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+ 4th. Sunday of Advent
They shall name him Emmanuel, which means "God is with us."
These few words "could hardly be a better description of why
Christmas means so much to us. To think that the great, almighty, holy,
transcendent God would come down here and make our Earth his home, and stay with
us and become part of our family–-it’s almost too good to be true." These words
of Bishop Ken Untener point us toward an inexpressible wonder that has taken
place and is being realized in our Christian life today. There is
nothing so moving or powerful as the sense of God’s presence with us, even when
hidden under the darkness of faith. And this is why Joseph and Mary become such
central figures at this point of the Advent season. Mary’s faith, her opening to
divine grace, allows the King of Glory to enter in as we just heard from the
psalm. The Lord asking king Ahaz to ask a sign is all about the fulfillment of
God’s promise to be present with his people, regardless of the situations in
which they find themselves, whatever the demanding circumstances within any of
our lives. Mary and Joseph have the faith to allow life to unfold, to resist
taking control so that things turn out their way or as they may have
preconceived them. Mary must have known all too well the very difficult dilemma
her pregnancy had put future husband into. She also knew that she was
defenseless in the face of it. She waited it out, as did Joseph in his own
unique way, stayed with the mystery that surrounded her life and in doing so
gave birth to the Savior of the world. What happened in the life
of King Ahaz when the kings of Aram or Syria and of Israel came up against him
because he was refusing to enter into an alliance with them against Assyria, and
what happened in the lives of Mary and Joseph in the face of a pregnancy that
threatened their whole relationship is what happens again and again in our
world, in our society, families and personal lives. To wait on God in the face
of mystery can be the most troubling and disruptive experience we have ever come
up against. But in the waiting, in the trust, in the faith will the hand of God
become manifest. We live in a world where recourse to force and violence is all
too often used to resolve conflict. The birth of Jesus opens up a whole new
pattern of human relationships where the poor, the meek, the pure of heart, the
peace makers, those who endure persecution for the sake of justice show us the
path to life. The way of faith gives us a whole new passage for then we are seen
as members of one another, that love alone makes all things new. What God was
bringing about by being born in the womb of a simple virgin is what is unfolding
in the life of every human being if only we have the light of faith to perceive
it.
What took place in the womb of Mary was only the beginning of
God’s coming into and making new the very world we live in. There is no less
urgency for faith from us than there was from her and Joseph some two thousand
years ago. Gabriel Marcel, the great Catholic existentialist said "there is only
one way of being faithful to the Incarnation and that is to become an embodied
testimony to the living God." The mystery of the Incarnation is no mere past
event but a reality happening anew every day, as you and I surrender to the
working of God, of the Holy Spirit at among us.
And this is why I think Bishop Untener’s words about God coming
among us as almost too good to be true, are so meaningfully this morning. We are
living with many conflicts within society, within the Church, within family
life, within our world. The growing discrepancy between rich and poor, the
devastating effects of abuse to human life at all stages of its growth and
maturity, the awful abuse of our environment happening before our very eyes, are
constant reminders of what self interest and the use of force are doing in our
world. What can and is bringing an end to all this is the quality of our daily
lives. It is the moment we live by faith. It is the moment we arise from sleep
as Joseph did, and do all that the Lord is commanding of us.
That God is in our midst, making available a new way of life, is
what we celebrate at this altar. Christ in this assembly is about to take bread
and wine and change them into his very own Body and Blood. Receiving this food
from heaven we are opening ourselves ever more fully to a transformative
Presence, a Presence destined to touch all of humankind. We are letting Him be
the real food and drink that sustains us, that makes all things new. May we have
the faith of Mary and Joseph so that what took place in her womb may be embodied
with the whole of our lives. Isaiah 7:10-14; Rom. 1:1-7; Mt.
1:18-24
Michael Casagram, OCSO
Abbey of Gethsemani
23 December 2007
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