Year in Review

4th Sunday of Advent – Cycle A

Is 7:10-14, PS 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, ROM 1:1-71, Gospel: MT 1:18-24

What effect has Advent had on me?
At the beginning of Advent Father Wojciech invited us to make this Advent a journey into a deeper relationship with Christ.  Now that we stand at the end of Advent, with the celebration of Christmas just a few days away, so it is time to ask the question

What has been the impact of Advent on my life? 

• Have I prepared the way for the Lord?  
• Have I opened my heart to His love?  
• Am I able to begin to marvel at the humility and love that God has for me?

Has Advent prepared me for a deeper relationship with Christ?
One of the challenges for Advent is for us to deepen our life of prayer with the Lord.  By this mean a deeper awareness of our conversation with God and his response to us through the events of our lives this year. 

Stay Awake!  Prepare the way of the Lord!
This year Advent began with the admonition - Stay Awake! for you know not the hour when Christ will come.  Then for the next two weeks we heard about the coming of St. John the Baptist and how he called us to prepare the way of the Lord.  The Gospel today departs from John and focuses on Mary and St. Joseph - and their relationship to one another and to Christ. 

Time for a Year in Review / What is the Reality of my Faith Life?
Now is the time for all of the news agencies to begin reflecting on the significance of 2019.  There will be stories about politics, violence, deaths, and other events of the year.  I would like us to take a moment and reflect on our own, personal year in review.  Take a moment and reflect - How has the Lord revealed himself to me this year?  To help with this reflection you can think about this past year in three or four areas of your life. 

• Suffering - Did I encounter suffering this year?
• In my work?  In my family?  Illness?  Death?
• Charity - Did I encounter (give or receive) charity this year?
• How have I helped others in need?
• How have I shared my treasure?  time?  talent?
• Prayer - Did I deepen my relationship with God through prayer this year?
• Is my prayer life better, worse, the same?

[PAUSE]

Isaiah - Ahaz = Suffering without Faith
In the first reading we hear about King Ahaz of Judah.  His mission was to lead the people of Israel to have faith in God, but he failed, and instead had faith in the Assyrians.

Isaiah tells Ahaz to ask God for a sign, without limit.  Ahaz’s response is “God can’t help me”.  He is trapped in his suffering and has not accepted the Good News that God has for him in that moment.  He is not anchored in his faith - he does not know how to ask.  He does not know how to pray.  He says I will not tempt the Lord!

The reality of Ahaz’s faith life is revealed through his in-action.

Isaiah prophesies, and Mary fulfills responding to suffering with prayer and action.
Mary is suffering the humiliation of the judgement of her community because she is pregnant outside of marriage.  Instead of despairing in God, she rejoices for the Lord is making himself known to her and through her into the world. 

• Mary responds with Humility, is open to God’s will and Conceives (Fiat)  
• Mary faith is fruitful - she carries her Son
• Mary practices charity.  She shares the fruit of her faith with the World.  She names her son Emmanuel (God is with us) 

The reality of Mary’s faith life is revealed through her actions

Joseph’s Vocation (Gospel)
In the Gospel, St. Joseph also encounters the Lord in the events of his life.  How does he respond

• He was a righteous man - He knew the Law and its demands
• He was a compassionate man - He did not want to expose Mary to shame
• He was a prayerful and obedient man - he listened to the word of the Angel.

The reality of his faith life is revealed through his actions

Where is my faith life?  What is my world like? (Psalm)
Let us return to our reflection on the events of our lives this year.  The Psalm today can help guide our reflections on the actions of God to see the wonders he is working even in our own lives.

Suffering
God establishes his kingdom on the seas and rivers (Chaos / Death / Suffering in our lives.

In the midst of this Chaos God creates land, and a people
Then he leads his people up His Mountain to be with Him.

God reaches down into my suffering and lifts my feet up out of the mud.  

Have I allowed the Lord to establish his land in the chaos of my life?

Where is my Heart?  (Psalm)
The psalmist goes on to encourage us to have a life of Faith like Mary and St. Joseph.  Who can climb the Mountain of the Lord?  Who can stand in his holy place?

• The one whose hands are sinless
• Are my actions virtuous or sinful?
• Whose heart is clean?
• Are my thoughts virtuous or sinful?
• Who desires not what is vain
• Are my desires for the Lord and His will?  or focused on my own selfishness?

The more we prepare the way for Christ - the more his Holiness is present in us and through us into the world. 

St Paul reminds us of our Mission as Christians
Death has no power over Christ - because his holiness is not subject to death.

• St Paul says that we are called to be Holy.  (Vocation)
• Our mission is to open up our hearts to the presence of God.
• Humble ourselves to be able to do God’s will in the world.  

Through God we receive clarity about how we are to live out our vocation.

For St. Paul it was an Apostleship to proclaim the good news to the Gentiles
Participating in our mission brings about an obedience to the faith we have received.

May we accompany God this week as we carry out this mission.