Gospel Lk 1:26-38
The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. “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, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “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. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
Homily
I have a friend who every morning sits in the quiet of the pre-dawn in her garden to meditate. I asked her once why not in the chapel before the Blessed Sacrament. Her answer to me was that her garden was her chapel and that God was present in the beauty of the flowers and the delicate smells and sounds which surrounded her. I suppose the question of the presence or absence of God has always intrigued human beings and religiously minded people would like to think that they have captured God and that they know where God is and where God resides. For people of faith however the question is not about where God resides, it is about God’s presence to us.
In the first reading of this fourth Sunday of Advent from the second book of Samuel, we see David agonizing about the lack of a secure dwelling for God. We read, “When King David was settled in his palace, and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies on every side,
he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God dwells in a tent!” God however through the prophet Nathan lets David know that God has no need of a house and that he, David, is not the one to build a house for the Lord. God in fact chooses where to dwell and who will build his dwelling place.
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In the Gospel reading, even though the temple of the Lord existed, God chose where God wished to dwell and therefore sent the Angel Gabriel to the one God had chosen. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. “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, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Why was Mary, this young girl from Nazareth chosen? What were the criteria which regulated God’s choice of Mary? The answer seems to be very simple. It was Mary’s virginal faith. Virginal faith is patient and trusting. It lets the unknown unfold in its own time and way. It does not place conditions and it accepts the pain of not being consummated rather than jump the gun in expectation of an outcome. Mary’s response; “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” is all of the above and it is that response which today tells us where God is present. Yes Christ is present in tabernacles all over the world but God lives in human hearts, which are akin to the heart of Mary; in hearts which echo Mary’s Fiat.
From these two women who in their virginal faith said yes to God, and in whom God was present came forth the two greatest individuals, who would change the course of history.
If we wish the course of history to be changed we too must let God be present in us through our faith which says “Yes” to God. In this time of great barrenness, the word of God is also addressed to us his faithful people. Are you willing to be Christophers, ie. Christ bearers bringing Christ to all situations, be they family or work related, national or otherwise? For this reason St. John Paul II in his inaugural homily asked the world to open the doors of their hearts, their political and economic systems to Christ so that Christ, the Light of the World to inform and transform them. Similarly today God asks each one of us to bring light to the world so that the world may be saved. We will only do that however in the measure that God dwells within us. Today we need many with the faith of Mary and Elizabeth so that the light which will conquer this prevailing darkness appears. One Teresa of Calcutta is not enough. We need many like her. One pope Francis is not enough. We need many like him. Today, like in the time of Mary and Elizabeth, God asks us to be Christ bearers. May we have the faith of these two great women so that like them we can say “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then we will be the dwelling place of God.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, Many of us hear your call but we are afraid. We are afraid of failure and rejection, we are afraid that the voice we hear is of our own imagining. May your angel tell us not to be afraid and reassure us. Give us the grace to make ourselves available so that the salvation you want to give to the world may indeed appear. We ask this through the intercession of Mary our mother, who said “Yes”, and Jesus, the fruit of that “Yes”. Amen
