20/12/2009 - 4th. Sunday in Advent Season
- C
1st Reading Mich 5,1-4 Psalm 79 2nd Reading Heb 10,5-10 Gospel Lk 1,39-48
"Glorify your Son so that your son glorifies you in return". The awaiting
hour, that now had come, is the hour of glory. Often we use this word in the liturgical
language and in our prayer. Do we know what it means? In the New Testament writings
the manifestation of God is expressed in this way. The glory of God is what the
presence of God in the world manifest. The glory of Jesus is the manifestation of
his divinity, his communion with the Father! Now Jesus asks the Father to give him
the glory. Jesus' desire is that his life and his person be a manifestation of the
Being of God, that is, of his love. We read in the prayer of Jesus the request to
live the divine love in a perfect way, in a way that we can see and experience,
hence trusting us to the Father! If the Son receives the glory from the Father,
it follows that the Son make known the beauty and the greatness of God's mercy.
In glorifying the Son, the Father allows the Son to be his manifestation. Therefore,
asking to be glorified, Jesus is not being selfish: to be glorified means to be
made an instrument of God's manifestation: God could be known by men through him.
And, given the fact that the Being of God is the fullness of love, Jesus is asking
to be put in a condition to manifest the dept of love, that becomes visible by men
even if it costs a lot: that is why the glory of Jesus is his cross. Accepting the
cross Jesus puts himself in that place that highlights the infinite love, a love
that is only love, a love free from every egoism. It was not only the physical pain
of Jesus on the cross, but above all his humility of being made an object of an
infinite ingratitude, is the condition that highlights the depth of his love. Jesus
asks the Father to be in a condition of manifesting that love that men have not
yet seen, that divine love, that brings him to give himself even though he knows
that he cannot expect a recompense. Therefore Jesus asks for the cross. There are
few hours for the moment in which he was to be taken by the Jews. Jesus had already
understand that Judas had left the supper, and there with these first words of his
prayer, he is offering himself to the Father for the upcoming event.
In a few more days and we celebrate the Birth of Jesus. This 4th. Sunday of Advent
want to prepare of hearts and minds to live this great feast. Outside of this place
we have an infinity of distractions and temptations that disturb us. These want
to give us the idea that Christmas is only a time to spend money, to think of what
to eat, as how are we going to enjoy it, travel, what kind of presents to give to
relatives and friends. I want to hope that you won't be taken away by these futile
things that don't help us to praise God. You look at Christmas as the Birth of Jesus,
therefore fix the eyes of your heart on him, on his person, to see how to express
your love and gratitude to him, to see how to make him known and loved by those
whom you love and you love them. Because of this, let us listen with open hearts
to God's Word today.
The Prophet Micha speaks to us of a city, Bethlehem, and of a mother, who are waiting
for the one who will be enrobed with royal dignity, but speaks also of a people
who was put "under the power of others", that is made slave, because his
heart wish and wait for the one who can free him: he will reign in a new way, in
the way of God, with his merciful love! The Letter to the Hebrews help us to know
in a deep way the one who is coming: he comes to do the will of the Father, hence
come in obedience, turning Adam's behavior, who chose to follow his own desires
instead of obeying God. The one who is coming knows that his obedience will cost
him, because he has to put himself in place of all the sacrifices. He will be the
only victim to redeem man and sanctify him. This is the Christ, who does the will
of God by the offering of his free will.
The Gospel speaks of him, bringing to our attention the Mother and Elisabeth that
meet. It's because of him that they meet. It's for him that Elisabeth becomes a
mother, because her son is destined to make him known to all the people. And it's
precisely Elisabeth that see in a mysterious way a presence in Mary's womb, thus
she greets her with the same words David greeted the Ark of the Covenant in his
city: "And how is it that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" Elisabeth
knows that the son that Mary was bearing is her Lord, her God. And she praises the
blessed mother, blessed because she has lived and believed with a great faith like
that of Abram.
This is how we are to prepare ourselves to celebrate the Birth of Jesus: Let's keep
in mind that he comes to offer himself as a sacrifice, and that also his mother
offered herself to carry him even though he was to be her constant cross. Let us
ask for forgiveness for the many times we refused to do the will of God and offer
ourselves to do his love and mercy every day.