HOMILY OF 4TH SUNDAY OF THE ADVENT: YEAR C

HOMILY OF 4TH SUNDAY OF THE ADVENT: YEAR C

HOMILY THEME: LIKE MARY, WE ALL SHOULD SET OUT

BY: Fr Ade

Micah 5:1-4/ Hebrews 10:5-10/ Luke 1:39-45

It is interesting that our advent journey is drawing to a close, yet another journey is beginning for us all. It’s right there in the first three words of this Sunday’s Gospel: “Mary set out …”

Consider Mary’s circumstances. She has just been told that she is to be the Mother of God. And rather than keeping this news to herself, or wondering how she will cope, she sets out to visit her cousin, Elizabeth — and we have this momentous scene that follows: The Visitation. Mary is serving the Lord in this moment — and serving her cousin as well in total charity.

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She is a woman on a continual journey — constantly, by necessity, on the move. After this journey to see Elizabeth, we next find Mary embarking on an arduous trip, while pregnant, to Bethlehem. After giving birth, she and her small family are on the move again, fleeing to Egypt, to escape death.

We then see her traveling to Jerusalem, where her son goes missing — and we follow her as she goes in search of him. Finding him, she continues her travels, bringing him home to Nazareth. Mary, as the first disciple, in many ways prefigures all the disciples who will follow — those who traveled, mostly on foot, throughout the world to spread the Gospel and proclaim the Good News. Like those apostles, Mary was a missionary — the first missionary, on a mission to bring Jesus into the world.

In today’s reading, we see her literally bringing Jesus to another, as she carries him in her womb and goes to her cousin and speaks the words any missionary might pronounce — words which are the beginning of all belief: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.”

We can only imagine what other travels Mary took in the course of her life. But we can’t forget one in particular, the most difficult of all, as she followed her son on his journey to Calvary.

This Sunday, we realize anew how much Mary’s life is closely related to ours. All of us, like Mary, are on a journey. All of us are traveling to places we may not understand, to destinations we cannot see. But we ask Mary to help guide us on our way.

The road is long. The journey isn’t easy. We pray to have the trust in God that we need to travel whatever road we must take, just as Mary did. Mary is our model in charity and total selflessness,the one who brings the fullness of joy which comes from Jesus and from the Holy Spirit. Think of one person in your family or among your friends and coworkers who is struggling to find joy in their life. Think of how you can share the the goodnews of Christmas with them as Mary did with Elizabeth.

*Praying for peaceful repose of all who died in the various stampedes that happened across Nigeria 🙏🏽

MARANATHA, COME LORD JESUS

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