FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
First Reading: Micah 5:1-4a
Second Reading: Hebrews 10:5-10
Gospel: Luke 1:39-45
The Gospel today presents us the account of the Visitation of Mary. What is there in the Visitation of Mary and Christmas? It speaks to us more specifically about God’s dwelling place. Luke is here depicting Mary as the new Ark of the Covenant. The ark of the covenant was God’s dwelling. To understand what is going on here it is important to look at the Second Book of Samuel chapter 6 where David, having secured his reign, wanted a permanent dwelling for God. He wanted to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem and make it the religious and political center of his kingdom. In 2 Samuel 6: 2, David arose and went from Judah a hill country to bring up the Ark of the Covenant. In the Gospel today, Mary arose and went into the hill country of Judah to visit Elizabeth. In 2 Samuel 6: 9, David, said, “How can the ark of Yahweh come to me?” expressing his unworthiness to receive the ark; in the Gospel today, Elizabeth in an expression of her unworthiness, said, “how is it that the mother of my Lord comes to me.” In 2Samuel, 6 David danced and sang with shouts of joy, in the Gospel today, John the Baptist leapt in the womb for joy and Elizabeth cried out with joy. Finally, 2 Samuel 6 tells us that the ark of the covenant remained in the Hill country in the house of Obededom the Gittite for three months, in verse 56 of Luke 1, Luke tells us that Mary remained with Elizabeth for three months.
The striking intention of Luke cannot be missed. He presents Mary as the new ark of the covenant, God’s dwelling place on earth. So, how did Mary become the dwelling place of God? How did the Eternal Word take flesh in Mary? God becoming flesh required a consenting acceptance. When Mary said yes to God, she made available, her whole person; body and soul as the place of God’s dwelling in the world. She offered herself to the will of the Father and places her body and soul at His disposal as the tabernacle of the Holy Spirit.
The second reading has something very important to say about preparing a dwelling for God. it is from the Letter to the Hebrews. God prepared a body for His Son who is the Messiah. It highlights among other things, the unfathomable depths of the Messiah’s self-abasement and His humiliation of Himself in obedience to the Father and for love of men even to death on the Cross. The author makes us know that the Messiah’s sacrifice which is greater than the sacrifices of the Old, has abolished and replaced the old sacrifices. This sacrifice consists in saying yes to God and perfectly doing the will of His Father even to the point death.
Dear friends, there is no better way to prepare for Christmas. God wants to dwell in our midst, He wants to dwell in our hearts. God respects human freedom. St Augustine famously said, “He who created you without you did not wish to redeem you without you.” God wants our unconditional yes and total surrender to His will. The Eternal Word who willed to take flesh in Mary needs a receptive yes that is spoken with the whole person, spirit and body with absolutely no restrictions that the human nature may become the locus of the Incarnation.
Let us prepare a fit dwelling place for God by our unconditional yes to God, spoken with our whole being, body and soul; and surrendering totally to His will by a life of perfect obedience. This way, we will be able to encounter Jesus, in a new, deep, personal, intimate and life-changing way this Christmas and always.
Happy Sunday
Rev. Fr. Chidi Onwuka MSSCC