Homily for the 4th Sunday in Advent - December 20, 2020

Readings can be found here.

             “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.  May it be done to me according to your word.”  This statement is known as Mary’s fiat to the Lord.  With this seemingly simple statement, Mary totally commits herself to God and God’s plan for her.  It couldn’t have been easy for Mary to do so.  Let’s put ourselves in her place for a moment.  Imagine being a young woman two thousand years ago.  You are engaged to be married and are a virgin.  Then, unexpectedly, you receive visit from an angel of God.  That alone would be frightening and amazing enough!  And then the angel pays homage to you, saying “Hail, full of grace!”  A greeting such as “hail” would have been given to a king or an emperor, such as Caesar.

            You’re then told that you will conceive by the Holy Spirit and be the mother of God!  How will you tell your fiancé about this?  What will he think?  What if he rejects you?  In Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus, Joseph initially intended to divorce her quietly when he found out.  Becoming pregnant outside of marriage could have meant being stoned to death.  Mary even questions on how it would be possible for her to become pregnant at all.

            However, the angel provides an answer for Mary that I believe allowed her to make up her mind.  The angel says to her “nothing is impossible for God”.  It is then she gives her fiat.  And what allowed her to take the angel at his word?  It was her deep faith in God.  Mary trusted God with all her being.  She had faith that whatever trials may come, God would see her through since she was doing God’s will.

            Mary is the perfect model for us in our own relationship with God and with her Son Jesus.  This is the final Sunday in Advent.  Christmas is just a few short days away.  How have we been preparing ourselves for the coming of our Lord on Christmas Day?  I’m sure we’ve been busy decorating our homes, shopping for gifts, sending Christmas cards, etc.  We may have purchased gifts for the giving tree or donated our time and treasure for charity.  Perhaps we’ve been preparing ourselves spiritually as well.  Fr. Joe has been preaching on the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  If you haven’t already, I highly recommend the use of this wonderful sacrament of healing to prepare your heart. 

            What did Mary do to prepare for the birth of her Son?  The passage following today’s Gospel tells us.  It says, “During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.”  Mary found out she was to conceive the Son of God but her first thought after saying “Yes” to God was for her relative Elizabeth.  She went “in haste” to see her relative.  Mary prepared for the birth of Jesus by spending the first three months of her pregnancy in the service of another person.

            Mary is also a model for us to have the courage to do God’s will.  While Mary had many joys in her life, she had many trials as well.  When she and Joseph presented Jesus in the Temple, Simeon told her a sword would pierce her.  This was certainly the case as she saw her Son suffer on the Cross.  This courage to do God’s will came from Mary’s prayer life.  We’re told many times that Mary kept things in her heart.  Mary was a woman of contemplation.  There are many ways we can be like Mary and deepen our prayer life.  One is to pray the Rosary.

            I’m sure many of you already pray the Rosary regularly.  However, I know from personal experience that some may find this devotion difficult.  I must truthfully admit that for a long time, I resisted having a devotion to Mary.  My wife can tell you I even had a bit of an attitude about it.  I thought to myself, “why do I need to pray to Mary when I can cut out the middleman and pray to Jesus directly.”  However, one Lent, I felt called to pray the Rosary as an additional spiritual practice a couple of times a week.  That led me to praying the Rosary daily.  And in praying the Rosary, I got to know Mary on a personal basis.  What I discovered is that the more devoted I became to Mary, the more she guided that devotion away from her and toward her Son Jesus.  Mary always points us to her Son.  And the closer I got to Mary, the deeper my relationship became with Jesus.

            Mary is our greatest model of faith in God.  Mary fully trusted in God and said “Yes” to God’s plan for her.  Her faith gave her courage in times of trial.  She put the needs of others before herself.  Mary spent much time in prayer and contemplation.  Above all, Mary points us to her Son Jesus and invites us to have a deeper relationship with Him, especially as we pray the Rosary.

            Holy Mary, as we approach the celebration of the birth of your Son, pray that we too might have the faith and courage to say to God “may it be done to me according to your word”.  Pray that we may follow your example in living out our faith and point others to your Son as you point us to Him.  Amen.