4th Sunday of Advent B
God shows David his gratuitousness by announcing to him that he will build him a home, in other words, a dynasty, and that God will be a father to David and his offspring (first reading). The same divine gratuitousness becomes evident in the Angel Gabriel’s Annunciation to Mary of her vocation as Mother of God through the Holy Spirit. Mary will be the “new home”, the “new ark” built by God in the fullness of time (Gospel). Finally, God’s gratuitous action is manifested among the Christians and the whole world, through his power to consolidate the faithful in their faith, in his revelation of the mystery kept secret from eternity, and now disclosed to all nations in order for them to respond to such revelation with faith (second reading).
P. Antonio Izqeuirdo, L.C., Copyright © Dicastery for the Clergy
Mary’s “Yes”
20 December 2020 | Saint Peter’s Square
4th Sunday of Advent B
On this Fourth and final Sunday of Advent, the Gospel proposes to us once again the account of the Annunciation. “Rejoice” says the angel to Mary, “you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus” (Lk 1:28, 31). It seems to be an announcement of pure joy, destined to make the Virgin happy. Who among the women of that time, did not dream of becoming the mother of the Messiah? But along with joy, those words foretell a great trial to Mary. Why? Because at that time she was “betrothed” (v. 27).
In such cases, the Law of Moses stated that there should be no relations or cohabitation. Therefore, by having a son, Mary would have transgressed the Law, and the punishment for women was terrible: stoning (cf. Dt 22:20-21). Certainly, the divine message would have filled Mary’s heart with light and strength; nevertheless, she found herself faced with a crucial decision: to say “yes” to God, risking everything, even her life, or to decline the invitation and continue along her ordinary journey.
What does she do? She responds thus: “Let it be to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38). “Let it be ” (“Fiat ”). But in the language in which the Gospel is written, it is not simply “let it be”. The verbal expression indicates a strong desire; it indicates the will that something happen. In other words, Mary does not say: “If it has to happen, let it happen…, if it cannot be otherwise…”. It is not resignation. She does not express a weak and submissive acceptance, but rather she expresses a strong desire, a sincere desire. She is not passive, she is active. She does not defer to God, she cleaves to God. She is a woman in love prepared to serve her Lord completely and immediately. She could have asked for a little time to think it over, or even for more explanations about what would happen; perhaps she could have set some conditions…. Instead, she does not take her time, she does not keep God waiting, she does not delay.
How often — let us think of ourselves now — how often our life is made up of postponements, even the spiritual life! For example, I know it is good for me to pray, but today I do not have time … “tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow”. We postpone things: I will do it tomorrow. I know it is important to help someone — yes, I must do it: I will do it tomorrow. It is the same chain of tomorrows … postponing things. Today, on the threshold of Christmas, Mary invites us not to postpone, to say “yes”: “Do I have to pray? — Yes” — and I pray. “Do I have to help others? — Yes”. “How shall I do it?” — I do it. Without putting it off. Every “yes” costs something; every “yes” has its cost, but it still costs less than what that courageous “yes” cost her, that prompt “yes”, that “let it be to me according to your word ”, which brought us salvation.
What, then is the “yes” we can say? Instead of complaining in these difficult times about what the pandemic prevents us from doing, let us do something for someone who has less: not the umpteenth gift for ourselves and our friends, but for a person in need whom no one thinks of! And another piece of advice: in order for Jesus to be born in us, let us prepare our hearts, let us go to pray, let us not let ourselves be swept up by consumerism. “Ah, I have to buy presents, I must do this and that”. That frenzy of doing things, more and more. It is Jesus that is important. Consumerism is not found in the manger in Bethlehem: there is reality, poverty, love. Let us prepare our hearts to be like Mary’s: free of evil, welcoming, ready to receive God.
