FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
17 DECEMBER 2023
King
David has been very successful. After
years of fighting, he has finally attained peace. So, he consults with his prophet, Nathan
about building a proper temple for the Lord.
He enjoys living in a house of cedar, while the Ark of the Covenant
dwells in a tent. At first, Nathan
agrees with him. However, after consulting
the Lord, Nathan comes back to say that God has greater plans for David. Nathan reminds the king that all of his
successes are not his alone. They are
due to the Lord working through him. His
son, Solomon, will build the physical temple.
God will raise up an heir from his house and make his throne will stand
firm forever. God promises to be a
father to this heir. David’s house and
his kingdom shall endure forever.
This is the
last of the Old Testament Covenants in our church’s main aisle. In the center of the mosaic, there is an
image of the Ark of the Covenant, carried by David’s ancestors as they
journeyed in the Desert of Sinai from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the
Promised Land. The Ark of the Covenant
contains the tablets given to Moses at Mount Sinai. Above the Ark is David’s crown. Like all of the Covenants in our center
aisle, this final Covenant represents God’s loving promise and commitment that
will never be revoked.
Saint Luke
clearly sees this promise and Covenant fulfilled in the birth announcement to a
young Jewish woman in the remote small town of Nazareth. This birth announcement follows the pattern
of former birth announcements in the Old Testament. The Angel appears and greets Mary with the
words, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is
with you”. Mary expresses her fear at
the sudden and unexpected visit from one of the Lord’s messengers. Then Gabriel gives her the message. She is to conceive and bear a son whom she
will name “Jesus”. He will be great and
will be called Son of the Most High.”
Mary then raises an objection.
She has never been married and has had no relations with a man. The angel assures her that the Holy Spirit
will overshadow her and gives her a sign.
Her elderly cousin, Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah, have conceived
a child in their old age and are now in the sixth month of their pregnancy.
Mary trusts
Gabriel’s word that nothing will be impossible for God. Even though Mary has no idea what will be
involved, she freely agrees and calls herself the handmaid of the Lord. She opens herself to God’s word and never
turns back. Through the overshadowing of
the Holy Spirit, Mary becomes the living Ark of the Covenant. There are no words written on stone tablets
in her womb. Instead, she bears the
living Word of God who will change the entire history of the world.
Mary could
have said no to the Lord’s request, as Eve had done at the beginning of
time. Instead, she trusts whatever God
has in mind. She would continue to trust
the message of the Angel throughout her entire life. She may have suffered much. But she never wavered, whether as an
immigrant in Egypt or standing on a hill of execution watching her son die a
terrible death.
Because
Mary trusted that the promise made to
David would be fulfilled in her, we will celebrate the Mystery of the
Incarnation tomorrow and Monday at all the Christmas Masses. Mary teaches us how to enter into the
Christmas Masses. Like her, we trust that
nothing will be impossible for God. We
trust that our celebration of this incredible mystery has the power to change
us. We trust that the Lord will be
present to us, not matter what may happen with our families at Christmas and
into the New Year.
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