Homily: 4th Sunday of Advent 2018

In just two days we will celebrate the birth of Mary’s child – Jesus, the Son of God, the son of Mary – born fully human and fully divine.  And our finest Christmas present is something that we already have, independent of who we are, what we have done or what we have failed to do.  What is it?  Check it out.

For the Podcast of the homily, click here

For the text of the homily, click here

For the readings of this Sunday, click here

O Emmanuel

O Emmanuel, our king and our Lord, The anointed for the nations and their Savior: Come and save us, O Lord our God.

As Christmas Day draws ever closer and we explore this last O Antiphon: Emmanuel – God with us, I am contemplating the one present I think everyone may want. A clue would be that one size fits all and it is quite inexpensive.  That gift is affirmation from those we love and those who love us. What everyone truly wants and needs is recognition of who they are, and to be seen for the good that is inside each of us. The delightful news is that this is the very Gift that God longs to give us.

Like many little boys, our youngest son, Jake had days when he was very difficult to be with – a day at school which did not go well or when he was sick with his frequent sinus problems. Those would be the days when he would be on a rampage, alternately slapping at his brothers then begging to play with them.  The antidote often was to take him on a walk to one of the local nature trails.  He was, and still is, very adept at spotting hidden wildlife and seeing something beautiful in nature.  What Jake desperately needed at those times was for me to recognize his strength. Those were the days when he needed the most love. I would say "so glad I brought along my wonderful Nature Observer.”


What is the talent that God sees in you even on your worst day?  As the O Antiphons conclude today, we can look back at the seven different names given to God in these prayers. But when God looks at you and says “O” with great delight, what praise name do you think God bestows upon you?

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Homily: Fourth Sunday of Advent

We gather this week, maybe holding onto our children a bit tighter than usual and praying for each other and our families as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ.  But as the events of these past ten days fall into the background of the season, many find themselves still holding onto the key question:

What can we do?

We know we can’t wave a magic wand and make guns go away.  We can’t snap our fingers and eliminate violence and evil. We can’t keep thinking that this stuff only happens someplace else, to other people in other places.

What can we do? 

So on this fourth Sunday of Advent, days before Christmas, we find ourselves praying for a town and its people that are steeped in deep darkness as they look to regain a spark of that same light. And we gather around the light of four Advent candles seeking the answer to the same question:

What can we do?

And maybe, just maybe this Sunday’s gospel sheds some needed light on that nagging question.

Click here for the Sunday readings

Click here for the homily text

Click here for the podcast

O Emmanuel

O Emmanuel, our king and our Lord, The anointed for the nations and their Savior: Come and save us, O Lord our God.

With the O Antiphons concluding today, those playful 8^th century Christian monks added a twist to the prayers by having the first letters of the Latin words spell out (in reverse order) the acrostic ero cras, which translates: "tomorrow I will be," thus heralding the birth of the one who is to be called Jesus.

"Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel." (Isa 7:14)

Emmanuel: God with Us. Jesus the Christ is present, here and now, dwelling within us, always present to us.  Thus the greatest present you have and the one that you can give time and time again – is the presence of the God who dwells within you, the God who loves you, the God who is Emmanuel.

 

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.