Sunday, 21 December 2014

DOCTRINE AND FAITH...4th Sun of Advent: Year B


(2 Sam 7,1-5.8-12.14-16; Rom 16,25-27; Luke 1,26-38: 4th Sun of Advent: Year B)

Today’s gospel reading is the narrative often referred to as the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Often the Blessed Virgin Mary was regarded as the chief protagonist of this passage. Indeed, she is a protagonist, but the principal protagonist is Jesus Christ. The scope of the narrative, according to the author’s opinion, the Evangelist Luke, was to tell us who  Jesus, this child that was about to be born in Bethlehem by Maria through the special intervention of God, was, and what his mission in the world would be.  The passage brings out his personality and mission, thus:
·       Jesus shall be great, the Angel said. He will be great not only in the relative sense to men, but also in the absolute sense, as God himself; He is equal to God
·       (b) Jesus would also be Son of the most Highwould be Holy and Son of GodThis last expression shows the mysterious and unique relationship that exists between the Person of Jesus and that of God, the Father. When we profess in the Creed we speak of Jesus: God from God, consubstantial with the Father, True God from True God. 
·       (c) Jesus is the one who realizes and brings to fulfilment the glorious promises of stability and continuity made to House of David many centuries before. The angel Gabriel in the gospel refers to it: The Lord God will give him the throne of David... and he will reign for ever.
The above boils down to say that Jesus was the promised true Messiah and Saviour, upon whom the favour of God rests; the One who would reign over men forever, who was coming to bring peace, re-establish justice, restore the rights of people, and unite around himself all the people. All these things, which the word of God proclaims about Jesus, justify our joy and extraordinary solemnity with which we prepare to celebrate his birth. The event of the birth of Christ is indeed great, unique and one that gives a new direction and meaning to the history and destiny of people. If in Jesus, the promises of God to David were realized, the bankruptcy of the House of David notwithstanding, it means that God is always faithful to his word as the Responsorial Psalm indicates. This revealed truth should bring about in our lives sentiments of confidence in God. God has promised us a lot of things through his Son, for example: his love without limit, the forgiveness of our sins, his loving friendship, his divine life, his continual nearness, his assistance and finally, eternal life.  If we are grateful to Him for his loving mercy, welcome and give him space in our hearts, he will maintain and realize all he has promised to us, our weaknesses, limitations and failings notwithstanding. 
We indirectly alluded above to the dignity and role of Mary in God’s work of the Incarnation and Redemption. Mary, according to Luke, is the one God choose to be the Mother of his Son, and aware of her littleness, she promptly and unconditionally said Yes to the divine will, because she believed that He who is great can do great things and that nothing is impossible to Him. Mary is the one whom God chose to collaborate in the plan of salvation, which he wished to bring about through his Son. Mary co-operated, according to St. Paul in the revelation of a mystery kept secret for endless ages, but now so clear that it must be broadcast to pagans everywhere. For Paul, Mary was following what has been announced in the Scriptures and as well fulfilling the will of God. He shared in the destiny of the Messiah except that she did not suffer physically and was not rejected by people.
It is a fact that God requests the free collaboration of people in order to realize his plans. St. Augustine hints to us God’s way of doing things: He who created you without you, will not save you without you. To save us from sin, to make us his adopted sons and daughters, to grow in His loving friendship, God demands personal commitment from us and our goodwill to do good following the teaching of his Son, Jesus Christ.  Paul also contributes to this theme: God kept for ages the mystery of salvation and now reveals it  and realizes it in Jesus Christ. He demands from us obedience of faiththat is to say, complete, full and responsible adhesion to the message of the gospel and to the person of Jesus Christ and a corresponding coherent behaviour in life. God demands our free co-operation even in the area of expansion of his Kingdom, in order to bring Christ to souls, and spread the Good News, that God indeed loves the people and he wishes all to be saved. It is true that God has no need of us, but he wishes to use us to fulfil his plans, just as He used Mary to bring about his designs of salvation. Let us learn from Mary to have faith in God and to throw our hearts open to Him and to put ourselves completely at his disposition, saying as she did: I am the hand maid of he Lord, be it done to me according to your wordThis would also mean: Do with me what you will. Help me to know and do always your will. We all are small and poor creatures, and worse still, sinners, but if God finds us humble, open to the gift of his grace and obedient to his words, he will demonstrate to us that noting is impossible to Him and that he can make the worst situation of our life glorious. May we, therefore, pray the good Lord at the Eucharist Celebration of today to give us all the graces we need to appreciate the importance of the coming feast of Christmas and to give us the disposition of Mary in order to realize the full import of this feast in our lives. Amen
As I wish you Happy Sunday I pray that the blessings of the New Born Child be yours in abundance today, in and throughout the coming Year and all the rest of your life. 
Happy Sunday! Happy Christmas! Happy New Year!
 +John I. Okoye.


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