Homily for 4th Sunday of Advent, 2009

My sisters & brothers let us follow the example of our ancestors in faith and diligently serve the Lord.

From the prophet Micah we heard another proclamation of the coming of the Messiah! Micah wrote at a time when the Assyrian army had invaded the kingdom of Israel, and when corruption was rife in Judah. The rich cheated and robbed the poor; priests and prophets adapted their words to suit their audiences. In 701 BC, Jerusalem was besieged and Judah also became a vassal state of Assyria. In this context the prophet tells us that a time will come when a ruler will arise from the Ephrathah clan of the tribe of Judah (Ephrathah being the area round Bethlehem); he will “rule in Israel” and will be of ancient lineage. David being from Bethlehem, people understood the lineage to be his. By the time of Jesus, it was understood that this figure was the Messiah, the ideal future king, who would bring misery to an end and usher in God’s glorious kingdom.

In our Hebrews reading, we hear that Christ came to abolish the old order (Old Covenant) and to establish a new order. Quoting Psalm 40, the author explains that God prefers obedience to sacrifices: doing God’s will is what counts. He lists the four types of sacrifice offered in the Temple, according to Mosaic “law.” Jesus, he says, came to do away with “the first” (the sacrificial system) and to inaugurate “the second” (the self-offering of Jesus himself). It is “by God’s will,” carried out through Christ, that we have been “sanctified.”

Finally, from Luke we glimpse Mary visiting Elizabeth, They recognizing the hand of God working in each other’s lives.

Earlier, an angel has appeared to Zechariah in the Temple, and later Mary. Zechariah has been told that his wife Elizabeth will bear a child in her old age; Mary has heard that she will bear a son to be called Jesus and “Son of the Most High God.” God will make him a king of David’s line; he will rule Israel for ever.

Now Mary visits her “relative” Elizabeth. In telling us that “the child leaped” in Elizabeth’s womb, Luke intends us to understand that John recognizes his Lord. Elizabeth’s reaction, empowered by the Holy Spirit, is to praise Mary.

Both of these great women, Mary and Elizabeth, are a powerful example of accepting one’s calling from God and carrying that out with love and diligence; being a collaborator with God. Mary in particular became a larger than life figure that many generations of Christians have looked to with awe. Irenaeus called her the New Eve, Mother of a new order in God’s plan. Council of Ephesus (431) declared her Theotokos, Mother of God. This is a reflection of her role in bringing the union of God and humanity that we believe took place in Jesus: that he is fully human and fully Divine.

But, we must ask ourselves, what does it mean to be one of God’s collaborators; to give of our lives to help bring about the blessed plans of our Creator? For Mary it was an unusual pregnancy and the raising of an unusual child. For Elizabeth, it was similar. What does it mean for you, in 2010, in Sierra Vista?