Looking back for a little help I found this homily for the 4th and final Sunday of Advent

Most of you know by now I am still on the road in North Carolina, enjoying my last 24 hours with Calvin and his mom and dad before we head back home.  My entire ending of Advent and final preparation for Christmas has been shaped by this wonderful visit from which great and awesome memories have been made.  Still, deep in my heart, I have been very aware of these last few precious days of Advent, thinking about all the traditional things I would normally be involved with this week.  This has prompted me to go looking and I found a 4th Sunday of Advent homily I delivered 3 years ago, in 20111, which was my 1st Advent and Christmas at Most Holy Trinity Parish.

I offer it again today with the high hopes that you and yours are enjoying special time with special loved ones, as we are with our #1 grandson and N. Carolina family, and are preparing spiritually for all the graces that an ending Advent and approaching Christmas brings:


Homily for 4th Sunday in Advent 2011

She said YES!  I said WOW!  She said when I said what about right now.  Love can’t wait!  These lyrics by country western super star Brad Paisley were probably not written with the Annunciation in mind but boy, they really seem to fit.  She said YES!

Most of us here have said YES at very important and profound moments in our lives.  Our YES may have launched us on a certain career path or our YES may have been the beginning of a beautiful relationship with that special someone we still love.  And for most of us here, our YES to God gives us meaning and purpose to our very lives.

As people of faith, can we imitate the YES in serving Christ as Mary did in today’s Gospel?

Arriving at this fourth and final week of Advent, Holy Mother Church gives us this beautiful Gospel from St. Luke describing the Annunciation.  For those of us who may be life-long Catholics we have been taught this beautiful story of the angel Gabriel coming to Mary to announce that she is to be the mother of a baby; not just any baby; she is to be the mother of Jesus.  Imagine the scene, Mary, a young dutiful and faithful Jewish girl, in love with God and faithful to His teachings, perhaps as young as 14 or 15, from humble beginnings and a meager background, betrothed but not yet married to Joseph; yet she is the one visited by God’s angel Gabriel and told:

“Hail, full of grace.  The Lord is with you.  Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”

What does this mean?  Why is this messenger from God saying these things to me?  Mary was greatly troubled and pondered this greeting.  Was Mary afraid?  Was she confused?  Was she disbelieving? 

The angel continues: “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.  And of His kingdom there will be no end.”

Does Mary understand the prophecy of Isaiah that indeed a Savior will come to this world through a Virgin?  Mary is quick to point this out, is she not?  “How can this be since I have no relations with a man?” 

Some like to compare this question to that of Zechariah when he learned of the pregnancy of Elizabeth who was carrying John the Baptist.  But we would be wise to note the difference; Zechariah doubted; Mary did not.  Mary only asks how not if.  To answer my earlier question, Mary was NOT disbelieving.  The angel was more than happy to answer the how: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and overshadow you.  Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.”

Even if Mary realized in this special moment of particular and unique grace the difficulties and sacrifices of this announcement, she said YES!  Mary proclaimed a clear and unambiguous YES:  “I am the handmaid of the Lord, may it be done to me according to your word.”

This beautiful story of the Annunciation is also a lesson for all of us today.  How often does God come to us, through the promptings of the Holy Spirit or through His one holy Catholic Church and ask us to say YES?  Do we?  Do we reflect on Mary’s YES when we are faced with giving God our answer?  This is what we are called to ponder this week; this week before we celebrate anew the birth of Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

How can we respond this week?  How can we imitate Mary’s YES in joyful hope?  In prayer, the Annunciation is best remembered in the beautiful prayer known as the Angelus.  Traditionally, the Angelus is prayed every day at noon.  Can we commit to pray the Angelus once a day this coming week leading up to Christmas Day?  Mary’s yes was informed by her deep devoted faith and her sinless nature.  You and I are sinners.  This week we have an extra opportunity to experience God’s amazing love and mercy through a good and thoughtful confession.  We will host the deanery-wide reconciliation service Wednesday night.  As we prepare for the feast of Christmas, with Mary as our guide in saying yes, can we say yes to make a good confession this week!

And finally, after accepting the message of the angel, Mary, being told of her cousin Elizabeth’s pregnancy goes in haste to be of service to her.  There is one person in our lives who we know will not be celebrating this Christmas; will possibly not find much joy this year.  Just one person!  Can we go in haste to be of service to that one person, bringing to them the joy of saying YES to God; just as Mary said YES!

She said YES; I said WOW!  We can say YES right now.  Love can’t wait. 

We say: YES!