Homily: Fourth Sunday of Advent
Fourth Sunday of Advent (Luke 1:39-45) “What Do I give birth to?”
A lot of symbols are used in Advent that help us prepare for the coming of the Lord. We have light and darkness for example. The story of Jesus begins in darkness, the darkness of his mother’s womb. We remember that all our lives began in the womb.
We might think that our consciousness begins when we move down the birth canal and come into the light at birth. But that is really isn’t the way it works. We begin to perceive reality before we are ever born. Our time in the womb is a time of development, physically, mentally and spiritually.
We are learning more about this every day. If a mother goes through a traumatic pregnancy, for example, a baby perceives the mother’s anxiety. And this can affect a baby’s development. If a fetus has a pleasurable time in the womb the health of a child is enhanced.
For this reason, it has been said that it is good to play music for a baby in the womb. Also, it is said that it is good for a mother to read to her baby while the child is in her womb. A fetus begins to be able to hear what is going on in the world at the beginning of the second trimester of pregnancy. When a woman begins to read to her child in the womb the child will begin to bond with the mother’s voice. And this can be a very important thing in the child’s development.
Perhaps these facts about child development can help us understand what is going on in the Gospel story from Luke we read today. In the early church, it was said Mary conceived Jesus on three levels. She conceived through her ears. She heard the word of God that came from the Angel Gabriel. Secondly, Mary conceived in her heart because she absorbed the message of the angel pondering what she was being asked to do. Finally, what she heard and what she reflected on led to the conception of Jesus in her womb.
Mary then went to see her cousin Elizbeth. The journey wasn’t an easy one because Elizabeth lived a hundred miles away. Mary didn’t go to her cousin because she didn’t believe the angel. Mary rushed to Elizabeth’s side because she wanted validation. The validation came from someone who understood the experience Mary was having.
Clearly, Elizabeth did understand because she utters the most sublime of beatitudes. “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” Truly it is a blessing to trust in the Lord completely. Too often we talk ourselves out of a virtuous course of action because it doesn’t reflect the values of the world. Elizabeth and Mary didn’t let doubt overshadow them. No, they let God’s grace lead them.
The episode from Luke that we read today reinforces how important it is for faith to take root in our hearts. Mary sought understanding about what was happening in her life. She received it. When the John the Baptist heard Mary’s greeting, when he felt his mother’s happiness, he leaped with joy in his mother’s womb
Elizabeth shared what she felt with the Blessed Virgin Mary, it was a reassurance for Mary that the course of action she was taking was a manifestation of the spirit. The two women rejoiced together in the special role they were being called to play in life of Jesus.
As believers we aren’t to be passive spectators. When we hear the word of God with our ears does that word pass through one ear and out the other ear? Or do we capture the word of God in our hearts reflecting on it while asking what we are being called to do for Jesus. What do we give birth to in our lives? Are we people who reflect apathy about our Christian commitment? Or are we people who reflect enthusiasm about Christian life to the world? Jesus grew slowly in the womb. He then burst forth to redeem the world. During Advent, hopefully, we have let the presence of Jesus grow slowly in us so that at Christmas we can leap for joy as we contemplate sharing our faith in Jesus with all those, we meet and will meet in life.