HOMILY OF 3RD FRIDAY IN ADVENT: YEAR A

HOMILY OF 3RD FRIDAY IN ADVENT: YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: ACCEPTING GOD’S WILL
BY: Fr. Paul Karabari
‘Let it be to me according to your word.’
In the Gospel of today (Luke 1:26-38), Mary said ‘yes’ to one of the most unusual tasks God has ever entrusted to an individual: to conceive God’s Child, who in Himself is God, nurture and raise Him. This assignment was to be done by a virgin. No antecedents. Before her, It was completely strange to both oral and written history that a virgin without the biological process of having contact with man conceived and bore a child.
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Another amazing thing is the strong faith of this virgin teenager. Mary’s absolute trust in God and the entire plan is unparalleled. She knew that according to Jewish customs and laws, death could be her punishment if she was found to be with a child without the natural contact and process with the husband. Still, she didn’t reference the husband or her family in her dialogue with Angel Gabriel. She didn’t ask what the husband or family would do to her. She simply ignored them to focus on God. So many of us fear people rather than God. Mary knew that God’s mission comes with provisions. God takes care of every other thing the moment we accept and key into His plans for us. When we learn to trust Him, He takes care of the issues that may follow. He defends His name at all times.
It is increasingly becoming difficult to say ‘yes’ to God even in ordinary course of events. The integrity of the teenage virgin was at stake. Her ‘yes’ constituted a great danger to her life. She knew it but felt no force or threat. She was still in the face of God’s plan. But even without threat, criticism, or any form of danger, it is difficult for us to say ‘yes’. Any plan in the church or need to do good that interrupts our schedule or plan for the day we simply ignore it. In our case, personal convenience is the measure for accepting God’s will. Mary’s response, “Behold, I am the hand maid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word ” is completely strange to us. We desire God’s will to be done as long as that won’t bring discomfort of any kind. Mary’s acceptance is a sign of total self-abandonment to God.
Mary said ‘yes’ to the most astonishing event in history, and God has a similar challenge for us. He wants each of us to say ‘let it be to me according to your word.’ So ‘that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith … that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God’ (Ephesians 3:17-19). But this is what we are always avoiding. We want our own will. We want to settle our ego. We don’t want an intruder. We desire uncontrolled freedom. We lack trust in God’s process. It doesn’t satisfy the earthly man and woman.God wants us to say yes to Him taking over the way that we think, feel, and act so that we can be living firmly in His love, and truly bear Him. GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. God bless you and your household always through Christ Our Lord Amen.
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