Fourth Sunday in Advent December
21, 2014
2
Samuel 7:1-5,8-11,16 Psalm 89 Romans 16:25-27 Luke 1:26-38
The revelation of the mystery
It’s the 4th Sunday of Advent already. Our Advent preparation for the celebration of
Jesus’ birth is nearly complete – and it seems that the days have flown
by. We are almost there. Next Wednesday our Christmas eve liturgies
begin and once again we celebrate the birth of Jesus.
The Old Testament readings – our first reading from the book
of Samuel, and then Psalm 89, as well as St. Paul in his letter to the Romans,
point to Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. St. Paul stated it this way “according to the
revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages but now manifested through
the prophetic writings...”
For those of you who love studying the Bible, it really is
amazing to begin to see the extent to which Jesus and the Church are a
marvelous fulfillment of what was promised by God through the prophets. All of this revelation reaches its fullness
in the person of Jesus. And Jesus brings
it all to fulfillment within His Church.
For the one who was born in time 2000 years ago still fulfills the
promise today. This was the mystery that
was kept secret for long ages, which we can now see.
And the one who we proclaim as Lord and whose birth we
celebrate in just a few short days will indeed come again. This is another mystery of his coming into the
world. And his second coming draws ever
closer. Will we see it? Will we be spiritually awake for his coming?
Our Advent of waiting for Christmas – just a few days left
to complete – reminds us that we continue in an Advent of more cosmic
proportions – waiting in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ
at the end of this present age.
We can say with greater certainty now that we are living in
a time of the New Advent. There is a new
waiting for the coming of the Savior, just as there was an Old Advent prior to
his birth. Mary, the mother of the first
Advent, is the one who shows us the way during our time of the New Advent. The story of the Annunciation gives us a
pattern to follow in the tumultuous days that lie ahead of us.
1. Prayer.
When the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and greeted her with those
amazing lines “Hail, full of grace! The
Lord is with you” her first reaction was to ponder. In other words, she prayerfully considered
things. This is contemplation. In other places in the gospel we hear about
how Mary pondered these things in her heart.
Our world is full of noise and distraction – so much so that it is any
wonder if any of us has the awareness to recognize the action of God in our
time. But contemplation – prayerful
consideration of the events in our lives and the events in the world, helps us
to unveil the mystery. Setting aside
that time of prayerful quiet and reflection gives space in our lives for the
Lord to reveal his presence to us. Mary
is the model of contemplative prayer, even as a teenage girl. And so let all of us, young and old, make
time and space in our days for contemplative prayer.
2. Obedience. The Obedience of Mary to the word of God is
marvelous. It is easy to imagine her
listening so carefully to the word of the angel, considering the implications
of what was being asked of her. We can
be sure that she was not ignorant of the risks of saying yes to a pregnancy
that did not involve her fiancé Joseph.
She knew right away the possible risks.
But her careful listening to the Word of God, and her absolute trust in
the God who loved her, made it possible for Mary to say “yes” to what God asked
of her. In the same way, our careful
listening to the Word of God, and our practice of trust, leads us to give a
deeper “yes” to God’s call to us. Mary
is the model of obedience. And so let us
all, young and old, arrange our lives so that each moment becomes a “yes” to
God’s will for us.
3. Service.
After the angel departed, Mary left immediately to go to her cousin
Elizabeth. In saying “yes” to God’s will
for her, she had the power to take the next right step. And what a marvelous next right step this was
for Mary – going to her cousin Elizabeth, rejoicing with her in what God was
doing with them, and helping one another.
So it is with us. When we
prayerfully consider what God is doing in our midst, we can more easily say yes
to the will of God for us. And saying
yes leads us to take the next right step – to offer ourselves in loving service.
Prayer, obedience, and service - all of this comes from a
heart full of love. This is the simple way
that Mary shows us. This is the way of Mary
– who leads us as a loving mother to the greatest unfolding of the mystery –
the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
His revelation in time 2000 years
ago.
His revelation of salvation for us
today.
His revelation when he comes again
in glory.
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