Homily for the Week of December 21, 2008

Fourth Sunday of Advent 2008
2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16 (11B)
Romans 16: 25-27
Luke 1:26-38

The CBS 60 Minutes weekly TV program had an interesting report several weeks ago about the growing size of houses in affluent neighborhoods in our country. What was considered large even 10 years ago is no longer adequate.

The program describes homes in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Residents with perfectly fine homes are disturbed at the new practice of buying homes, tearing them down and building outlandish mansions just to keep up with the even wealthier neighbors.

Those slaves of fashion and too much money might change their minds if they were to listen to this weekend’s first reading. In it God scolds David for trying to build God a house of gold, when for years. God says he is perfectly satisfied to live in a tent.

Through Nathan God tells the king that some few thousand years later, he’ll set His own son on the throne of David. God is evidently uncomfortable with too much luxury in the here and now. If God is uncomfortable, how much more should we be.

Luke’s gospel for today unfolds the mystery of Advent. God has decided to seek a dwelling in a a maidens womb, be born in a stable, die on a cross, and only then find His permanent throne in that heaven from where He came. God is not ashamed of poverty. In fact, he prefers it.
He is never more delighted than to dwell in human hearts that return great love for them. Love is God’s luxury palace. Love is the message which Mary gave to the angel when she was invited to be the mother of Jesus.

Spiritually, Advent has been all about waiting for the birth of a child in Bethlehem by the name of Jesus. And hopefully we know now what the waiting was all about. But there is more to the waiting. It was so that we could live our lives in happiness and hope even when we have a world at war, and because of it, many families this Christmas will not have their l loving sons or daughters at home around the table or the Christmas tree.

Our faith convinces us that God is always with us. He helps to make sense of our suffering and miseries and death of loved ones. He helps us to believe that we are part of a much larger Advent when love will be born for the last time. Each of us can say an unqualified Yes to God and to our life, much as Mary did, or we can decide to spent our time in stress and hopleslessness.

In those days, an unmarried girl in similar circumstances could be stoned to death. Yet Mary, who has made every decision in her life based on what God would do, once again decides to place her trust in God and do things His way. But then what else should we expect, she has placed her life in His hands every moment of her life.

Mary is a remarkable example for us of someone who involves God in all that they do. Do we even bother to involve Him in the big decisions of the day -- or even the small decisions?

At school we are faced with many decisions, some involve pressure that is being put on us by our classmates. It seems easier to neglect God and do what our classmates want us to do, since we have to deal with them every day. We sometimes forget that we have to deal with God every day as well.

At work many of our decisions affect others. Do we always consider the effect that our decisions are going to have on others? Do we ever ask God what we should do?
Do our decisions at home with our family always involve thinking of all of them first and ourselves last? Like Mary, we should involve God in all of our decisions. Let us use Mary's situation in today's gospel as an example. What if those who find themselves facing an unexpected and unwanted pregnancy would think to involve God in their decision of what they should do about it.

In all of our decisions, like Mary, let us also try to say to God: Let it be done to me as you would like.

Let me illustrate: There is a story that Death was walking around the village one morning and a man asked: What are you going to do? Death replied, I’m going to take 100 people. The man expressed his horror but Death said: That’s the way it is. That what I do.
The man hurried ahead to warn everyone he could about Death’s plan, and as evening came, the man met Death again. The man said, You lied. 1000 people died, but told me you were going to take 100. Why did 1000 die? Death responded. I didn’t lie to you. I only took 100 people. Worry took the others. Why do we often worry and Mary did not worry? She had every reason to worry.