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(22nd Dec 2024) Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

READ: (Mic 5: 2-5; Heb 10: 5-10; Lk 1: 39-44)

REFLECT: Believing in God’s promises, God’s will and blessedness of life is our peace…

Dear friends, we are in the fourth Sunday of Advent. The liturgy of the word invites us to reflect on how we can obtain peace in life. Peace is what the world wants. Peace of mind, peace of heart, peace of soul to function the works of the world with the right frame of mind and with a peaceful ambience and atmosphere. The world has lost the rhythm of life and no peace because of the surmounting crisis, corona pandemic, flood and other calamities.  So if there is no peace within, we will be broken into fragments or pieces. Then we need lots of time to bring into unity of broken pieces or fragments to peace within. Someone has very aptly said, in biblical sense, peace is not just an absence of conflict or violence rather taking action to restore broken situation. It is a state of wholeness and completeness and it is the fruit of the spirit. Today’s liturgy of the word helps us to understand as who gives peace, what can give us peace and how we can obtain that peace. Therefore, based on the liturgy of the word I would like to share with you three points of reflection.

1.      God Gives us peace and promises us peace:

We give gifts to people and we promise people many things, but have we ever promised to give peace to people those who are close to us, those who are around us and those who are not in terms with us? More than any other monetary gifts the best gift we could offer people is peace, because we all want to experience peace and live in peace. In all surety, none of us would be able to give us perfect peace, because we are imperfect and have our weaknesses that weaken at time our divine fiber preset in us. But Jesus gives us peace because he himself is peace. That’s what we hear in the first reading of the day.

The first reading from Prophet Micah ensures us saying, “O Bethlehem you who are little among the clan of Judah, from you I shall bring forth the ruler from Israel, He will feed his flock and make their dwelling secure and live in peace.” First of all there is an assurance given from the so-called place Bethlehem, which was considered as an insignificant village. It is an assurance given to the people that from Bethlehem, God would bring forth the rule for people Israel. Secondly, the words of God through prophet Micah finds delight among the hearts of people, because of the assurance of food for the people of Israel, safety and security of the dwelling place and above assurance peace in life. Yes, we have often times heard of the fundamental requirements for human beings to live, that is, food, clothing and shelter, but we see in the first reading from Prophet Micah that God assures more than the basic or fundamental amenities for human persons to live, food, safety, shelter and above all peace within to be and to experience happiness and harmony in life.

Today, it is an apt and appropriate time to ask ourselves as where do we find peace. Is it in the empty promises of people or in God, who assures of us his perfect peace for the world?  We look for peace in an unknown, unexpected places or people who cannot give us peace, but we forget God, who assures and promises to give us perfect peace and harmony in life. The promise of God through Prophet Micah to the people of Israel is a vivid example that God offers us to understand his love and care for us. So we need to dispose ourselves accordingly to God, repaying our love for God, who gives peace to obtain peace, although our repayment of love or peace is inadequate. We need to realize that the world will give us peace within its own limits and it is limited but only God can give us peace beyond the world, giving us satisfaction and happiness and giving us peace. So we need to understand that God gives perfect peace to people, who believe in him, entrust one’s life into his hands and surrenders all that we have or we need.

Pope Francis very beautifully points out, “We cannot forget to pray for peace. War is always a defeat. Always, we ask for real peace for these peoples and for the whole world. Unfortunately, today, the investments that earn the most income are weapons factories. Terrible. Making money off death. We ask for peace.” Yes, we need to pray for the gift and promise of peace that God offers us in abundance. The reason we forget to pray for peace is that we have found satisfaction and happiness elsewhere outside than in God. If we look at our own lives, we would understand that we are disturbed, distracted and disoriented in many ways. In order to avoid such disturbances and distractions, we need God’s grace and peace. Let us then pray for gift of peace as God gives to those who seek him and as God promises to offer us the peace we need and we wish.

2.      God’s will is our peace:

We all know that will is a strong desire or determination to do something. All of us have the will to power and empower, but our power is not sufficient for we are limited in many ways. So similarly our all desires too cannot be fulfilled because God has to decide upon what we desire and he gives the final approval for accomplishments. God’s will or desire is more important than personal wishes, plans, desires and dreams. When we say “God’s will is our peace” it only manifests our trust in God’s sovereignty and goodness. It is by surrendering our desires and aligning with His plan, we experience a deep peace within that sustains us in all the circumstances and conditions of human life. That’s what we see in the second reading from the letter to the Hebrews, how God has offered us eternal peace in Jesus Christ, through his self-offering.

The letter to the Hebrews speaks of the supremacy of Christ and the sacrifice he has made once and for all, for love of us. It specifies as well that Jesus as a mediator of new covenant between God and us, giving us an emphasis that Jesus is the ultimate high priest and his sacrifice is perfect for all our sins. Thus, the letter to the Hebrews with its contents and message offers encouragement to remain steadfast in faith in times of persecution and trials and experience the promise that God has fulfilled in and through Jesus Christ. The second reading of the day from letter to the Hebrews, it is clear with the message that God is not merely satisfied with the offering that we offer nor God does not expect any offerings. What God wants us to understand that the sacrifice offered by God through his self-gift of Son Jesus is the pure offering, emerging from the abundance of God’s love and compassion for us. That’s what we hear too, “thou has not taken delight in sacrifices and offerings. Behold, I have come to do your will and by that will we have been sanctified through the offerings of Jesus Christ once for all.”

