Readings: 2 Sam 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16; Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38
‘May It Be Done to Me According to Your Word’
1. Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent. Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Christ, begins with the vigil this evening. Christmas is the celebration of the love of God the Father for humanity. God so loved the world that he sent his only Son not to condemn the world but so that the world might be saved through him. For God’s will to be done on earth, he needed the cooperation of human beings. The Blessed Virgin Mary was chosen and given the singular honor and privilege of being the mother of Jesus. “I am the handmaid of the Lord,” was Mary’s response. Yes, “Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, sister, and mother.” (Matt. 12:50).
2. In the first reading, David demonstrated his willingness to build a house for the Lord. He wanted the Ark of the Covenant to be in a temple where God would dwell. According to Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, “This passage attempts to explain why the Jerusalem Temple was not built by King David but by his Son Solomon. More importantly, it communicates how God takes the initiative to encounter humanity – not principally using a shrine, but in a person, David’s heir. Chosen by God, kings in the Davidic succession were to occupy the throne in Israel forever (“Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me”).
3. Christmas is the celebration of God dwelling among us. “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom, there will be no end.” Mary, not understand what that meant asked: “How can this be since I have no relations with a man?” The Angel’s explanation was simple yet complicated, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.”
4. The word “overshadow” was used in Exodus 40:34 to indicate the presence of God as He filled the Ark of the Covenant. In the Gospel reading, Luke compared Mary’s body to the tent in which the Ark was kept. He compared Mary’s womb, where Jesus will be housed, to the Ark, in which the tablets of the Ten Commandments were housed. Thus, when God’s power overshadows Mary, The Lord’s presence fills her. The Lord’s presence in Mary is the flesh-and-blood presence of Jesus at his incarnation. And all Mary could say was, “I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your Word.” When Mary said ‘Yes’ to God, the impossible became possible. A virgin was with child, and an old lady who was barren was pregnant, and the liberation of God’s people was begun.
5. Sometimes, we have great plans for ourselves, our family, and our friends, but God’s plans for us must scrutinize those plans. David planned to build a house for the Lord. To Solomon, he said: “My son, my heart was set on building a house for the name of Yahweh, my God.” (1 Chronicles 22:7). But God said no, it is Solomon who will build a house for me. Mary was betrothed to Joseph to be married and raise a family as his wife. But then the visit of an angel changed all that, and she became the mother of the Son of God instead. So, friends, when you plan, always subject your plans to God’s will and say, let your will be done, not mine. “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways,” says the Lord. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts” (Is. 55:8).
6. Christmas is about God making his home with us, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” It is about hospitality, generosity, kindness, and availability. We humbly give of ourselves to God, like Mary, our mother, and so reciprocate God’s self-giving and selflessness to us. When we say yes to God, we let go of ourselves and become like clay in the hands of the potter. (Jeremiah 18:5-6). We must allow God to turn us into worthy instruments for his glory. We should be available to God and say ‘Yes’ to him because we do not know the day or the hour. We make ourselves available to others in service and love by saying yes to God. After saying yes to God, Mary went to assist her elderly cousin when she heard that she was with a child. Because Mary’s child was holy, the Son of God, by doing God’s will, we too will begin to do religious things, for Emmanuel is with us. We will start to do the impossible things, and our lives will reflect God the Most High. “Would that you might meet us doing right, that we were mindful of you in our ways!” (Is.64:4). Amen
Rev. Augustine
Etemma Inwang, MSP
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