you, we have
become the Masterpiece of His Hand.
|
|
http://www.geocities.com/seapadre_1999/
* available in Spanish - see
Spanish homilies
4 Advent
|
The
Greatest Boast of our Race
(December 21, 2008)
Bottom line: We not only admire Mary; we need her help
This Advent we focus on three figures, three saints who help us prepare
for the Birth of Jesus. They are: John the Baptist, St. Paul and the
Virgin Mary.
John the Baptist teaches the seriousness of life. We are here to make a
choice and that choice determines where we will spend eternity - in
heaven or, separated from God, in hell. To help understand what this
choice involves, I recommend a booklet titled God Reveals The Six
Classes of People and the Reality of Hell.
The very seriousness of life helps us to not take seriously the
disappointments and difficulties that make up much of everyday life. In
that regard, St. Paul shows the way. He says, "Rejoice always." St.
Paul suffered plenty - physically, emotionally and spiritually. You can
see that clearly when you read his letters. But at the same time a
beautiful joy shines through.
We see the most profound joy in our third Advent figure - the Blessed
Virgin Mary. A person might ask: Why is Mary so important? Why do we
honor her? Pope Benedict gave a reflection on the importance of Mary.*
He said that when Christ was born, every creature offered a sign of
gratitude: the angels, a hymn; the heavens, a star; the Magi, gifts;
the shepherds, admiration; the earth, a cave. But, asked the Holy
Father, what about the human race? What do we have to offer God?
The Holy Father answered simply: What we have to offer is the Virgin
Mary herself. She is the greatest boast of the human race. She shows
what humanity is capable of. For sure, you and I suffer from an inner
division called original sin - and we have many personal failings. But
when we look at the Virgin Mother, we recognize the true capacity of
our human nature.
In Mary we see purity of heart. Purity - a heart that desires one thing
- fascinates people. Most of us are torn in so many directions that
when we meet a single-hearted person, it stops us in our tracks. People
like Blessed Teresa of Calcutta and Pope John Paul the Great had that
effect. They had a purity of heart, not equal to, but modeled after the
Virgin Mary.
Now, many people mock purity, they make fun of those who hold a high
ideal. But the same ones who mock purity, give themselves away.
"Religious people" make them nervous and they love to hear about the
hypocrisy of Christians. They readily admit they themselves are "bad,"
but at the same time they will eagerly tell about someone who has a
more disordered life than they do. They betray a secret admiration for
those who show a beautiful love. And no one had a more beautiful love
than the Blessed Virgin Mary - and St. Joseph. In Mary we see purity of
heart.
But we not only admire Mary, we need her help. She is a powerful
intercessor. One of the good things we can do this time of year is help
our fellow Christians see the important role of Mary. I heard about a
priest who did this in an amusing way. A Protestant congregation
invited him to give a presentation. Their only requirement was that he
stick to the Bible and not bring in any Catholic "superstitions" about
Mary. He promised to follow those guidelines.
The priest began his talk by asking them to reading aloud a couple of
Scripture verses. He told them to find Luke, chapter one, verses 28 and
42. They opened their King James Bibles and read with him: "Hail Mary,
full of grace, the Lord is with thee." Then, "Blessed art thou among
women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb." He encouraged them to make
those verses part of their daily prayer.
And so should we. On this final Sunday of Advent, we focus on the
Blessed Virgin Mary. She is the greatest boast of our human race - and
the intercessor we all need. Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is
with thee. Blessed art thou and blessed is the fruit of thy womb -
Jesus.
**********
*The Blessing of Christmas, p. 112
General Intercessions for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Cycle B (from
Priests for Life)
Spanish Version
|
|
http://www.agreeley.com/homilies.html
4 Advent
|
December
21st 2008
Fourth Sunday in Advent
Background:
The big celebration begins, a festival of light and love, of joy
and laughter, of family and community and world. Light is mentioned
almost twenty times in the course of today’s liturgy. On one of the
darkest days of the year, light explodes all around us. The sun is
sneaking back, just as Jesus kind of sneaked into the world in the
quiet of Bethlehem. For us in the Northern Hemisphere, Christmas is a
midwinter feast, a time when the days grow a little longer and light
and warmth return slowly. For those who live in the Southern
Hemisphere, however, it is the beginning of summer. School is over. It
is a time for vacation (or as they would call it “holidays”), for
restand relaxation. It marks not the shortest day of the year
but the longest, the day of the most light and on the average the most
warmth. Christmas fits in everywhere.
Story:
Once upon a time there were two kids who were fed up with
Christmas. They began an anti-Christmas campaign among their friends.
Look, they said, everyone is tense and worn out, moms are tired from
cooking, dads from putting up trees and decorations, kids from wrapping
presents, neighbors from all the noise and bustle. We open the presents
and they’re not really what we wanted, though we thought we did. The
house is littered with torn wrapping paper, expensive ornaments get
knocked off the trees, the little kids go out of control, big kids
sulk, mass is too long, the sermons are boring, the music is yucky. We
eat too much . . .Who needs it all. So what should we do asked their
friends. Strike! Said the two trouble makers who were, if truth be
told, Anarchists of a sort. Refuse to participate. Don’t buy any
Christmas presents, don’t ask for any, refuse those that are given to
you, don’t decorate the tree, don’t eat the pumpkin pie, don’t drink
the egg nog, don’t say merry Christmas to anyone. A few of their
friends thought they were crazy. The others thought it was a great
idea. But what should we do? The strike leaders went to the priest and
asked him what they should do. Well, he said, ifyou want to
welcome the Christ Child without all the fuss and bother, come to
church and pray. They thought that was a great idea. How could parents
and other grown upsobject to their praying on Christmas Day.
Well, they prayed for a solid hour, which maybe doubled all their
prayer for the whole year. Then one of them rushed out of church and
flagged down the priest who was about to drive off to his family’s
party. We prayed for an hour, Father, the kid said. Can we go home now?
An hour? That’s a long time to pray! Yeah it kind of is. Well, said the
priest I don’t think that Jesus would mind one bit ifyou went
home and celebrated with your families. The kids poured out of church
with a whoop and a holler just like it was the last day of school.
|
|
http://www.saintvincentarchabbey.org/homilies/index.lasso
4 Advent
|
Dec,
21, 2008
Luke 1:26-38
Demetrius R. Dumm, O.S.B.
Fourth Sunday of Advent
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.
There is really very little information about Mary in the New
Testament, but this story of her annunciation is the key to the central
role of Mary in the drama of salvation. And 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." Even 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
teenage girl. (We note that, in the Jewish society of those days,
marriage usually occurred in a girl’s late teens). 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. As a mother, and 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 to live off of others and to complain rather
than to contribute. Constant griping 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.
|
|
http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/lowhome.html
Meeting Christ in the Liturgy
4 Advent
|
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/
|
|
http://www.ctk-thornbury.org.uk/
4 Advent
|
Fourth
Sunday of Advent, Year B
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 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 a magnificent and mysterious and 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.
|
|
Father Bonar will not be posting homilies for Cycle B to allow himself
time for other projects. His collection of homilies (including homilies
for Cycle B) is available at www.clydebonar.com.
4 Advent |
|
|
|
|
These
homilies may be copied and adapted for your own use;
however, they may not be commercially published without permission of
the author.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
