Five More Days

Homily for December 20, 2015 (4th Sunday of Advent) Micah 5:1-4a; Psalm 80; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-45 Five more days…. That’s all that remains of our season of Advent. We’re nearing the end of our annual month-long pilgrimage to Christmas, or more properly, the Nativity of the Lord. For many children (and no small number of adults), the anticipation is building for the day when we customarily give and receive gifts. It’s not surprising, then, that our Scripture readings speak of presents. However, these aren’t a Lexus tied up in a bow or the latest action figures from Star Wars. We might call them the presents of presence: God’s presence. Our first reading from the Book of Micah is addressed to a people who had betrayed their covenant with God and would pay the consequences—in invasion, defeat and exile. Yet this rustic prophet did not want to leave them without hope. Someday, he promised, God would bring forth another ruler who would “stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the LORD.” However, this divine gift would not come forth from the splendor of Jerusalem but rather from a small town about five miles outside the city: Bethlehem. The Hebrew name of the city is significant, for it means “house of bread.” The Bread of Life would come from the House of Bread. “Lord,” we prayed in our responsorial psalm, “make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.” According to ancient court customs, having the king look upon you was a sign of your significance and even more the king’s generosity and mercy. However, here the king’s face never turns away; his compassionate gaze is always upon us. Rather, we are the ones who have turned away and are invited to turn back, to be converted. It is our blessing to be able to do so before the throne of God’s grace. At one time, this conversion was signified by sacrifices. In Jesus, however, the Son of God—whom God gave to us in love—has in turn offered himself for us and back to the one he called Father. God’s gift and presence to us are returned to God in love. The richness of this self-gift of God was implanted in Mary. That’s why Elizabeth and especially the child in her womb (the future John the Baptist) are so excited. They know that they are in the presence of God! As we get ready to celebrate Christmas, let’s remember that this is “the gift that keeps on giving.” Each day we have the opportunity to acknowledge God’s presence in our world and to live as if it matters. The day after Christmas, many people will be ready to “move on.” By contrast, we are invited to move in—to take some extra time to ponder what a gift it is to live in God’s presence, just as God in Christ is made present in the world. +