20211219 BEARER OF GOD’S GIFT
19 December, 2021, Sunday, 4th Week of Advent
First reading | Micah 5:1-4 © |
He will stand and feed his flock with the power of the Lord
The Lord says this:
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
the least of the clans of Judah,
out of you will be born for me
the one who is to rule over Israel;
his origin goes back to the distant past,
to the days of old.
The Lord is therefore going to abandon them
till the time when she who is to give birth gives birth.
Then the remnant of his brothers will come back
to the sons of Israel.
He will stand and feed his flock
with the power of the Lord,
with the majesty of the name of his God.
They will live secure, for from then on he will extend his power
to the ends of the land.
He himself will be peace.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 79(80):2-3,15-16,18-19 © |
God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hear us,
shine forth from your cherubim throne.
O Lord, rouse up your might,
O Lord, come to our help.
God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
God of hosts, turn again, we implore,
look down from heaven and see.
Visit this vine and protect it,
the vine your right hand has planted.
God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
May your hand be on the man you have chosen,
the man you have given your strength.
And we shall never forsake you again;
give us life that we may call upon your name.
God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
Second reading | Hebrews 10:5-10 © |
God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will
This is what Christ said, on coming into the world:
You who wanted no sacrifice or oblation,
prepared a body for me.
You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin;
then I said,
just as I was commanded in the scroll of the book,
‘God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will.’
Notice that he says first: You did not want what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the oblations, the holocausts and the sacrifices for sin, and you took no pleasure in them; and then he says: Here I am! I am coming to obey your will. He is abolishing the first sort to replace it with the second. And this will was for us to be made holy by the offering of his body made once and for all by Jesus Christ.
Gospel Acclamation | Lk1:38 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the handmaid of the Lord:
let what you have said be done to me.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 1:39-45 © |
Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord?
Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’
BEARER OF GOD’S GIFT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Micah 5:1-4; Ps 80:2-3,15-16,18-19; Heb 10:5-10; Lk 1:39-45]
Christmas is universally celebrated as a time of giving. It is a time of goodwill, especially to the poor and the marginalized. But very often because of commercialization, the giving of gifts at Christmas has become a routine affair when gifts are given without much consideration or thought of the recipient of the gifts. We give gifts out of social pressure, expectations of our friends and loved ones. Some even give away those things that they do not want. In other words, gifts are supposed to be an expression of our love for the person, the sacrifice of oneself and not merely a perfunctory and customary giving.
Indeed, every giving must be truly a reflection of God’s love for us and with a deliberate intention to bring God’s love as a gift to others who receive our gifts. That was what Mary did when she received the gift of divine motherhood. When it was announced to her that God had chosen her to be the mother of the Saviour and that the Holy Spirit would overshadow her so that she would conceive Jesus, the Son of God, her immediate response was not just to say “Yes” to the Lord but also to share the gift of Christ with Elizabeth and John the Baptist. The visitation of our Blessed Mother to Elizabeth and John the Baptist is likened to Mary as the new tabernacle of our Lord carrying Jesus in her womb to encounter Elizabeth and John the Baptist.
By so doing, Mary was simply imitating the way God gives Himself to us. God comes to give us nothing short of Himself. He is not giving us something extraneous to Himself. St John wrote, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16) St Paul reflected, “He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?” (Rom 8:32) St Paul rightly concluded, if God has given up His only Son for our salvation, God will hold nothing back from us. God shows indeed that true giving is the giving of oneself, something very dear and close to your heart.
Jesus in the same vein, in union with His Father, emptied Himself on the cross as the price for our salvation. Again, the author of Hebrews made it clear. Jesus was not just offering some sacrifice of sorts but He was offering Himself, His body and blood to the Father for our redemption. God does not want “what the Law lays down as the things to be offered, that is: the sacrifices, the oblations, the holocausts and the sacrifices for sin.” What pleases God is not the external sacrifices we offer to Him, even though for some they could be truly an expression of their contrition and thanksgiving. What pleases God is when we offer our entire being to do His holy will even to the extent of giving up our body for the love of His people. This was “what Christ said, on coming into the world, ‘You who wanted no sacrifice or oblation, prepared a body for me. You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin; then I said, just as I was commanded in the scroll of the book, ‘God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will.'”
