23.12.2007 - 4th Sunday of Advent
- Year A
First Reading; Isaiah 7,10-14 Psalm 24 Second Reading; Romans 1,1-7
Gospel Reading; Matthew 1,18-24
I have tried to describe our belief as trust in that God who loves man like a Father. Abraham and Mary, the supreme examples of this trust, showed their faith by listening to God. Without listening there is no faith. I believe when I listen to God's word and take it seriously. If I do not listen, I cannot say I believe. When a Christian believes, he searches for God's Word, he loves it, he desires it, he cannot do without it. God's Word is truly the "light of my steps, the light of my path" as is written in the Scriptures. The first sign of a true conversion is love of that Word and the desire to be nourished by it daily. How can Christians who spend weeks without bothering about God's Word, without listening to it, without searching for it, say that they believe? They probably believe in their own thoughts or give great importance to the word's of men, which are often empty, in order to sustain their lives. These words become their daily bread, but they are neither nourishing or filling. We wish to be true believers and, therefore, we look for God's Word with which he makes himself known to us and makes it known what we mean to him. The early Christians in the history of the Church tried to write in a way that it was easy to memorise the facts and mysteries through which God revealed himself and with which he communicated with us. These are constant truths and necessary if we wish to live in communion with him and in peace amongst ourselves and be enriched in hope and strengthened in love. We recite these words every Sunday after having listened to God's Word and its explanation. It is important to know it in detail for it is from the truth contained in it that we can recognise the true believers. It has been passed down to us as a "symbol of faith", as a sign of recognition of the true faith of Christians. We should compare with it every belief that is explicitly or implicitly proposed by contemporary ideas or stories.
Today we are helped by Mary and Joseph to look at Jesus. They both lived deep
anxiety just before the birth of the one who was to be called their son. Mary
had declared her willingness to God and Joseph too after having meditated upon
the dream in which he was reminded of the same Words of the prophet in the annunciation
to Mary. Their reply to God was not easy for they knew they would be misunderstood
and despised by many. Both Joseph and Mary had to keep their eyes turned to
God and not be swayed by the reaction and the criticism of people. And in this
they are excellent teachers. I have to struggle every day with the temptation
of worrying about what others might say or think. If I were totally intent on
doing the Father's will, it would not be so difficult: I would be derided and
despised by man but the Lord would be my certainty! Mary and Joseph lived in
joyful expectation of Jesus mixed with trepidation, suffering and uncertainty
due to their environment. Jesus was a sign of contradiction for them even before
his birth. For them the Word of God was certainty and a guarantee for their
path, for their purity, for their future; it was the Word that the prophet had
addressed a king who was sure of himself, but was incapable of awareness of
God's signs. Indeed, in the times of Isaiah, King Ahab did not want to accept
the proposal to desist from his plans for war to live in peace supported by
the divine promise. For this reason he refused to ask for a sign. The sign was
given to his people, not to him: a child would be born whom the prophet called
"the prince of peace", he who would make the panther lie down with
the goat, the cow with the bear, the wolf with the lamb. Mary and Joseph are
prepared to suffer in order to collaborate with God's plans, they suffer, but
they are not overcome by the doubt and hesitation that fills the lives of men
and women. Their answer to God is an act of faith, an obedience which must experience
effort before joy.
St Paul knew that he had been called to obey God by accepting Jesus in his life.
Once he did so he realised that this obedience was a grace and an immense gift,
a new, true life. The gospel encourages in us real humanity, the fullness of
joy and peace. It brings men and women to communion with each other in order
to experience a strength and joy that would otherwise be unknown. For this reason
Paul dedicated himself with determination to announce to all faith in Jesus
and obedience to faith; those who accept will be grateful and God himself will
reward them, for whoever accepts the Lord Jesus becomes the Father's glory!
Whoever accepts Jesus through the Holy Spirit becomes God's temple, a source
of peace, of forgiveness and a meeting place for men and women! Whoever accepts
Jesus becomes, like Mary and Joseph, part of a new humanity. Not everything
will be easy, there with be the experience of denial, psychological and moral
suffering, economic difficulty, but this will all be an opportunity to witness
to Jesus, the source of eternal life, the source of disinterested love. And
no-one can take away this joy!