Fourth Sunday of Advent B December 21, 2008

Gospel, Luke 1:26-38  The name Gabriel means “strong one of God” (the -el at the beginning or end of many Hebrew names refers to God). In the Old Testament the angel Gabriel was twice sent to Daniel, first to give him a message from God and, then, to help him understand the message (Daniel 8:16, 9:21). This is his second of two appearances in the New Testament, the first being to Zachariah announcing the birth of John the Baptist. His presence in the stories of both John and Jesus gives one more tie to draw followers of John the Baptist to take the next step to Jesus. Note how the story line of the first two chapters in Luke bounce back and forth with the situations surrounding the birth of both figures.

We believe that the conception of Jesus in the womb of Mary took place at the moment she said “Yes” to God. That is why the feast of the Annunciation is placed on March 25, nine months before Christmas. How old was Mary at the time? We don’t really know, but that hasn’t stopped people from speculating. The minimum age for marriage under Jewish law is 13 for boys, 12 for girls. The official betrothal (far more binding than our modern era understanding of engagement) could take place a year prior to the full-fledged marriage. The Talmud recommends that a man marry by the age of 18. Therefore, it would not have been unusual for Mary to have been betrothed to Joseph by the age of 15.

Did Mary understand what it would mean to be mother of Jesus? Although we believe that Mary was given a special gift to never experience an attraction to things contrary to the will of God (her immaculate conception), that does not mean she received a gift of intellectual understanding regarding her son’s full identity and mission. Note how confused she was (Luke 2:49) when twelve-year-old Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem and explained himself by saying, “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Years later, Jesus’ relatives…presumably including Mary…go down to Capernaum to bring him home to Nazareth saying, “He is out of his mind” (Mark 4:21). Jesus was running into serious trouble with the Jewish authorities. The family probably did not really believe Jesus to be out of his mind. Since was an acceptable defense to get a person off the hook, the family was simply trying to get him out of danger. Still, such a statement indicates Mary’s lack of understanding regarding her son’s identity and mission. While this may at first seem to minimize the blessedness of Mary, it actually enhances my appreciation of her dedication to God and the divine will. Her “Yes” was not based on understanding but on faith.

Reading 1, 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16

 I have read that in some native American cultures, a person’s worth was measured more in the magnificence of gift-giving than personal accumulation of wealth. That same attitude was present in Jewish society. We see it particularly in showing hospitality (consider how Abram ran after people passing by to invite them to his home and show them hospitality, Genesis 18), but it played a role in other forms of gift-giving. David wanted to show God both his appreciation and his personal worth or character by offering to build the temple. God, of course, shows David that God’s generosity cannot be outdone.

I find it interesting that the prophet Nathan gives David the wrong advice. Giving David permission to build a temple for God seemed a no-brainer, but he neglected to consult with God on the matter. This is reminiscent of the prophet Samuel who had made a similar error some forty years previous (1 Samuel 16), assuming that David’s eldest brother was the one whom he should anoint as king because of his noble appearance. God corrected both prophets but did not reprimand them. Even these great prophets assumed human logic to be sufficient in those moments without needing to consult with God. How many times do we make the same mistake?

Reading II, Romans 16:25-27  These verses are placed at the end of Paul’s letter to the Romans. They are not included in all ancient manuscripts and, when included, are sometimes placed at the end of chapters 14 and 15 instead of 16. This leads Scripture scholars to wonder whether it was part of the original letter or was added on by someone at a later date putting the central points of the letter in a prayer form as a summary and conclusion to the letter.

Comments

[thank you father denny,your refletion gave me more insight to my homily.]

may God bles your apostolate.

[Gavin]

Hello Fr. Dempsey. In your December 14 post, you write:

"We believe that the conception of Jesus in the womb of Mary took place at the moment she said “Yes” to God."

By 'we', do you mean parishioners at St. Dominic's--or Catholics generally? Is this a factual statement which we could verify by polling people? Or is this your way of telling people what to believe?