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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 - Cycle C
Luke 1:39-45
The story is told of an unbeliever accosting a Christian. "If I told you that
an infant was born of a virgin in this city, would you believe me?" "Yes,"
replied the Christian, "if he lived as Jesus did."
Have you ever wondered how a physician might handle today's Gospel of the
Visitation? If affirmative, you are in luck. Today's homilist is John Willke,
MD. I found his thoughts in a paper titled "Mary's Pregnancy."
The Church speaks thousands of words each week on abortion. "But how come," you
ask shrewdly, "the Gospel is silent on the question as to when human life
actually begins?" In fact, it is not.
Mary we know conceived of the Holy Spirit. But what did she conceive? Was it
but a fertilized ovum which in turn became an embryo? Then did the embryo
become a fetus which only weeks or even months later developed into a person?
Doctor Willke asserts that today's Gospel answers those questions.He posits
that Luke, a fellow physician, is telling us Mary conceived the person of the
God-Man Jesus from day one of her pregnancy.
Luke tells us that right after the angel's visit Mary made an impromptu trip to
her cousin Elizabeth out in the back country. The trip took almost a week. The
young woman was pregnant about ten days.
Did Mary believe she was pregnant? By faith, yes. She had said to the angel,
"Be it done unto me according to thy word." But she had no physical proof of
her pregnancy. Humanly speaking, she had to wonder whether as a virgin she had
truly conceived.
Traditionally we say Mary went out to help her older cousin during her
pregnancy,. But that is only half the tale. Some of her reasons for going out
there were not quite that altruistic. Was her cousin pregnant she wondered as
the angel had said?If affirmative, then the angel could be trusted as an
authentic messenger from God. And so she herself would indeed be expecting a
child.
Breathlessly she reaches her cousin's door. At six months, Elizabeth is
obviously pregnant. The excited Mary concludes then she herself is pregnant.
But her aunt had not been told of her niece's pregnancy. And after but ten days
Mary was hardly "showing." Yet, Elizabeth impulsively shouts, "Blessed is the
fruit of your womb. Why should I be honored with a visit from the mother of my
Lord?"
At the time, Jesus was hardly the size of a pinhead and had only been just
implanted into the lining of Mary's womb. Yet His mother's cousin was moved to
call Him "my Lord."
So, Mary was hardly carrying a personless embryo that would become a fetus and
then a person. Rather, Elizabeth was inspired to realize that in the early days
of her pregnancy her niece, says Dr Willke, "was already carrying the person of
the God-Man Jesus."
But the story is not done. In response to her niece's salutation, Elizabeth
said, "For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt
for joy." Her babe was of course John. He would be known to history as John the
Baptizer.
Thus, John, himself already a person, salutes not merely a ten day old
personless embryo but another genuine person.What is today's Gospel telling us
through Elizabeth and her unborn son John? Yes, you are correct! Human life,
"alive, sexed, and complete," is present in every mother's womb from the
beginning of her pregnancy.
The visit of the Christ to Elizabeth in the early days of His development is a
far greater witness to the sanctity of human life, says Dr Willke, than all of
the scientific facts and pictures that one can conjure up.
Dr Willke concludes every abortion then is the killing of a living, fully human
being. Jesus has clearly taught us that abortion is wrong, he declares, by the
decisive facts of His early days in Mary's womb.
We are in debt to Luke and John Willke, physicians both.Both doctors would
remind us that though infants die by chance, they should never die by choice.
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http://www.st.ignatius.net/pastor.html
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Fourth Advent: Bursting with Excitement
One of my favorite Dennis the Menace comics is set at this time a year, a few
days before Christmas. It's a cold day, and Dennis's father is lighting a fire
in the fireplace.Dennis comes running in yelling, "Are you crazy?"Like so many
other children, he was already looking up the chimney waiting for Santa.
