OMELIE / Omelie EN

24 dic 2023

24/12/2023 - 04th Sunday of Advent - year B

24/12/2023 - 04^th Sunday of Advent - year B

Reading 1 2SAM 7,1-5.8-12.14.16 Psalm 88 Reading 2 RM 16,25-27 Gospel LK 1,26-38

The king David wanted to build a solid temple instead of the tent, always temporary, for the Arc which contains the Signs of God’s Presence. Nathan, the prophet, with his reasoning approves David's desire: your desire is really great, it will need to be seen through. God will certainly appreciate it.

But the prophet has trusted his own judgement without asking God Himself, without interrogating His wisdom and His will. So God has to step in to amend the words of the prophet Nathan, because David’s desires are too human, too small and weak.

The temple will be built, yes, but only in another time, and only under God’s instruction. First of all God, who has chosen David while he was looking after the sheep, wants to establish the basis of a dwelling among men themselves, not only and not really within four stone walls, it does not matter how grand and permanent they might be. He will be among men in a man’s flesh, a Man to live with, a Man to be loved by and a Man able to receive our love. David’s dynasty is the place in which a King who will bring God on earth will establish Himself!

Nathan’s words to David are the same the Angel Gabriel repeats to Mary. This girl from Nazareth, simple and fragile, is really disturbed when she hears addressed to her a promise addressed by the prophets to the whole people. What does it mean, the words addressed to everyone are now addressed to her only? The angel does not wait for Mary to answer, he begins explaining his message by using other words written or said by the prophets. “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son”, as Isaiah said about the virgin announced as a sign of God’s salvation to the king Achab. This son, who she will bear and give birth to and name «Jesus», will have the “throne of David”, and “will rule forever”. Now we know the following of the story and we know how much has happened since then.

Great things have happened in the whole world since that Son was born, and great changes in the life and habits of the peoples only thanks to His presence. New peoples have appeared, rich in fraternal love, rich in initiatives full of true and selfless love, which have substantially changed the way men live on earth. This is why we are celebrating joyfully and solemnly His birth, His coming into the world, not only as a great feast, above all with the renewal of our own conversion.

Let us try to look at that Son while He is immersing Himself in the poverty a humility maintained by Mary, and to let ourselves be involved in that humility and poverty, which became so beautiful because they make the world beautiful, the faces beautiful, good the hearts of the people who, even if only symbolically, are preparing themselves to stroke the Child.

Let us make our coherence to converting from selfishness to love steadfast, by repeating the words Mary told the Angel: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word”!

This behaviour of being obedient to the faith is our most beautiful conversion, the one which makes happy God’s heart, the one which is getting ready to welcome the Son and live his presence within us, to live His very mission in the world. In fact, we desire that He may be known and loved, welcomed and listened to by everyone, for their own lasting benefit.

The men live immersed in the fruit of selfishness, in the sufferings they themselves create: Jesus’s presence gives the ability to renew the relationships between the people with true love, without faking anything. We really wish everyone knew Him, because they could change their life and, winning over their passions with the strength of His Spirit, could start living on earth a life of peace and justice, start the kingdom of heaven, God’s kingdom!