4th Sunday of Advent
year B 2017:
I know that it is
almost Christmas. This is the shortest 4th
week of Advent possible. But, at this
Mass we still take a moment to prepare for Christmas. We hear the encounter between Mary and the
angel. Last week I was at St. Charles
for a penance service. Fr. Dennis read
this passage, then called attention to 2 lines from Gabriel. These two lines are spoken to Mary. But, since Mary is a representative for all
of us, they are spoken to us as well.
The first one: do
not be afraid. Put yourself in Mary’s
shoes for a minute. I’m sure she was
going about her day, minding her own business, when an angel from heaven just
shows up in her life. I think any one of
us would be afraid. Not to mention his
message: you will conceive the Son of God.
Yikes. Talk about anxiety. Who could say yes to something like that
without being afraid. So the angel
addresses her fears: do not be afraid, have faith.
What about
us? There are many things that can cause
us fear and anxiety and worry. The angel
tells us: do not be afraid. The little
baby of Nazareth is God’s proclamation: do not be afraid, I have not forgotten
you. God is immanently close to us. No matter what may cause us fear, do not be
afraid, for God is truly with us.
The second line to
which Fr. Dennis called our attention was: nothing is impossible for God. Gabriel pointed to the example of Elizabeth
to reassure Mary that God can do the impossible. God fulfills his promises. God can and does do amazing things.
This is a powerful
message to us too. How many times do we
feel lost or hopeless. Maybe it’s an illness,
maybe it’s a struggle against addiction, depression. Maybe it just feels like life is beating us
down and it’s hard to put one foot in front of the other. Let this message from the angel fill you with
hope: do not be afraid, for nothing is impossible for God. Again, the little baby of Nazareth shows us
that God can do the unthinkable, the unimaginable, the impossible. Nothing is impossible for God.
My friends
Christmas is right around the corner.
God is coming to us. Let the
message of the angel live in your hearts.
Do not be afraid, nothing is impossible for God. Open your hearts to Christ, he is coming
soon.
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