Homily for the Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent (Year C - 12/23/2024), preached at the 6:30 Mass at Saint Mary Cathedral this morning 🙏❤🕊:
Good morning. When we compare the Annunciation of Jesus' birth to Mary and that of John's birth to his father, Zechariah, we see that Mary responded with wonderment while Zechariah doubted and was struck "dumb" (he could not speak). As I reflected on this, I am reminded of the Scripture verse from Romans (2:6), which Saint Paul tells us that God judges us according to our deeds, which stems from our life experiences.
In the case of Mary, she was a young girl who “pondered what sort of greeting this might be,“ but her faith never wavered. On the other hand, when the angel Gabtiel appeared to Zechariah, who was a priest, he was “troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him.” He doubted what the messenger of God told him, saying: "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years." As adults, I would say that more is expected of us from God because we have a well-formed intellect and reason to know Jesus and enter into a relationship with him compared to a young child. Therefore, like Zechariah, if we do not believe in his words when he shares the Good News with us, then it will be a millstone around our neck.
The good news for us is, God has a purpose for everything that He permits to happen to us in the circumstances of our life, above all of which is to draw us closer to Him. He certainly had a purpose for Zechariah. You see, in his muted state, Zechariah had the blessed opportunity to reflect on the message that he received from the angel Gabriel, to internalize and hear the message over and over again in the quiet of his heart, reflecting on what it meant for him and his wife, Elizabeth. So when it was time for Zechariah to “speak”, by writing on his tablet, he did so from a place of faith and trust in the Lord, saying: “John is his name." We hear that “[immediately] his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God.”
This is the same with us in our spiritual life, and perhaps even in our daily life for that matter, with all the noise and chaos in the world around us. We need moments spent in the sacredness of silence so that we can hear the whispers of our Father in heaven speak to our hearts His will for us. It is especially important during the holiday season. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I am sure we will all be making final preparations for family gatherings, gift wrapping, and last minute gift shopping even. In the midst of that busyness, I would encourage all of us to set aside time to go to Mass and pray before our Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. In the intimacy of that sacred silence, our Father in heaven will reveal to us the mystery of the Incarnation, when He sent His Only Begotten Son, born of the Blessed Virgin Mary on that silent, holy night, to save us. O Come Emmanuel. . . God with us. . . Jesus saves us.
[Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent (Year C) - Lk 1:57-66] #gospelreflection #Catholic #diakonia
. . .Sisters and brothers in Christ, on the FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT, we light the Angel's Candle, a symbol of LOVE. It is a reminder to us to share the Good News of God's love to all people we encounter in the same way that Mary made haste to see Elizabeth and bring to her the message of LOVE: the Son of God in her virginal womb. 🙏🕊❤️
At the end of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus commissioned the Eleven and sent them to go forth and share the Good News to the ends of the earth. However, it was Mary who was the first to share the Good News and she continues to lead others to her Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
God is LOVE. He sent His only Begotten Son to save us because He LOVES us. Jesus died for us out of His LOVE us. Mary intercedes for us and helps us to experience and come to know in our hearts Jesus' LOVE for us. Does our soul and spirit leaped for joy knowing how much Jesus LOVES us in the same way that Saint John the Baptist did in Elizabeth's when he wad in the presence of the one who is LOVE. . . Jesus in Mary's womb?
As we move closer to Christmas, may the HOPE, PEACE, JOY, and LOVE of our Lord and Jesus Christ swell up in our hearts and move us to share that the Good News of Jesus Christ with others.
[Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year C) - Lk 1:39-45] #gospelreflection #Catholic #diakonia
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