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HOMILIES ARCHIVE
HOMILIES
Dear Audience,For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!
Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year A)
359
3
0First Reading
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (7:10-14)
The Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying: Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God; let it be deep as the netherworld, or high as the sky! But Ahaz answered, "I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!" Then Isaiah said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary people, must you also weary my God? Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.
(P) The word of the Lord.(R) Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalms of David (24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6)
(R) Let the Lord enter; He is the king of glory.
The Lord's are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it. For He founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. (R)
Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord? or who may stand in His holy place? One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain. (R)
He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, a reward from God his savior. Such is the race that seeks for Him, that seeks the face of the God of Jacob. (R)
Second Reading
A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans (1:1-7)
Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised previously through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, the gospel about His Son, descended from David according to the flesh, but established as Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him we have received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles, among whom you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ; to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
(P) The word of the Lord.(R) Thanks be to God.
Gospel
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (1:18-24)
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means "God is with us." When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.
(P) The Gospel of the Lord.(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Homily
A girl, who regretted breaking off the engagement with her boyfriend,
wrote the following letter:
Dear Tom,
No words could ever express the great unhappiness I've felt since we broke up and
called off our engagement. I wish you could forgive me and take me back. I promise
no one will ever take your place in my heart. I love you so much.
Yours forever,
Marie
Then she added a postscript (PS): And congratulations on winning the lottery.
Our love for God and for one another may change according to our emotions and circumstances. But God's love for us does not change. The Bible tells us that "God is love", 1 John (4:8), and He loves us with an eternal, undying, permanent love Jeremiah (31:3) and Isaiah (63:9). Nothing can separate us from His love, Romans (8:39). That is to say that nothing we say or do changes God's love for us. God loves us regardless of our actions. He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken. In fact, God does not love any less or any more than He did when He first gave us life. Unlike our love, God's love is free and overflowing. His love is so immense that from the beginning of creation, He promised to send a mighty individual who would come to restore everything, Genesis (3:15). Then, over and over, God repeated His promise through His servants, the prophets, for thousands of years.
During the Advent season, we hear a series of prophecies from the prophet Isaiah, concerning the fulfilment of this promise, and today we hear another one, Isaiah (7:10-14). This prophecy came about 700 years before Jesus, when the Assyrian empire, which was centered in Nineveh, Iraq and encompassed parts of modern Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, was a great threat to the surrounding kingdoms because of its strong military power. Fearing the invasion of Assyria, Pekah, the king of Israel at that time, sought for alliance with the king Razin of Aram (which was located roughly where modern-day Syria is) and as well as the king Ahaz of Judah, to join forces against Assyria. But knowing the cruelty and military might of the Assyrians, Ahaz refused to join the coalition. This made the two kings - Pekah and Razin - angry, and they threatened to dethrone Ahaz and install a new king who would support their cause.
Gripped with fear, Ahaz surrendered the valuable treasures of the Temple and the palace to the Assyrian king as tribute to secure his own protection, 2 Kings (16). Moreover, the alliance led Judah into increased idolatry, as Ahaz introduced foreign religious practices and even offered his own son as a sacrifice to an Assyrian god. It was in the midst of his fear and decision to seal the alliance with the Assyrians that God sent Isaiah to say to Ahaz that he should put his faith in the Lord instead of making political alliances, and the Lord would defend and protect him and his people from his enemies and, that he could even ask God for a sign to prove that God's promises are true. But Ahaz refused to listen to the prophet and to ask for a sign from the Lord. Because having committed himself to the king of Assyria, he was afraid that any breach of such contract would turn out against him. That is, Ahaz was unwilling to trust God, not even enough to ask for a sign. However, the Lord Himself gave him a sign by saying, "The virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him "Emmanuel" which means "God with us", Isaiah (7:10-14)
Some argue that this prophecy was fulfilled in Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, who undid the damage his father had done by trusting in the Lord God of Israel and turning the people back to Him and as well as bringing political stability. But we Christians believe that this prophecy was perfectly and concretely fulfilled many centuries later only in the person of Jesus Christ about which Matthew mentions in today's gospel, Matthew (1:18-25).
Like Ahaz, 700 years later, Joseph, who was also a descendant of David, found himself in a moment of fear and uncertainty. However, in sharp contrast to Ahaz's lack of trust, Joseph, the husband of Mary, responded in faith to the message from God's angel regarding Jesus' birth. We don't know how Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant. Matthew simply states that Mary was found, not just to be pregnant or to be pregnant by Joseph or an unknown man, but by the Holy Spirit. It was likely that Mary herself had told him about it and yet Joseph didn't understand how this happened. Back then, the punishment for conceiving a child out of wedlock was death by stoning. However, being a just man, Joseph wanted to do the right thing.
After having considered the distressing circumstances for Mary and as well as for the Child, Joseph made up his mind to divorce her quietly but changed his plan after the angel told him in a dream that the child was from the Holy Spirit and that he would be called "Jesus" meaning "God saves" since He would save His people from their sins. It was here, Matthew recalled Isaiah's prophecy, affirming that the ultimate fulfilment of God's promise was found in Mary's Son.
Matthew ended the narrative saying that Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel had directed him and accepted Mary as his wife without hesitation. Thus, Joseph demonstrated remarkable faith in obeying God's command through the angel. He said "Yes" to God's love by trusting in His plan.
What is the message for us today?
One of the attributes of God is "immutability." That is, God does not change in anyway. He doesn't change His nature, His character, His plans, His purposes, His promises, and His gifts. He is unchanging and for that reason perfect in every way. The prophet Malachi proclaims the Lord saying, "For I am the Lord, I change not", Malachi (3:6). The writer to the Letter to the Hebrews declares that God is the same always and never ever changes. He is always good, always loving, always all-powerful. No matter how this world changes around us, we can trust that God is consistent. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, Hebrews (13:8).
Today, along with the candle of hope, the candle of peace, and the candle of joy, we have lit the fourth candle of the Advent wreath, called the Candle of love, as the reminder of God's love for us. God's love is so great for us that He sent His Son to be Emmanuel, which means "God with us." "God with us" is God's name, God's promise and God's gift to us. Therefore, nothing is difficult for Emmanuel, who is with us always. Fear is something we all face regardless of who we are. We fear criticism, rejection, failure, humiliation, illness, aging, separation, and above all, we fear the unknown and death. But today we are reminded that we don't have to live in fear, think in fear, or react in fear. The story of Ahaz teaches us what we should not do when we are plagued by worries, fears, and anxious thoughts. We should not rely on our own strength and resources or those of others. We should not forget that God who has always been there for us will come to save us and empower us. Instead, we must consult God and trust Him to guide us.
Our God loves us and accepts us just the way we are, but He refuses to leave us there. He understands our fears, anxieties and struggles and He wants to save us just as He did with Ahaz, Joseph and others. Therefore, when facing challenges, like Joseph, we should respond to fear with faith, courage, and trust in our sovereign God. The more we trust in God's power, the less we fear. And at the same time, as a true Christian we should consecrate our will to God, especially when the situation is contrary to our will, we should still find meaning in the will of God, believing that "Emmanuel" who was with Joseph and Ahaz - is also with us in all circumstances of our life.
(P) Amen.God Bless You!
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