Is there anything more exciting in our world than children waiting for
Santa?Sure there is: a pregnant woman waiting for her little love to be
born.Today's Gospel presents two such women. Mary and Elizabeth are bursting
with anticipation, with expectation.Mary is a young girl, newly married, with a
baby announced by an angel and conceived miraculously.Elizabeth is an older
woman, one who thought her chance to have a child had passed.Her baby,
conceived naturally, was alsoannounced by an angel, the same angel in fact,
Gabriel. The women know that not just their lives will be changed, but the
world will be changed. Theygreet each other, and the baby within Elizabeth, the
future John the Baptist, recognizes the presence of the Messiah within
Mary.Elizabeth is overwhelmed with excitement as she realizes that her child
would have a vital role in God's plan for His people.Both women proclaim their
gratitude to God for working His wonders within them.
Perhaps, as a final preparation for Christmas, we can spend a few moments
reflecting on the great Gift God has given us and focus on the gratitude we owe
Him. The great gift of Christmas, of course, is the gift of His Son.The
Christian existentialist Soren Kierkegaard told a parable to help explain this
gift.
Once upon a time there was a king who was rich and powerful.The King was very
unhappy, though.He wanted a wife to be his queen. Now a political marriage
could easily have been arranged with another country but that is not what the
King wanted.He wanted someone whom he could love and who could love him. Only
real love could fill his vast, empty castle and life.
One day the King was riding through the streets of a small village kin a remote
corner of the kingdom when he came upon the most beautiful girl he had ever
seen.He immediately fell in love with her.But there was a problem: she was a
peasant girl.The problem was that he wanted to win her love, not buy her love.
One of his counselors told him to just command her to be his wife. Any girl,
especially a peasant girl, would jump at the opportunity.But the King would not
do that.He could not command love.Besides, for the rest of his life he would
wonder if she was a loving wife or a loyal subject.
Another counselor told the king to that he should call on the girl as her King,
shower her with presents of diamonds and gold and silk gowns, and give her the
opportunity to realize that he truly loved her. But the King would not do
that.For the rest of his life he would wonder if she loved him or his wealth.
A third counselor told the king to dress as a peasant so she would not be
overwhelmed, and gradually reveal his power and position until she was ready to
join him in the castle.The king did not like the thought of deceiving her.If
their relationship was based on deception, how could she ever love him?
Finally, the King knew what he would do.He renounced his royal robes, his power
and authority.He became a peasant in that remote village, living and working
and suffering beside the other peasants.After a number of years, he won the
heart of the beautiful young girl.He took his new wife to another village in
another country, where no one could have guessed who he was. After many years,
he became sick, and wife loved him and cared for him.He died a peasant, but at
his funeral the people looked at his wonderful, caring and in many ways
extremely beautiful wife and said, "That man married a queen."
God is the King.He is the Divine Lover.We are the object of His love.Only God
would love so much that He would become one of us to win our love.St. Ireneus,
an early doctor of the Church, wrote, "Because of his great love for us, Jesus,
the Word of God, became what we are in order to make us what he is himself."
This is the mystery that excites us. It is the same mystery that excited Mary
and Elizabeth. They realized that they had each in their own way been chosen to
be vehicles of God's plan of love.Elizabeth's son, John the Baptist, would
point to this Love become flesh. Jesus, Mary's son, would be this love.We also
have been chosen to be part of this plan by the One who loves us and who calls
us to make His Love a reality for others.
With deep gratitude we pray: Lord of all love, you have come to us so we can
come to you.You have become physical so we can become spiritual.You have
embraced us with your Love so we can embrace others with your love.We thank you
for choosing us to be part of your plan. We thank you for allowing us to join
Mary and Elizabeth in the excitement of your Coming Presence.We ask you now to
give us the strength and the courage to proclaim your Presence with our Lives.
There might be only a few days left, but: Happy Advent, everyone!
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http://www.geocities.com/seapadre_1999/
* available in Spanish - see Spanish homilies
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A Biblical Prayer to Mary
(December 20, 2009)
Bottom line: The Hail Mary is a biblical prayer that combines the greetings of
the Angel Gabriel and St. Elizabeth.
Today is the Fourth Sunday of Advent - the final Sunday before Christmas. With
this Fourth Sunday, we change our focus. The past two Sundays have centered on
the ascetic, somewhat fierce figure of John the Baptist. Today we focus on a
young, gentle woman, who is about to give birth to a child. Her name is Mary.
The readings speak about the child to be born of Mary and they also give us
some indication of Mary's role in our lives.
