4^TH SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR C: HOMILY BY FR. JUSTIN ADIELE

THEME: FROM YOU SHALL COME FORTH THE KING

INTRODUCTION

The great solemnity of the nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ draws near. From Bethlehem shall come forth the king; from the Angel Gabriel shall come forth the holy annunciation; from Mary shall come forth the Emmanuel and the visitation; from Elizabeth shall come forth the joy and blessed salutation of the mother of the Lord. And today as well, we have to question what shall come forth from us this holy season.

 

THE FIRST READING (MICAH 5: 2 – 5)

In the first reading, we read about Bethlehem the little or smallest city of Judah, from where shall come forth the king/ruler of Israel, the ancient of days; the one who shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord and keep them secure. We therefore encourage those who would attempt to do one outreach or the other this season. No matter how little you are like Bethlehem, how little you have, something positive can really come forth from you for the benefit or good of the people around you. You can really make a difference in the life of your villagers or community.

 

THE SECOND READING (HEB. 10: 5 – 10)

In the second reading, we are meant to understand that at the coming of the Lord, part of what should come forth from us is doing the will of the Lord not just offering sacrifices and burnt offerings. In your quest to kill cow for God, do his will first this season; your activities must align with the will of God for you and for your neighbor. And the will of God is that we should be holy and blameless before him this season; that we should be sanctified like Mary and Joseph in a righteous living.

 

THE GOSPEL READING (LK. 1: 39 – 45)

From the gospel periscope, from Mary came forth the visitation that brought blessing and joy to the house of Zechariah and Elizabeth. We shall be visiting many people or homes this season; but let it be for sharing of joy and for good and not for war/trouble. Elizabeth reciprocated by letting gracious words about Mary to come forth from her mouth. Those that would visit you this season to show you love and support/help; do not castigate or criticize them; do not slander their efforts; do not make ill/evil of their kind gestures towards you.

 

CONCLUSION

Dear friends in Christ, like Bethlehem, Angel Gabriel, Mary and Elizabeth, something must come forth from you this holy season. Let it be something related to the love, mercy and kindness of God. Let it be something as helpful and comforting as the three months visitation of Mary to Elizabeth. Let that which shall come forth from you be full the kind words of Elizabeth to Mary her kinswoman. And let what comes forth from you be good news for your brethren like the good news of the angel Gabriel to Mary. And may we all have and experience an exchange of good, positive and joyful output/outcome from every corner of our family and neighbourhood!

Happy Sunday!

Fr. Justin

 4^th Sunday of Advent, Year C: Homily by Fr. Isaac Chima

Theme: God fulfils his promises even through unworthy instruments.

Readings: Mic 5:1-4a; Heb 10:5-10; Lk 1:39-45

Dear friends in Christ, as we draw closer to Christmas, the church, through the readings of today, invites us to focus on the channels through which God fulfilled His promise of the Emmanuel to us. These readings also inform us that God will always fulfil his promise to us if we look upon Him with the eye of faith.

The prophet Isaiah in chapter 55 verse 8 told us that God’s ways are not our ways. Often, the ways of God defy the socially accepted ways of men. We have noticed that the ways of men have always been to accord places of honor to the rich and also to count the rich before counting the poor. Sometimes, we also think that God will also follow that same logic of men in favouring the rich before the poor. But, as it is, the ways of God are different from the ways of men. Many times, God chooses the poor and the weak in the place of the rich and the strong to teach us some values. A vivid illustration of this is in the anointing of David as king of Israel.  

In today’s first reading, the divine choice of the weak and the poor was evident. There were twelve tribes in Israel, each of them had big clans, but God chose the smallest of all the clans to bring forth the eternal king of Israel; God decided to give the whole of Israel a king from the smallest of the clans of Israel, the clan of Bethlehem.

This divine choice of the weak and the poor is also seen in the gospel of today in the choice of Mary as the mother of the Saviour. Of all the queens, princesses, wealthy ladies, and wealthy families in Israel, God decided to choose Mary, a poor lady, a lady without a history and public recognition, a lady without a husband, to be the mother of His only Son.

These two vivid examples of God’s choice tell us that God’s blessings are not for the rich alone; they are not only for the strong; they are not also for the beautiful alone, nor are they only for the publicly recognized entities of our society. They tell us that our God also has a special option for the poor. In His Magnanimity, God also favours the poor, the weak, and the ugly; He is the God of us all. He often chooses the poor, the weak, and the ugly to teach us not to despise these people as we organize our society and family affairs and also to demonstrate to us that His blessings are gratuitous; they do not come because of human merits. Thus, God can choose anyone for the manifestation of His glory. He can choose you; He can also choose me.

