Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year B)

Fourth Sunday of Advent December 24, 2023

2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-11, 16; Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38

(Image courtesy: Google)

There is an old fable in which the mighty oak tree which stood for over one hundred years finally was blown over by a storm. The tree fell into a river that floated it downstream until it came to rest among the reeds growing along the riverbank. The fallen giant asked the reeds in amazement, “How is it that you were able to weather the storm that was too powerful for me, an oak tree, to withstand?”  The reeds replied, “All these years you stubbornly resisted the winds that swept your way. You took such pride in your strength that you refused to yield, even a little bit. We, on the other hand, have not resisted the winds, but have always bent with them. We recognized the superior power of the wind and so, the harder the wind blew the more we humbled ourselves before it.”

Today let us keep our focus on Mary, as we prepare for the celebration of the birth of Christ. Mary never resisted the superior powers working in her. She humbled herself and continued saying ‘yes’ till the end.

In today’s Gospel, God begins the “Christ event” with Mary, a simple Jewish girl who is at the very bottom of her people’s social ladder; the God who created all things makes the fulfilment of his promise dependent upon one of the most dispossessed and powerless of his creatures. Yet God exalts her humility, her simplicity, her trust in his love and mercy. God’s “favour” belongs the poor, the rejected, the abandoned and the forgotten among us today.

In the First Reading taken from the Second Book of Samuel, we hear of God bringing peace in the land when David was made king over the Jewish people. Through King David, God had delivered the nation from all its enemies. In appreciation for the greatness of the Lord God's victory over His enemies, king David went to the prophet Nathan, expressing his concern that while he was living in a beautiful wooden house of cedar, the Lord God dwelled in a tent. Now, a tent might have been suitable for God when His people were moving around because of persecution. But now that their home had been established and their victory had been secured, surely, God deserved something better than a tent. Hearing King David's desire for a dwelling place for God, the prophet Nathan told him that God was with him. As such, he should do whatever his heart calls him to do so God may have his rightful place among His people.

The Gospel of today presents us with two important figures in the “drama of the nativity of Christ.” First, the angel Gabriel, the faithful messenger, appears with a message. His message is about the fulfillment of a promise. It is also about the revelation of the hidden mystery of the old covenant in the new. Jesus Christ is that mystery!

Mary’s role in the history of salvation stands out clear today. She receives the message with humility: “I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your words.” With these humble words, she accepted her role in the history of salvation. Mary’s faith was a statement of her total self-donation to God’s own will for our salvation.

Her response was a statement of her humility, generosity, courage, and love for humanity. Hence through here generosity, Mary reminds us that this is a season of joy, receiving, and sharing. Today, as the angel brought the good news to Mary. So, we must continue spreading this message.

Happy Sunday