Let's start with the Old Testament reading. It foretells a child's birth in a
small town: Bethlehem of Judea. The child, says the Prophet Micah, will
shepherd Israel "by the strength of the Lord." Moreover, "his greatness shall
reach to the ends of the earth." The reading concludes with this declaration:
"he shall be peace." Not simply that he will establish peace; he will be peace!
The second reading explains how the child will embody peace, how he will be
peace. "When Christ came into the world," the author says, he made a perfect
offering of obedience - "once for all."
In the Gospel we see that Christ - who would do such extraordinary things -
entered the world by the normal route. For nine months, the pre-born Jesus
developed in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Shortly after his conception
(by the Holy spirit) his mother visited her kinswoman, Elizabeth. Her pre-born
child (John the Baptist) "leaped in her womb." After exclaming the blessedness
of Mary and her child, Elizabeth refers to Mary as "the mother of my Lord."
From these Scripture readings we glimpse the greatness of the child, to be born
of the Virgin Mary. They also give some indication of her role in our lives. To
help understand Mary's role, I would like to tell an amusing story about a
Catholic priest who was asked to speak to to an Evangelical congregation.
The people knew that the priest had a great devotion to Mary, but they invited
anyway because he was a powerful preacher. They gave priest this condition:
That he only preach from the Bible and that he would not mention any
"superstitions" about Mary. The priest happily agreed.
He began by asking them take out their Bibles. Being good Evangelicals they had
their King James Bibles in hand. He asked them to join in reciting a verse,
Luke 1:28. It said, "Hail (Mary) full of grace. The Lord is with thee." Then he
asked them to turn to the verse we heard today, Luke 1:42, "Blessed are thou
among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb."
The priest paused, looked at the congregation and said, "Congratulations! You
have now prayed the first half of the "Hail Mary."
It is a simple, biblical prayer. It begins with the Angel Gabriel's greeting to
Mary. The word, "Hail" has a profound significance. Tim Staples - an Assemblies
of God minister who converted to the Catholic faith - has an entire lecture on
that one word. The Greek word for "Hail" is "chaire" and in Latin "ave." You
may have seen movies where a gladiator salutes the emporer, "Ave, Caesar!"
Hail, Caesar! The greeting indicates an exalted status. During the Passion, the
soldiers used the word in a mocking way, "Hail, King of the Jews!" The Angel,
of course, was completely serious when he greeted Mary, "Hail!" If a might
angel can say, "Hail," to that humble daughter of Israel, what about us?
So we say, "Hail, Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee." That is the
angel's greeting. Then we add the words of Elizabeth. St. Luke notes that she
was filled with the Holy Spirit when she said, "Blessed are you among women and
blessed is the fruit of your womb."
The "Hail, Mary" is a beautiful biblical prayer. It should not surprise us that
many Evangelicals are rediscovering this prayer. I have Lutheran friends who
join right in on the Hail, Mary. And I understand that some Protestants are
using the rosary in their prayer.
And what about us? With Christmas so near, this Sunday we focus on the Blessed
Virgin Mary. We see her singular role as the Mother of Jesus and we also
recognize she has a role in our lives. For that reason we pray the Hail Mary.
It is a biblical prayer that combines the greetings of the Angel Gabriel and
St. Elizabeth.
Hail, Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
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General Intercessions for Fourth Sunday of Advent, Cycle C (from Priests for
Life)
Spanish Version
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http://www.agreeley.com/homilies.html
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December 20th, 2009 A.D.
4th Sunday in Advent Luke 1/39-45
December Homilies: 6th | 13th | 20th | 27th
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
rest and 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 eggnog, 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, if you 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 ups object 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 if you 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.
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http://www.saintvincentarchabbey.org/homilies/index.lasso
4 Advent
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Dec, 20, 2009
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.
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 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. 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.
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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 of Advent
Micah 5: 1-4a; Psalm 80: 2-3, 15-16,.18-19; Hebrews 10: 5-10; St. Luke 1. 39-45
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Our Advent meditations devolve in great part around our Lady, she who all
generations have called "blessed," she who does not "know man" because of her
vow of perpetual virginity, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Why, many today ask, does
she take such a great role in the life of the Church? Should not Christ alone,
"in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge", suffice?