Yes, Jesus was a perfect sacrifice for the atonement and redemption of our sins.  There could be no other offerings match up with the offering of Jesus made selflessly on the cross. It was possible for Jesus, because Jesus considered the will of God as his basic food to nourish and cherish. That’s what we hear in the Gospel of John, “My food is to do the will of my Heavenly Father” (Jn 4:34). The second reading from the letter to the Hebrews spells out, “Behold, I have come to do your will. He abolishes the first in order to establish the second and by that will we have been sanctified by the self-offering of Christ.” Sure, God willed to send his Son Jesus and Jesus willed to fulfill what his Heavenly Father willed. Therefore, we see that humanity obtained peace by the will of God the Father and by the fulfillment of that will by Son Jesus. Today, it is not our will that should take upper hand rather the will of God to obtain peace in life.

We need to pray for and have the same mind of Christ, the basic or foundational passion of Jesus that is, doing God’s will in our lives. We need to realize that God’s will is always for our benefit, even when we cannot fully understand it in the moment. Although, we hear Jesus praying at the garden of Gethsemane at the time of excruciating hour, yet Jesus says, “Father, not my will but your will.” This is the power of God’s blessings and this is how God strengthens us when we try to do God’s will in our lives. We may experience or undergo painful experiences in life, but when we submit unto God’s will and trust in God, God sends us unstoppable blessings and strength, either to overcome or face it. So let us do God’s will and God will do wonders in our lives.

3.      Blessedness is peace:

St. Augustine has rightly defined peace as “the tranquility of order” and taught that the blessed life comes from aligning oneself with God's divine order. That’s why St.  Augustine could say, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” Yes, this rest or peace is a hallmark of being truly blessed. We all know that blessedness is the state or a condition of the one who is in God’s grace or found favor with God. We become blessed or sanctified by God’s grace and power. We have so many saints who have been blessed by God to be models of life to follow after the heart of Christ. Today we have one such person in the Gospel, Mary our blessed Mother who is called blessed because God was favorable or gracious to her. The blessedness of Mary was because of the presence of Jesus in her womb.

We see in the Gospel reading of the day, the word ‘blessed’ is used and addressed to Mother Mary three times; ‘Blessed are you among women’ ‘Blessed is the fruit of your womb’ ‘Blessed is she who believed that what God has spoken to her would be fulfilled. These three statements or phrases concerning Mother Mary give us a clear message, the significance of Mother Mary to Christ, Church and to us all. Mother Mary is blessed among all women on earth, because Mother Mary was chosen to bring forth the plan of God into the world and a savior to humankind; Mother Mary’s womb is blessed one, because Jesus was carried in the womb of Mother Mary;

Above all, Mother  Mary is blessed because she believed, trusted and confided in God completely that God would take care of her and would give the strength to bear all that Mother Mary may experience in her life, while bringing forth Jesus and being with Jesus on his way towards fulfilling God’s mission. Mother Mary believed in God’s plan for her and so became the beloved of God by his grace. The gracious presence of God in Mother Mary brought her blessedness of life.  So if we want to obtain peace then we need to be blessed in the sight of God and be found favor with God. If we want to be favorable in the sight of God then we need to please God in ways and means that God wishes and desires. His wishes and desires are given in the bible and his commandment. One of the peaceful offer of invitation Jesus gives us in the Gospel of John, “Peace I give to you; my peace I give to you. I do not give you peace the world gives” (Jn 14: 27). So let us not be troubled or afraid, because Jesus the prince of Peace is on our way to bless us with peace.

Today, the blessedness of a peaceful life can be obtained when we are constantly in touch with God. We need to remain grateful to God every moment of life. We need to see God in everything. Only then, we could bring about peace to humanity. Let us remember the words of St. Mother Teresa, “Peace begins with a smile.”  Let’s start promoting peace with a genuine smile and I am sure the peace of Christ will remain ever alive in our hearts. Let us understand that blessedness is not the absence of challenges but the presence of God’s peace amid them. It is the flourishing of the soul in God’s grace, leading to a life of contentment, joy, and purpose. At present, we don’t experience peace within and out, because we have misplaced our priorities.  We hesitate to reach out to people; we failed to pray and trust God in his promises and providence; we have our selfish motives to please and find satisfaction in oneself; we are not satisfied with what we are and what we have. All theses hinder us to obtain peace in our lives.

As Pope Francis beautifully points out, “Peace is made with our hands.  It is not only built by the powerful with their choices and their international treaties, we too can build peace, in our homes, in the family, among neighbors, in our workplaces, in the neighborhoods where we live.” Yes, praying hands bring peace to oneself and to others. Let us engage ourselves in prayer to be blessed in the sight of God and one another. Let us offer peace to humanity by the prayers we offer, the smiles we bring among people, the love that we manifest genuinely, sharing our warmth and happiness with one another. So let us believe that God gives us peace; let us pray that peace is obtained by doing God’s will and we shall pray that we be found favorable in God’s eyes by being blessed by God’s grace.

RESPOND:

Do we believe that God fulfills the offer of His peace and God promises peace in our lives?

Do we believe that God’s will brings us peace although initially it creates vacuum or emptiness?

Do we believe that blessedness of life by prayer and God’s grace can give us peace?

Let us believe in God’s offer of promises for peace, do God’s will and be blessed by the life prayer and grace to obtain peace in life. Amen.

God bless us all… Live Jesus!