Mary in saying “Yes” to the Lord shared in God’s utter giving of oneself for the salvation of humanity. In acceding to God’s will, Mary together with her Son are given to humanity. Mary lived no longer for herself but for the service of God through her Son, our Lord. She would have to carry all the burdens, anxieties, pains from the time of her pregnancy until the death of our Lord. She would have to bear the anxiety of looking after and protecting our Lord from the persecution of King Herod, the fierce critics of His enemies and seeing Him carry the cross and crucified at Mount Calvary. As Simeon prophesied, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Lk 2:34f)
As we prepare to welcome our Saviour, we too, like Mary, are called to be bearers of God and not just His gift to others. God had chosen, as the first reading tells us, to come a lowly people. God chose “Bethlehem Ephrathah, the least of the clans of Judah” from which would come the Messiah who would rule over Israel. “He will stand and feed his flock with the power of the Lord, with the majesty of the name of his God. They will live secure, for from then on he will extend his power to the ends of the land. He himself will be peace.” Mary was chosen among the lowly to be the mother of the Saviour. “My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.” (Lk 1:47f) We, too, at Christmas are called to look out for those who are lowly to receive the gift of God, not those who are deserving. When we give gifts to those who are deserving, it is not a gift but a reward or a wage for things well done. It is not given freely and without conditions. Hence, in the first place, our giving must be towards the poor, the lowly and undeserving in society.
Secondly, in giving, we must put our personal agenda aside, like Mary. She was forgetful of her position as the Mother of the Saviour, unlike some of us who, when given a high appointment and recognition, would spend time relishing the honour or position we have been appointed to. Not so for Mary. She did not dwell on her new status as the mother of the Saviour. Instead, she was more focused on the fact that someone needed help – her cousin Elizabeth who in her old age was pregnant, as the angel told her. For us to give generously, we must put aside our personal insecurities, preferences or even exalted position in society. We must see others in their need.
Thirdly, the response of Mary was immediate. She did not delay. In fact, we are told “Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah.” She did not wait or procrastinate. Quite often, before we do any good, we would do our calculations before committing ourselves. We would consider the cost, and of course the advantages to ourselves, before we give. The question is not, “How much can I give” but “what do I gain by giving?” What benefits will come to me? What is the motive of our giving? Not all have pure motives. Mary went to help Elizabeth without being asked and without motive but simply to help her in doing the household chores so that she could look after herself, carrying a baby in her womb in her old age.
Fourthly, Mary took risks at her inconvenience. The way to Elizabeth’s house was through the hilly terrain of the country. Considering the fact that she herself was pregnant with the baby Jesus, yet she inconvenienced herself in taking that arduous and long journey. She was not thinking of herself and her convenience. When there is love, we are always ready to go out of the way to help and to serve. When love is lacking, then giving is conditional and very calculative. If we want to give, then we need to take risks and inconvenience ourselves. It means taking time to choose the right presents or to personally help a person.
Finally, true giving at the end of the day is not about giving material gifts, or even helping a person to do something, but it is the giving of one’s personal presence. Lives are changed or touched not because of what we give or what we do, but because the giving or doing is seen as the giving of oneself, one’s time and one’s presence to the other. It is when they encounter God in us, in our personal giving and sharing that actually brings great joy and thanksgiving. And so when Mary visited Elizabeth, we read, “as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.” Mary’s joy and faith were encountered by Elizabeth and John the Baptist, who in turn shared her joy and faith in God. Indeed, the greatest gift we can give to anyone is by sharing the joy of God’s love in us and our faith in Him. As it is said, there is nothing greater we can give to someone than to give him Jesus, the greatest of all gifts, the gifts of faith, love, joy and peace in Him.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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