Dec. 20, 2020: 4th Sunday B
Dec. 20, 2020: 4th Sunday B
A little more than a week ago in Assisi, Italy, all the lights surrounding the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi were turned off. The basilica, which is the centerpiece of the small town on a hill, went completely dark so that a video version of the nativity scene could be shone on the front facade of the basilica. It was a dramatic metaphor for this strange year; a year of darkness, doubt, and anxiety suddenly lit brightly by the birth of the Christ Child. A priest coordinating this video nativity project said, “In this year so marked by suffering in the pandemic … we immerse ourselves in this nativity and [Christ] immerses himself in our humanity. He is present, He is among us, He keeps us company and makes himself a companion in our difficulties and sufferings. It is the Christmas message of all time, and today even more evident.”
On the Fourth Sunday of Advent, the Church invites us to ponder how the Son of God was sent among us through the Annunciation of Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Mother. Throughout history, the people of Israel longed for the presence of God in their midst. We heard in the First Reading that King David longed to build a worthy house for God to dwell in. God instead tells David that he himself will establish a throne and set an heir from David whose kingdom will be everlasting. This promise was fulfilled when God sent Archangel Gabriel to a young Jewish girl named Mary living in Nazareth. The Archangel revealed to her that it was God’s will that she become the mother of his only begotten Son. “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you… Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father…” (Lk 1:26-38)
Mary listened to the words of the Archangel with wonder and awe, not with doubt or suspicion. Her love for God prompted her to respond with a resounding, ‘yes’: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Lk 1:38) We may wonder if she had doubts or if she thought through the risks and consequences. Yet, her heart was prepared throughout her whole life by praying, meditating on scripture, and living God’s commandments. Like the whole of Israel, she was waiting and longing for the Messiah to come. Mary heard the message of the angel and trusted that she was being called to be the Mother of the Messiah. She believed that God was asking this of her and she entrusted herself to God totally without reservation. With her ‘yes’ the Son of God took flesh and dwelled in Blessed Mother’s womb for the first nine months of his human life. In her God found the fitting house for His Beloved Son.
The events of Annunciation and the Birth of Christ are not past events without connection to our lives today. The divine plan to send the Son of God to earth was fulfilled with human cooperation of Blessed Mother. As incredible as it sounds, God also sends us daily our guardian angels to reveal to us the divine plan for our day. Sometimes our lack of prayer life, stress, fear, or anxiety keeps us responding to the promptings of our guardian angel.
Recently, I concelebrated a funeral of a 104 year old lady whose home was always called Angel’s Haven because she collected over a thousand angel figurines of all types and sizes. She was affectionately called by her family as “The Head Angel.” When a family or friend visited her, the visitor always felt like the most important person; she listened with a beautiful smile, with great patience and understanding. One left her presence encouraged and inspired. I have known her since my ordination to priesthood. For 12 years since my ordination, she sent me a kind personal note of appreciation and encouragement on my birthday, Easter, ordination day, and Christmas. Her faith in Jesus was so evident by the way she strived to do little things for others with great love.
We must remember that we too have a role in bearing Christ to others through our daily cooperation with the Holy Spirit. How do we announce to others the Good News of Jesus Christ? How do we help others prepare to receive Our Lord? It’s not too late to send someone in our lives a Christmas card or email, or spend a few minutes by phone, spreading encouragement and love. The coming celebration of Christmas is a time when Jesus longs to give himself as a gift to us. What will we bring him as a gift of gratitude? A classic Christmas carol, “In the Bleak Midwinter” offers us this gift idea:
What can I give Him, Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man I would do my part,
Yet what can I give Him, Give my heart.
