Homily for Fourth Sunday Advent Year C:
Fr. Michael Ufok Udoekpo
·
Micah 5:1-4a;
·
Ps 80:2-3, 15-19;
·
Heb 10:5-10
·
Luke 1:39-45
Mary of Advent, Mother of the Gift of Christ
at Christmas!
In this Last Week of Advent as Christmas draws
near, besides the roles of Israel’s prophets and John the Baptists, Mary is
another important figure that we want to imitate or pay closer attention to.
She is the one spoken about by the prophets. She is the humble mother of Christ
our Savior, Our Gift, an effective high
priest and sacrifice (Heb 10:5-10) - born for us at Christmas.
Prophet Micah of Moreshet founded on ancient
promise and covenant of hopes, joined a team of other prophets, Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Baruch, Zephaniah and spoke about the birth of “she who will give
birth” to Christ, the shepherd of the flocks of Israel and the source of shalom
(peace), our well-being and prosperity.
The would be mother of Christ stands out in
the Gospel infancy narratives as well. In it She fulfilled what had been
promised. Mary, a young humble Semitic woman received and believed the
message from Gabriel, God’s angel. Afterwards she sets out to visit her cousin
Elizabeth, an elderly woman, who was once barren, but now pregnant with John
the Baptist. John leaped in his mother’s womb and recognized Christ, when Mary
greeted Elizabeth. And Elizabeth, an older woman to Mary, once barren, filled
with the Holy Spirit saluted Mary, a younger woman, and said,
“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is
the fruit of your womb” how does this happened to me that the mother of my Lord
should come to me.”?
With God everything is possible. A virgin will
now give birth to a son. An older man now barren is able to give birth to a son
as well. In all these we also see the mystery of Advent! The mystery of John
leaping in Elizabeth’s womb; the mystery of the superiority of Christ over John
the Baptist! It is the mystery of Elizabeth recognizing Mary as the mother of
our Lord and Savior. She is the mother of Christ the great, perfect and
superior high priest and sacrifice described also into today’s second reading,
the Letter to the Hebrews.
In fact unlike the Old Testament, Levitical
sacrifice offered according to the law of Moses (PS 40) Christ's vocation which
will take him to his ultimate sacrifice on the cross is superior and perfect.
It is not just on our behalf but it is once and for all. It abolishes
all old animal sacrifices. Most importantly, it was offered by Christ with the
spirit of total abandonment and obedience response to God his father, “Behold I
come to do your will.”
Not far from Mary her mother’s response to the
message of the angel, “behold I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me
according to your will (Luke 1:38). So like mother, like son. Christ and Mary
knew how to say to God, “behold I come to do you will."
What
about us? Advent is time we want to imitate Mary and say to Christ at
Christmas, Jesus be born in my heart, in my home and in my neighbor’s home.
Christ be born in my office and work place. Take care of my health, my desire,
occupation and my studies, and do with me always, whatever you want. And may it
be done to me according to your word; your will and not my will!!
It is a
time we want to prepare to share the gift of Christ with others, at Christmas.
It is a time we want to give birth to peace, hope, love, forgiveness, and joy
at Christmas. Of course this requires, faith, love and great humility like that
of Mary, the mother of Christ.
Reflection Questions:
- 1. Drawn from the Lessons of a Virgin and a barren Elizabeth, now mothers, do you believe that with God everything is possible, and teach others to do so?
- 2. Christ will come to us as a Gift at Christmas, how prepared are we to share our gifts and talents with others
- 3. Mary and Elizabeth gave birth to Christ and John Respectively, how prepared are we to metaphorically give birth to peace, dialogue, joy, forgiveness, honesty, integrity, patriotism, sense of common good and selfless services to our parishes, religious and civil societies, dioceses, villages and cities, in our world today?