“Let it be to me according to your word ”. This is the Virgin’s last word on this last Sunday of Advent, and it is the invitation to take a genuine step towards Christmas. For if the birth of Jesus does not touch our lives — mine, yours, everyone’s — if it does not touch our lives, it slips past us in vain. In the Angelus now, we too will say “let your word be fulfilled in me ”: May Our Lady help us to say it with our lives, with our approach to these last days, to prepare ourselves well for Christmas.
Mary does not Boast
24 December 2017 | Saint Peter’s Square
4th Sunday of Advent B
This Sunday just before Christmas, we listen to the Gospel of the Annunciation (cf. Lk 1:26-38).
In this Gospel passage, we notice a contrast between the promises of the angel and Mary’s response. This contrast is manifested in the dimension and content of the expressions of the two protagonists. The angel says to Mary: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever” (vv. 30-33). It is a long revelation which opens unprecedented possibilities. The Child that will be born to this humble girl from Nazareth will be called Son of the Most High. It is not possible to conceive of a higher dignity than this. And after Mary’s question in which she asks for an explanation, the angel’s revelation becomes even more detailed and surprising.
On the other hand, Mary’s reply is a short sentence that does not speak of glory. It does not speak of privilege but only of willingness and service: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (v. 38). The content is also different. Mary does not exalt herself before the prospect of becoming the mother of the Messiah, but rather remains modest and expresses her acceptance of the Lord’s plan. Mary does not boast. She is humble and modest. She always remains the same.
This contrast is meaningful. It makes us understand that Mary is truly humble and does not try to be noticed. She recognizes that she is small before God and she is happy to be so. At the same time, she is aware that the fulfilment of God’s plan depends on her response, and that therefore she is called to accept it with her whole being.
In this circumstance, Mary’s behaviour corresponds perfectly to that of the Son of God when he comes into the world. He wants to become the Servant of the Lord, to put himself at the service of humanity to fulfil the Father’s plan. Mary says: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord”; and the Son of God upon entering the world says: “Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God” (Heb 10:7). Mary’s attitude fully mirrors this statement by the Son of God who also becomes the son of Mary. Thus Our Lady shows that she is in perfect accord with God’s plan. Furthermore she reveals herself as a disciple of his Son, and in the Magnificat, she will be able to proclaim that God has “exalted those of low degree” (Lk 1:52) because with her humble and generous response, she has obtained great joy and also great glory.
As we admire our Mother for this response to God’s call to mission, we ask her to help each of us to welcome God’s plan into our lives with sincere humility and brave generosity.
SOURCE: The Holy See Archive at the Vatican Website © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
The Role of Astronomy
21 December 2008 | Saint Peter’s Square
4th Sunday of Advent B
This Sunday, the Third Sunday in the Season of Advent, is called “Gaudete Sunday”: “rejoice”, because the Entrance Antiphon of Holy Mass takes up St Paul’s words in the Letter to the Philippians where it says: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice”. And immediately after he explains the reason, because “The Lord is at hand” (Phil 4: 4-5). This is the reason for joy. But what does “the Lord is at hand” mean? In what sense must we understand this “closeness” of God? The Apostle Paul, writing to the Christians of Philippi, is evidently thinking of Christ’s return and invites them to rejoice because it is certain. Yet, St Paul in his Letter to the Thessalonians, warns that no one can know the moment of the Lord’s coming (cf. 1 Thes 5: 1-2) and puts people on guard against any kind of alarmism, as if Christ’s return were imminent (cf. 2 Thes 2: 1-2). Thus the Church, illumined by the Holy Spirit, already at that time understood increasingly better that God’s “closeness” is not a question of space and time but rather of love: love brings people together! This coming Christmas will remind us of this fundamental truth of our faith and in front of the manger we shall be able to savour Christian joy contemplating in the newborn Jesus the Face of God who made himself close to us out of love.
In this light, it gives me real pleasure to renew the beautiful tradition of the Blessing of the Christ Child figurines, the miniature statues of the Baby Jesus to be placed in the manger. I address you in particular, dear boys and girls of Rome, who have come this morning with your Baby Jesus figurines that I now bless. I invite you to join me, following attentively this prayer…