Another lesson we can extract from the first reading and the gospel of today is that God’s promise will always be fulfilled, no matter how slim the chances of its fulfilment are. The prophet Micah prophesied in Israel between the years 740 and 787 BC; that was during the reign of king Jotham. Between the prophecy of Micah about the choice of Bethlehem for the birth of Christ and its fulfilment, there was a period of great difficulties, slavery, suffering, and destruction of Israel by her enemies on two occasions, in the year 721 BC and in the year 586 BC. Also, before the birth of John, there was a long time of barrenness in the life of Zechariah and Elizabeth, despite Zechariah’s active priestly service in God’s house. But at the end, the promise of God was fulfilled in these two cases.

Sometimes, difficulties force us to think that God’s promises can never be fulfilled in our lives. Often, the number of years of suffering and pain pushes us to believe that we have been abandoned by God or that God’s words are in vain, but the stories in the first reading and the gospel of today teach us not to lose hope in God and His promises. God’s promises may take days or years to be fulfilled, but the truth is that it must surely be fulfilled. So, no one should allow the difficulties of this life to lead him/her into sin.

The second reading of today from the letter to the Hebrews opened to us the humility of Jesus Christ before the plan of God the Father, Christ’s humble submission to do the will of His Father. It invites us to be ready and obedient to God, as Jesus was, so that God can manifest His love even through our weaknesses.

Another lesson for this Sunday comes from the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth as we read in the gospel of today. In that visit, the child in the womb of Mary encountered the child in the womb of Elizabeth when Mary greeted Elizabeth, and both Elizabeth and the child in her womb were filled with joy. As you all know, Christmas is a time of visits: it is a time that God visits us and also a time that we visit our friends and families. What Mary did in the gospel of today remains a challenge to us as we visit other people this Christmas. Jesus visited Mary, and she carried Him to her sister, Elizabeth. Let us also take Jesus to other people this Christmas through our visits. Let our visits have the capacity of throwing other people into joy. Let us allow the Christ in us to encounter the problems of those we visit this Christmas, so that they will have a reason to smile, a reason to be filled with joy. Let us open ourselves to them just as Mary opened her arms and embraced Elizabeth, so that the joy of Christmas will wipe away their sorrows. Let us share our joys with them as we visit them. 

Peace be with you.

Rev. Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima

 4^TH SUNDAY OF ADVENT, YEAR C: REFLECTION BY FR. JULIAN EKEH

THEME: MARY: A CHANNEL OF BLESSING

(Luke 1:39-45)

On this last Sunday of Advent, as we draw close to the birth of Mary's Boy Child, we are presented with the image of the little Bethlehem chosen by God to be where the ruler will come from. In a special way, we have the image of the humble mother of the Saviour, who became an instrument of divine favours and blessings to humanity. Let her be an inspiration for us as we put finishing touches on our preparations to celebrate the Nativity of Christ.

Mary was visited by the angel of God. Mary visits Elizabeth and becomes an angel (Godsent, Chizitere) to her. Mary was favoured by the visit of the Angel. Mary favours Elizabeth by her visit to her. Mary was celebrated by the heavenly beings at Annunciation. Today, Mary goes to celebrate Elizabeth by her Holy Visitation. Mary becomes the tabernacle and the monstrance. In the tabernacle, Christ is reverently preserved for adoration, from the monstrance Christ blesses His people. Mary rejoices that the blessing is not for her alone but a blessing made to be shared. Mary is gladdened by the fact that God did not remember her alone but remembered Elizabeth, too. Mary knew that she had been blessed more and was more advantaged than Elizabeth because age was no longer on her side, and so she did not hesitate to arise and offer help. She took the necessary things she needed to assist her kinswoman and spent enough time with her.

Mary's entrance into that Elizabeth's home brought joy, Elizabeth rejoiced greatly, John rejoiced in the womb, Elizabeth felt greatly honoured, and she was filled with joy and motivated to move on.

 

OUR TAKE-HOME

REACH OUT

This is a season of reaching out. Remember others in need of help. With the little you have put smile on faces. Have a plan for those you are better than.

 

GO WITH JOY

What do you travel home with this period?  How do people feel when they look out and see you coming in? After packing their belongings some people also pack some troubles to share in the village and families. Dearest in Christ, pack joy, happiness, peace, love, and blessings.

 

DON'T BE JEALOUS AND SELFISH

Some who do not have are jealous of those they think have it all. Thank God for them. The same God that blessed Mary also blessed Elizabeth. Your blessing is on the way. Remain good, making good efforts. For those who are already blessed; never think blessing fits only your family. No. Others deserve it, too. Be a point of contact for them. Connect them to success and be glad when they climb the ladder of success.

 

PRAYERS

May God remember each and every one of us and bestow upon us as individuals and community with what we need most spiritually, physically, morally, economically, politically, socially, and so on and forth. May Mary's intersessions touch God to bless us through Christ our Lord. Amen

God bless your Saturday (4th Sunday of Advent, Yr C)

Rev Fr Julian O Ekeh