Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Dec. 22, 2024. Gospel of St. Luke 1:39-45. Theme: Jesus-Living-in-Mary & Jesus-Living-in-Us
Today’s Gospel illustrates this mission. The Divine Presence of the preborn Jesus-living-in-Mary filled Elizabeth with the Holy Spirit and she cried out with joy that she had been blessed to receive a visit from the Mother of God. And the unborn John the Baptist somehow recognized Jesus-living-in-Mary and leapt in his mother’s womb with excitement. Jesus-living-in-Mary touched both their lives and their hearts. Through the instrumentality of Mary, the power of Christ’s Presence, even though hidden and unseen, touched and sanctified both Elizabeth and pre-born John. This Gospel shows us that like Mary we too can become living vessels of Christ’s presence and power to those who come into contact with us.
As we draw closer to Christmas, the Liturgy reminds us of the indispensable role that the Blessed Mother had in bringing Jesus into the world. You see, we Catholics don’t look at Mary simply as a necessary means to an end and think that once Jesus was born and raised her role was over. The reason for this is that we do not believe in a God Who simply uses people (as we sometimes do) and then discards them once their task is done. Rather, we hold that when God chooses someone for a particular mission it’s a permanent personal calling, a lifelong mission. And so we believe that in addition to being the physical Mother of Christ she is also the spiritual Mother of Christians, of we who form the Mystical Body of Christ on earth. She was called to be and to remain the special vessel chosen by God to bring Jesus to the world, both physically as His Mother and spiritually as His instrument.
Through our participation in Holy Mass we can have Jesus-living-in-us if we welcome Him by faith into our hearts through His Word and receive Him with mindfulness in Holy Communion. Both of these expressions of Christ's Presence, in Word and Sacrament, make it possible for Him to live in us and for us to grow in Mary-like discipleship and holiness. She first received Jesus the Word of God by opening her heart to Him at the Annunciation. And after having first done this, she then consented to welcoming Him into her womb, as flesh of her flesh. She became a living tabernacle of the Lord’s Divine Presence.
This can be seen as a kind of reflection of how we, too, might become living tabernacles. First we open our hearts to His Word proclaimed in Scripture and afterwards we allow His flesh to mingle with ours through reception of His Very Body and Blood in the Eucharist. When we leave Mass and go about our various tasks, we can be like Mary who carried Jesus-living-in-her to Elizabth’s home and bestowed His blessing. Do you see the connection and how simple it really is? It’s the very same Jesus that Mary received into her with the only difference being in the ways in which this happens. But what really matters is our intention and attitude. Are we willing to do this and place ourselves at the service of God and neighbor as she did?
And that’s how simple it can be for you and for me. In our ordinary everyday lives, we can be like Mary with Jesus-living-in-us. Like Mary, we can bring Christ to others who are in need of Him as they traverse through our morally dark and spiritually hungry world. We simply need to cherish and nurture our faith-relationship with Jesus through an intentional spiritual life of union with Him by both Word and Sacrament. And then, as we go about the various duties of our day, He can reach out to others through us, blessing and touching them through His Divine Presence living and acting within us.
No comments:
Post a Comment