Homily for the 4th Sunday of Advent Year C

               Micah 5:2-5a            Hebrews 10:5-10          Luke 1:39-45

Theme: Be selfless!

In our liturgy on this 4th Sunday of Advent Year C, the prophet Micah points out a very important attribute of God that is worthy of emulation by all those who believe in God. His decisions are not guided by popular opinions or the ways of jthe world, but rather, he is guided by the ways of the spirit. He is not influenced by our status, name, power or wealth; he goes dipper than the physical. With God, everyone stands a chance; the poor and rich alike. By so doing, everyone is giving the opportunity to contribute towards the growth of Gods kingdom, irrespective of your status or position in life. Taking into consideration the situation of things at the time he was writing; the Israelites were going through a very difficult moment. The words of the prophet were encouraging, telling the people that God is going to give them a king that will make their present situation a thing of the past: a king from Bethlehem, the city of David. The assertion of the prophet was a blessed assurance, which will strengthen the people in their difficult moment. The people were encouraged to have faith and trust in God, because their present situation is only a passing phase in their life and will not remain permanent.

In the gospel reading, the action of our Mother Mary prepares us for what we look forward to and we are expecting to celebrate in no distant time. Today Mary decides to visit her cousin Elizabeth, not minding the distance. Not minding the fact that she just had an encounter with an angel and the meeting was life changing; and is going to bring forth something that has never happened before and may expose her to a challenging situation from her people. In view of her response to the situation, we see a very selfless woman that is concerned about her sister Elizabeth’s joy, a woman who is willing to share her life with the other. Just like our mother Mary, the season of advent invites us to partake in the lives of our sisters and brothers. To share our lives with others, to empty ourselves for the sake of others, to bring smiles to the faces of the less privileged and the most abandoned, to share what we have with others and give people reasons to celebrate. This is exactly what our Mother Mary did in today’s gospel.

My sisters and brothers in Christ, on this 4th Sunday of advent the Lord encourage us through our liturgy to imbibe this selfless culture of our Mother Mary in our daily lives. This is a culture of self-giving, a culture of sharing, and selflessness. It should not just end with the celebration of Christmas; we should strive to make it our lifestyle. As long as we live our lives this way, we can always be assured that God will be close to us. This is because we will meet Him in all those we share our lives with. As we continue to prepare for Christmas, the Lord is saying that there is need to put smiles on the faces of all those who encounter us by giving them reasons to look forward to the coming of Christ at Christmas. It is important that we do all within our means to make this happen. So many people are in need of our help, the orphans, the widows, and the most abandoned. All these and those that have nobody to provide for them should be our priorities this season.

Therefore, it is our duty at this time to reach out to them just like our Mother Mary did to her cousin Elizabeth and God will continue to bless us in all our endeavours. This singular action will attract the blessings of God to both us and our families. This is because according to the Scriptures in 2 Cor.9:6-7, we are told that God loves a cheerful giver. So make yourself that cheerful giver today. Let us continue to give cheerfully and attract the blessings of God. It is my prayer that on this 4th Sunday of advent that God will grant us the graces we need to be selfless and charitable. Peace be with you! Amen!

 

 

 

Homily for the 4th Sunday of Advent Year C, by Fr. Jude Ifeanyi Ifezime, C.S.Sp