The Church honors Mary in obedience to her Lord Jesus Christ. Christ can truly
be Lord only for those who keep all of his commands, who proclaim all of his
Gospel in all of its parts. Our Lord has entrusted his Body, the Church, to
Mary as Mother when from the Cross, with his dying words he said, "Behold your
Mother."
By God's will and plan our Lady fulfilled a unique and irreplaceable role in
our salvation, all beginning with the words of the Gospel: "Fiat voluntas tua,
thy will be done". For Our Lady's perfect obedience to the Father she is the
first and most perfect disciple.
Elizabeth is the first to proclaim with authentic devotion and love our Lady's
greatest title, "mother of my Lord". Mary is Mother of God.
Called in the Gospels "the mother of Jesus," Mary is acclaimed by Elizabeth, at
the prompting of the Spirit and even before the birth of her son, as "the
mother of my Lord." (Lk 1:43; Jn 2:1; 19:25; cf. Mt 13:55.) In fact, the One
whom she conceived as man by the Holy Spirit, who truly became her Son
according to the flesh, was none other than the Father's eternal Son, the
second person of the Holy Trinity. Hence the Church confesses that Mary is
truly "Mother of God" (Theotokos). (Council of Ephesus (431); DS 251.) (CCC
495)
Saint Bede comments that Elizabeth blesses Mary using the same words as the
archangel "to show that she should be honoured by angels and by men and why she
should indeed be revered above all other women" (In Lucae Evangelium expositio,
in loc.)
Her divine Motherhood gives our Lady an intimate and irreplaceable role in our
spiritual lives and our salvation. As we pray the scriptural Hail Mary we
proclaim again these divine greetings, "rejoicing with Mary at her dignity as
Mother of God and praising the Lord, thanking him for having given us Jesus
Christ through Mary" (Pope St. Pius X, Catechism of Christian Doctrine, 333).
"With her generous 'fiat' (Mary) became through the working of the Spirit the
Mother of God, but also the mother of the living, and, by receiving into her
womb the one Mediator, she became the true Ark of the Covenant and true Temple
of God." (Pope Paul VI, Marialis cultus, 6.)
This union of the Mother with the Son in the work of salvation is made manifest
from the time of Christ's virginal conception up to his death; first when Mary,
arising in haste to go to visit Elizabeth, is greeted by her as blessed because
of her belief in the promise of salvation and the Precursor leaps with joy in
the womb of his mother...The Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith
and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross, where she
stood (cf. Jn 19:25), in keeping with the divine plan, enduring with her
only-begotten Son the intensity of his suffering, associating herself with his
sacrifice in her mother's heart, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of
this victim which was born of her. (Second Vatican Council, Lumen gentium,
57f).
Let's pray for each other until, next week, we "meet Christ in the liturgy",
Father Cusick
(See also nos. 148, 448, 495, 523, 717, 2676, 2677 in the CCC.)
Meeting Christ in the Liturgy
(Publish with permission.)
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http://www.ctk-thornbury.org.uk/
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Sermon by Father Alex McAllister SDSIndex
Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year C
We are now in the final phase of the Advent season, the immediate preparation
for the feast of Christmas.
In the Gospel reading we are presented with the account of the visit of Mary to
Elizabeth. Superficially there is no significant action, Mary simply visits her
cousin and then goes home. What Luke gives us is the conversation between the
two women and this is very revealing.
Mary is pregnant with Jesus and Elizabeth is pregnant, though further on in her
pregnancy, with John the Baptist. Both have experienced an annunciation and a
miraculous conception: Mary while remaining a virgin and Elizabeth when she was
already past childbearing age.
God's decisive intervention in the history of the world is now well underway
and the two women seem to be well aware of this and fully realise that they are
strategic players in this great cosmic drama.
As soon as Mary comes into view the child leapt in Elizabeth's womb. This is a
strange word leapt or jumped. A baby moves in the womb, this we know, but to
leap is most extraordinary. Elizabeth actually tells Mary that the child within
her leapt with joy.
We are being told that the two children, even though enclosed in their
respective mother's wombs recognised each other. And John the Baptist whose
eventual role was to identify and proclaim the coming of the Messiah is already
doing this even though he is not yet born into the world. It is as if his whole
existence is about this recognition.
