OMELIE / Omelie EN

26/6/2016

24/12/2017  4th Sunday of Advent - B

24/12/2017  4^th Sunday of Advent - B

Reading 1, Second Samuel 7,1-5.8-12.14.16 * Psalm 88 * Reading 2, Romans 16,25-27 * Gospel, Luke 1,26-38

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you”! With these words the angel replies to Mary, who has asked him because she did not know what she was supposed to do in order for what he announced her to become true! How relieved was the girl, young indeed, but already ready to put all her life at God’s service! The Holy Spirit will come! He is the one who intervenes in the life of whoever offers himself in order to fulfill the Father’s word! The Holy Spirit, in a way that is very mysterious for us, will arrange for Mary to bear a child, “holy and … called Son of God”! Mary will have a child coming from above, that will not come from will or human skills and, even if he will be born from a woman, he will be son of God, he will have in himself fullness of divinity! How difficult is to understand and how easy is to be mistaken! Knowing that God is love, let us welcome this mystery with joy! With this awareness we do not have a hard time in giving to a man the title, the honor, and the obedience that are due to God! Mary accepts it and she offers herself: “let it happen to me as you have said”! In this way Mary begins to wait for the Messiah of her people in a completely new way. Before, she was waiting for him believing that he would come from who-knows-where and who knows-when, and that maybe she would never meet him; she was imagining him like someone who would take only an indirect interest in her! Now her waiting is completely different: only her knows, only her is bound, only her is involved!

Mary’s waiting is silent, and makes her joy deep and perfect, a joy coming from the consciousness to be in communion with God, a joy that gives the strength to overcome any difficulty!

In the imminence of the Christmas rite we see in front of us the character of the Virgin while she awaits, who helps us to live our waiting. We will try to join in her love!

Mary is waiting for the Baby, she awaits him with love, and she demonstrates her love living for him and offering herself to him!

Together with her we will start waiting not for a celebration, but for the Baby, waiting for this life that is coming in the world, confused and full of noise, in order to enlighten it and introduce it to silence. In our heart too will bloom the praise blooming on the apostle’s lips: “to him, the only wise God, give glory through Jesus Christ for ever and ever. Amen.”! We will sing for ever, like the Psalm says. The allegiance promisd by God to his people is coming into effect, the king’s throne becomes beautiful, loving and firm, because the king to come rules among love and faithfulness! Thanks to him we will be able to say to God: You are my Father!

God had to wait for many centuries, way more than how many we are supposed to wait, in order to keep his promise! David had lived many centuries before, He was a shepherd of flocks of sheep when God rested his eyes upon him. God did not see in him any particular skill in order to choose him, on the contrary, he chose him because he was the smallestof the brothers, therefore it was impossible to glorify the man, but God’s love that chose him. David then, once become king, would like to build a stable home for God, a temple! This is the occasion that God gives in order for him to reflect on his inadequacy: he would be nobody if God himself did not choose and call him. It is going to be him, instead, the God of the Fathers, to strengthen his clan with the guarantee of a descendency and to stabilize his kingdom. Some decades after, however, that kingdom is divided, and it disappeares altogether. Has God been deceitful? Can we doubt him?

Here they are, the same promises reminded Mary by Gabriel! Hidden in Nazareth, she begins to live for that king who is coming, and with that “Son of God” that has been announced to her, without knowing anything more than what the angel has revealed only to her. Her waiting is filled by the giving of her self, of her time and of her energies. The Holy Spirit begins to take hold on her in order to make a gift of her, and she will be a present from God to the Son, and she will still remain a gift from God to us! Me and you too, we will be a gift from God when the Holy Spirit will be present in us, don’t you think?

I am joining her in order for me to take part in the waiting, even better, in order to give my life to her Son and put myself at his service, so, when he will reveal himself, there will already be someone serving him! I will do my part in building his kingdom, that is spreading on earth. And it does not matter if I am the only one to know, if I am the only one making an effort and involved!

Tomorrow is Christmas: are you ready? Have you prepared the heart all tidy, pure, free for the Son of God? Somewhere there is a priest waiting for you, ready to listen to your confession and to let you enjoy the confidence of our Father. We will sing together: Glory to God in the highest and we will enjoy true peace on earth!