Homily for 4th Sun Adv, Year B
Fr. Albert
St. Peter’s, New Iberia, LA
With just a few hours left, are you prepared for Christmas? Gifts purchased and wrapped? Decorations complete? Lunch and dinner planned for family and friends? Now, what would happen if a royal guard were to show up at the door and announce that Queen Elizabeth was coming to your Christmas lunch? Or, if secret service told you that your favorite president was coming. Would you be prepared then? What if they not only wanted to visit, but wanted to move in and take over?
The announcement of Gabriel makes to Mary is even more extraordinary. He tells her that her child will inherit the throne of King David and that he will rule forever. The problem is, King David’s royal descendants haven’t been in power for over 500 years. To be a descendant of David did not mean money, power, or comfort. Just ask Joseph, a descendant of a King, yet a poor carpenter. Even worse, trying to claim David’s old throne would likely get you killed.
So, when Mary is told that her son will inherit the throne, she knows it will be difficult, that it will dominate the rest of her life. Yet, she asks only one question: “How can this be?” No questions about money or palaces. No concerns about taking power back from the Romans. She doesn’t even ask why it has to be her. Mary is betrothed to Joseph, and about to move in with her husband. But the most surprising thing about an angel appearing to her with a prophecy of an everlasting kingdom is the fact that she will get pregnant? Doesn’t Mary know that married women tend to get pregnant? Yes, she does. So, why the surprise? And is it so easy for to say yes to all of this? Strangely enough, the answers to both of those questions are closely connected.
And those answers begin with the story of King David. David is one of the most famous people in all of history. Just about every Jew, every Muslim, and every Christian knows something of his story. That’s already half the population of the planet! God did promise that David would be famous like the great ones of the earth, and it’s pretty clear that he kept this promise.
God also promised that David’s throne – his kingdom – would last forever and that David’s son would be called a son to God himself. We know that those two promises are fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who now reigns forever in heaven. It took 1000 years and a whole lot of suffering and confusion, but those who trusted in God’s promises saw their fulfillment. They saw it right here in Mary’s yes to God. God always keeps his promises. But what does it take for God to make a promise? And why make the promise to King David?
Well, we have to remember that God is love, and that God’s love comes first. He chooses us and calls us. His plan is mysterious to us. Still, that doesn’t make us mere puppets; Our decisions really do matter. And, in this case, King David makes a very important decision. As a king, he lives in beautiful palace, but the ark of Covenant – the presence of God – is kept in a tent. So, he decides he wants to build a worthy home for God: a temple.
You see, King David was always focused on honoring God. Despite his sins and weakness, he constantly sought for ways to love and glorify God. His desire to build the temple was no different. But it’s strange… God doesn’t let him build the temple – David’s son gets to do that – but God apparently approves of the desire to honor him. Because, almost in a single breath, God goes from turning down David’s plan to promising him fame and an everlasting kingdom. So often, that is how God works. We try to please God, to serve him in some way. He is glad to see our efforts, but has a different plan. He takes our desire and transcends it, transforming our efforts into something better than we ever could have imagined.
And that’s what explains Mary’s rather strange encounter with an angel. Mary always wanted to please God. She planned to dedicate her whole life to God, even to the point of remaining a virgin as a sign of her total dedication. That is why, even though she was betrothed to Joseph, she was surprised that an angel told her she would get pregnant. This was not her plan, but God’s plan was better. David’s desire for a temple was fulfilled, just not in the way he expected. Mary’s desire to remain a virgin was fulfilled, yet she still became a mother. God took their holy desires, fulfilled, transformed, and transcended them to fit his own mysterious, beautiful plan for the salvation of the whole world.
But how this works out is not always obvious to us. David’s kingdom technically fell apart within 100 years. Mary was almost divorced though she never sinned. Jesus, instead of sitting on David’s throne, was nailed to the cross. What about God’s promises to you? What about your desire to please and serve God? Do you feel abandoned? Betrayed? Worn out? So has every saint that has ever lived. God always keeps his promises, though we don’t always see how.
And faith in that truth is how Mary answered the way she did. Like King David, Mary spent her whole life wanting to serve God. Even with the surprising addition of a virginal pregnancy, she was ready to accept the plan of God for her. “May it be done to me according to your word.” She knew it would mean suffering. She knew it would mean being misunderstood and feeling alone. But she also knew the same secret that King David knew. She knew that nothing would be wasted if she kept God at the center of her life, at the center of her own kingdom.
In the end, all of this is about putting God first. The whole story of Ancient Israel and King David, all of scripture, and all of Church teaching points us back to the one thing that matters most: Putting God First. Whether or not you are prepared for Christmas, whether or not you realize it, your King is coming, and soon. He wants to enter your home, to share your meals, and yes, to take over your entire life. But, he also knows it’s the only thing that will make you truly happy.
That’s why we’re required to go to Mass every Sunday. That’s why we’re required to go to Mass twice in two days. We come to Mass give to worship to God, not to get something. And yet, it is in giving that we receive. Nowhere is this more true than in our relationship with God. Yes, God will probably change whatever we try to give him. He will almost certainly take your plans and good intentions and transform them. But he will also transcend them. Do not be discouraged if you never seem to live up to what you want to do for God. Do not be discouraged if you cannot see how God will keep his promise. In the end, the only thing that will matter… the only thing that will save you is the willingness to say with Mary “May it be done to me according to your word.”