So although the account is ostensibly about the meeting of two mothers it is
really about the meeting of two unborn children.
Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, echoes this recognition by greeting
Mary as 'the Mother of my Lord'. She recognises the importance of the event and
expresses her joy and humility in being involved in the unfolding of God's plan
by saying, 'Why am I so favoured.'
The acknowledgement by Elizabeth of the importance of Mary and her role comes
out in her exclamation, 'Blessed are you among women'.
Many other Christians wonder why we Catholics honour Mary and give her so much
devotion and proclaim her blessed status-well, in this, we are only following
in the steps of Elizabeth. Her words are validated by the fact that they were
uttered under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
If Elizabeth expresses her honour and respect towards Mary at such a vital
moment then we can safely follow her and ought to hold Mary in equally high
regard.
The tone, of course, of the whole passage is one of joy. The prophecy made by
the angel concerning the birth of John the Baptist comes true, 'He will be your
joy and delight and many will rejoice at his birth'.
The angel also predicted, 'Even from his mother's womb he will be filled with
the Holy Spirit'. This prophetic recognition by John of the Messiah even while
in the womb is therefore under the direct inspiration of God and has been
foretold by his messenger.
This is an important passage in Luke's Gospel and worthy of deep study. We call
the collection of stories concerning the birth and early years of Jesus in the
Gospels of Matthew and Luke the Infancy Narratives. And many scholars regard
them as Gospels in miniature.
Here we can see a good example of this. An important part of the main Gospel is
taken up with the role of John the Baptist, his preaching and his task of
preparing a way for the Lord and eventually the sending of his disciples to
Jesus.
These events are all prefigured here in this in the account of John leaping
within his mother's womb in recognition of the Messiah.
As we have said the basic tone of this text is one of rejoicing. This rejoicing
comes about because Elizabeth and Mary realise that the events so long foretold
are now coming to pass. The Messiah has arrived and is entering the world. They
are rejoicing also because they realise that they are personally involved in
these events.
This basic tone of joy should not simply pervade this scriptural text it ought
to pervade the lives of all Christians. In our case it should permeate our
lives even more than that of Elizabeth and Mary because while they were there
at the beginning we have seen the fulfilment of all that was promised.
We have witnessed, albeit at a distance, the working out of that great drama of
the salvation of the world. They were involved in the beginning but we have
seen the end of the story. We know that it was concluded successfully and
indeed gloriously.
So our fundamental attitude is one of deep joy and satisfaction that God has
achieved his purpose and that the salvation of humanity was brought about
through the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is Good News
and we rejoice in it.
We might not be like the England rugby supporters in Trafalgar Square revelling
in a great victory, but we would have every right to be.
Our tendency is to be much more discreet about our rejoicing, especially since
we have a whole lifetime of it. If we carried on like those rugby supporters
for the whole of our lives we would be utterly exhausted and everyone else
would be sick of us!
But one has to say that some of us Christians keep this joy so discreet and so
well hidden that you would wonder if they knew there was any Good News at all!
Advent has been a sober season; we have been doing a bit of spiritual
spring-cleaning. Many of us have already taken advantage of the Sacrament of
Reconciliation. If we haven't then there is still time and there will be extra
time for confessions on Christmas Eve.
But in the last week the tone of Advent has changed, it has stepped up a gear;
now is the time to express some of this joy, time to be a bit less sober.
I heard on the radio someone saying that more alcohol will be consumed next
week that at any other time of the year. Fair enough, you might say, at a feast
the wine should flow. And I certainly wouldn't disagree!
But this is not the kind of rejoicing we are talking about. Our Christian joy
stems from our realisation that good has won the victory over evil; that Christ
has rescued us from the jaws of death and that he raises us to a truly
fulfilling life.
The values of Christ are love, goodness, truth, justice, hope, fidelity,
service and holiness and these are the qualities that ought to characterise our
Christian life.
Our joy is not that of an empty vessel making a lot of noise, but a deep,
abiding, satisfying happiness and contentment in the knowledge that the victory
has been won.
Yes, there is still plenty for us to do and many tribulations that we must yet
endure. But the knowledge and the joy that we possess keeps us faithful and
true to Christ throughout our lives and in the life to come.
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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 |
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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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