Fourth Week of Advent – Promises Fulfilled!
First Reading
Reading 1
When King David was settled in his palace,
and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies on every side,
he said to Nathan the prophet,
“Here I am living in a house of cedar,
while the ark of God dwells in a tent!”
Nathan answered the king,
“Go, do whatever you have in mind,
for the LORD is with you.”
But that night the LORD spoke to Nathan and said:
“Go, tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD:
Should you build me a house to dwell in?’“
“‘It was I who took you from the pasture
and from the care of the flock
to be commander of my people Israel.
I have been with you wherever you went,
and I have destroyed all your enemies before you.
And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth.
I will fix a place for my people Israel;
I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place
without further disturbance.
Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old,
since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel.
I will give you rest from all your enemies.
The LORD also reveals to you
that he will establish a house for you.
And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,
I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,
and I will make his kingdom firm.
I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever.’”
Responsorial Psalm
Responsorial Psalm
The promises of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”;
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
“I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
and establish your throne for all generations.”
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
“He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.’
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm.”
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
Second Reading
Reading 2
Brothers and sisters:
To him who can strengthen you,
according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages
but now manifested through the prophetic writings and,
according to the command of the eternal God,
made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith,
to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ
be glory forever and ever.
Amen.
Gospel Reading
Alleluia
Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.
Catechesis At Home –“Promises Fulfilled”
Fourth Week of Advent – Year B
“Your kingdom will endure forever” (2 Samuel 7:16)
St. Paul proclaims that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the prophesies of the Messiah. (Romans 16:26)
The Annunciation, “He will be great…his kingdom will have no end.” (Luke 1:32-33)
The Old Testament is one great big promise – God will deliver His people from the darkness of sin and the hardships of this world. He promises it to Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:15), to Noah (Genesis 9:8-10), to Abraham (Genesis 12:2-3) and Isaac (Genesis 22:15-18), and Jacob (Genesis 28:13-15). He promises in Exodus to and through Moses (Exodus 6:2-8; 19-24). He promises it to David in today’s first reading (2 Samuel 7:11-16). And He does not let His chosen people forget the promises He made to them, even when they are in exile or enslaved.
Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.
Isaiah 49:15
When finally, finally the Messiah DOES arrive, hardly anyone recognizes Him. He is revealed first to a lowly young virgin who is called to a mighty calling – to be the mother of the Messiah(Luke 1:31).He is next revealed to a humble and just carpenter called to be His provider and protector on earth(Matthew 1:20-23). He is proclaimed to the shepherds at His birth (Luke 2:11), and Eastern magi see His star and come to worship Him (Matthew 1:2, 10-11).But, His own people, the Chosen People, for the most part do not recognize him (see last week’s gospel, John 1:26).
It is in Jesus Christ – Emmanuel – that God fulfills His promises of old. He comes to bring salvation and glory to ALL people. Anyone who puts their faith in the Lord, who invites the Lord into their hearts and lives, will be saved through His Incarnation, Passion, Death and Resurrection. Jesus did not have to come to earth as a human being, certainly not as a weak and needy infant born to poor parents. He could have come in glory the first time as it is promised to us at His Second Coming (Luke 17:24, 21:27).But, God chose this way to introduce us to Himself in a very special way. A Way that makes sense and fulfills every prophecy and promise.
This video by The Bible Project is a good recap of the above:
We humans are interesting creatures. We are both physical and spiritual beings. God created us to be different from the other animals and different from the angels. Because of our difference, He revealed Himself to us differently – slowly and in stages. That is what we call the Divine Pedagogy – the way that God teaches us about Himself; reveals Himself. The fulfillment of the covenants of the Old Testament in Jesus Christ, the New Covenant, is not something we can grasp very quickly or with absolute clarity in an instant, because of our special existence as both physical and spiritual beings and our concupiscence (our inclination toward sin contrary to reason, brought about by the Original Sin of disobeying God. Here is an in-depth definition.). So, it takes time to learn, develop our faith, and respond to the invitation that Jesus offers.
Humans are amphibians…half spirit and half animal…as spirits they belong to the eternal world, but as animals they inhabit time. This means that while their spirit can be directed to an eternal object, their bodies, passions, and imaginations are in continual change, for to be in time, means to change. Their nearest approach to constancy, therefore, is undulation–the repeated return to a level from which they repeatedly fall back, a series of troughs and peaks.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
In his wonderful book, The Screwtape Letters (this is a link to the videos, read by John Cleese), Lewis explains how we are of both worlds, and while that makes us complicated creatures, it causes us to have moments of insight and clarity and revelation about God, and moments of base instinct and unintentional ignoring of God – the troughs and peaks he mentions.
Everyone has a different way of responding to the invitation of the Messiah. Some, like Mary and Joseph, without question follow the will of God. Others struggle with the hardships of the Way and fall into temptation, like the man Jesus chose to be our first pope, St. Peter. Still others take a very long time coming to the Lord like St. Augustine. It doesn’t really matter how you come to follow Jesus, it just matters that you DO follow Jesus. We learn that in the parable of the Vineyard workers (Matthew 20:1-16).
This final week of Advent reminds us of the promises of God and Jesus’ fulfillment of those promises. How do you respond to Jesus and the fulfillment of those promises in your own life?
Activity:
Think of a time (or times) when you have made a promise but did not keep it.
How did you feel?
Why?
Think of a time (or times) when you have made a promise and kept it.
How did you feel?
Why?
Why is it so important that someone keeps their promise to us?
Why is it important for us to keep our promises to others? (Hint: Matthew 5:37)
Look at the lyrics of these popular Christmas Carols (Hymns). They speak of the promises of God and the fulfillment of those promises in Jesus Christ. Let us sing these and other hymns with the faith we are called to have in our Savior – Emmanuel!
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Lyrics
God rest ye merry, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember, Christ, our Savior
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan’s power
When we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
In Bethlehem, in Israel,
This blessed Babe was born
And laid within a manger
Upon this blessed morn
The which His Mother Mary
Did nothing take in scorn
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
From God our Heavenly Father
A blessed Angel came;
And unto certain Shepherds
Brought tidings of the same:
How that in Bethlehem was born
The Son of God by Name.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
Now to the Lord sing praises,
All you within this place,
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace;
This holy tide of Christmas
All other doth deface.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing Lyrics
Hark! the herald angels sing:
“Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled”
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With angelic hosts proclaim:
“Christ is born in Bethlehem”
Hark! the herald angels sing:
“Glory to the newborn King!”
Christ by highest Heav’n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord!
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin’s womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with us to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! the herald angels sing:
“Glory to the newborn King!”
Hail the Heav’n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris’n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that we no more may die
Born to raise each child of earth
Born to give us second birth
Hark! the herald angels sing:
“Glory to the newborn King!”
How does your family prepare for Jesus during Advent?
Other Things on HOO
Being On The Road To Perfection – Episode 166
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:32 — 22.6MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | Blubrry | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More Subscribe Options
We are called to be perfect, as we discussed last week.
So, what does being on the road to perfection look like?
If Jesus was “finished” and his ministry was “completed,” as it means when He said, “It is done,” by saying, “It is perfected” just before He died on the Cross, He must have walked a road to perfection.
And so must we.
In this episode we discuss that concept, in terms of what we are doing and how we respond to the call for our life.
It’s a simple concept, and a difficult task, but we have the example of Our Lord which, from the proper perspective, is not an impossible example to follow and exemplify.
0 Comments