Fourth Sunday of Advent
As we move through the closing days of Advent, we keep in mind the call we have to make room for Jesus to enter more deeply into our hearts and lives. And as we reflect on the Scripture readings for this Fourth Sunday of Advent, we are reminded that making room for Jesus involves a willingness to undergo conversion.
In our first reading (Isaiah 7:10-14), Isaiah goes to King Ahaz, brining a message from God: “ask f or a sign from the Lord, your God; let it be deep as the netherworld, or high as the sky!” Can you imagine what an offer that is? But Ahaz replies, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!” What?! It seems that Ahaz has his own plans for getting out of the difficulty that he and Israel are in. Ahaz was not open to trust in God more than his own machinations. But God told him that he would receive a sign anyway: “the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.”
Sometimes we can be like Ahaz. We can be set in our ways, set in our presumptions about others, that we ignore the signs that God gives us, through listening to the Scriptures and the experiences of others, through prayer, and through the experiences of our own lives.
We can hear Jesus say things that seem outrageous to us, such as “forgive seventy-seven times,” or “love your enemies,” and decide that they are too far out to take seriously.
We often prefer to stay where we are.
But in our other Scripture readings, we hear about two people who were not afraid of conversion. In our second reading (Romans 1:1-7), St. Paul greets the Christians in Rome, introducing himself as “a slave for Christ, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God…the gospel about his Son…Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him we have received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles…” We know from the acts of the Apostles, and from his own letters, that Paul did not start out as an apostle for Christ among the Gentiles. In his encounter with Christ on the way to Damascus to arrest Christians, Paul was converted. And we can see that Paul had to change his attitudes about Christians and perhaps even Gentiles.
In our Gospel reading (Matthew 1:18-24), Joseph has found that his betrothed, Mary, is pregnant. He, understandably, assumes that Mary has been unfaithful. So he decides to divorce her. But he doesn’t want to expose her to shame or harm (Remember Jesus and the woman caught in adultery). So he plans to divorce her quietly, and they go their separate ways.
But an angel appears in a dream, explains Mary’s pregnancy, and tells Joseph what God has planned for Mary and himself.
Matthew tells us that Joseph did as he was commanded and took Mary into his home. Again, Joseph had to change his assumptions about Mary and what happened, and put his trust in God.
These are times when the world seems to be full of accusations and counteraccusations, and nothing can change people’s hearts when it comes to considering those who are seen as “other.” But there are people willing to be engaged in dialogue and gaining understanding and growing in compassion. And even more importantly, Jesus has shown us time and time again that opening our hearts to Him involves opening our hearts to each other.
May we be open to the signs that God gives us, so that God can work whatever conversion and healing need to take place. Come, Lord Jesus!
I welcome any comments or questions. Thanks for your time.
In Christ Who Is to Come,
Phil, CP
