20TH DEC 2015 (Micah 5, 1-4; Heb 10, 5-10; Luke 1, 39-48: Year C)

DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Micah 5, 1-4; Heb 10, 5-10; Luke 1, 39-48: Year C)

    Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, her pregnant old cousin, in today’s gospel story was not just a courteous visit, but a visit borne out of genuine love. Mary stayed with her for three months, comforting her with her presence and helping her with domestic chores. This visit was replete with joy and happiness. As soon as Maria arrived, the child in Elizabeth’s womb, jumped out of joy, as he recognized the newly conceived Jesus in Mary’s womb. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth cried out: Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  Mary, joyfully sang the Magnificat, the hymn of praise and recognition of what God has done with her and in the history of salvation of her people, Israel. Jesus’ presence is, therefore, the fount and cause of joy for all. His presence should also be fount and cause of joy for us, if we open our hearts to him. The celebration of Christmas should then lead to throwing the doors of our hearts wide open to Christ and removing all those things that impede his coming to us with his grace.

    In the gospel story of today, two women are the protagonists and the first witnesses to the coming of the Messiah. Elizabeth is pregnant with a child that is the result of divine promise and a miracle of the goodness of God: Elizabeth was sterile and conceived at an advanced age. God chose her in order to bring the precursor to the Messiah into the world through the gratuitous gift of his power and the Holy Spirit. Mary also is carrying in her womb a son, the Son of God, conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit. Also in this case, it is God the Father, who gratuitously and freely chose the mother of His Son and wishes that he comes to us through her. Therefore, it is the Power of God (the Holy Spirit) that made his Son incarnate in human flesh and that was also responsible for the birth of the precursor. This is completely a divine initiative, absolutely, outside any type of human influence or participation. Looking at it closely, the birth of Jesus by a virgin, through the power of the Holy Spirit is the most evident sign of the absolute gratuitousness of the gift of salvation. The salvation that is being offered to us, through the coming of the Son of God, is a pure gift of God, his mercy and compassion, and limitless love for humanity, which he wishes to redeem. We should welcome this salvation in faith.  Blessed Virgin Mary is a model of such faith as Elizabeth testifies in today’s gospel: Blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled. Mary’s faith is the perfect disposition to welcome the divine initiative and cooperate in the work of redemption. She exclaimed in Luke 1, 38: Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word. Through Mary’s faith, a new era in the church and the world begins. And it is through faith that we are to welcome and appreciate Christ as God’s gift, as well as His message, project and proposal for salvation. It is also in the spirit of renewed and revived faith in the Son of God made man that we should celebrate Christmas; it should be such a faith that is coherent with life and the gospel tenets.

    Two women, Elizabeth and Mary stand at the beginning of the New Testament. This is a very significant fact, when we consider that at that epoch women did not enjoy much public consideration. What is more, both women, Elizabeth and Mary, had no children before God powerfully intervened in their lives. For the Hebrew of those days, being the mother of a child was a singular title that a woman needed to be honoured with. Elizabeth and Mary were, as it were, two unknown and unrecognized poor Hebrew women, completely cut off from the company of the powerful and appreciated people of the society. But God chose Mary to be the mother of His Son, Jesus Christ and chose Elizabeth to be the mother of John the Baptist, the precursor of Jesus Christ. In the same way, God chose the small and insignificant Bethlehem to be the birthplace of His Son; poor grotto in which Jesus was born, to welcome the child Jesus; the simple and poor shepherds were to be the first to recognize the newly born child; poor, humble and uneducated fishermen were to build up his church and evangelize the whole world.  These instances show us God’s preferences, on how to realize his projects.  Often he chose diverse and even opposing ways from those of men; he does not choose the powerful but the weak and fragile ones; not the honoured and prestigious ones of the society, but the humble ones; not wealth and avidity but poverty and detachment from earthly possessions; not domination and power but humility and service of love; not deceitful success, but renunciation and sacrifices. We should divest ourselves from the criteria and mentality of the world in our judgment/thoughts and our actions and make effort to appreciate and acquire virtues and values which God prefers.

    The author of the letter to the Hebrews (2nd Reading) tells us that the fundamental disposition of Jesus’ mind, as he came into the world from the first time till his entry to suffer and die at Calvary, was to do the will of God: …on coming into the world Christ said: God here I am! I am coming to obey your will. To do the will of God, that is, to comport ourselves in all things as the Lord wants and directs, should be our effort and duty for meaningful and profitable celebration of the glorious feast of Christmas.  The will of God and the manifestation of his mind are clearly spelt out for us in examples in the life of Christ, in his gospel and the teaching of the Church, mother and master of our souls.

    May I use this opportunity to wish every one of you a happy, grace-filled celebration of Christmas and God’s choicest blessings in the coming year 2016. Happy Sunday! Happy Christmas and Happy New Year!+John Okoye