Do you really believe or not?
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Isa 7:10-14; Ps 23; Rom 1:1-7; Mt 1:18-24
While Advent time is drawing to a close so that the celebration of the solemn feast of Jesus’ birth is just round the corner, the Church, on this fourth Advent Sunday, invites us to reflect seriously on the urgency that we be a faith-filled people. Faith is the key which opens before us the treasures of Christmas. We may have celebrated this feast several times; but have we ever got to the core meaning of this event? Have we really understood its significance and allowed our faith to enlighten and enliven all our celebrations at Christmas time? Briefly, do we really believe or not?
The liturgical readings which the Church sets before us present two main figures, namely, Ahaz and Joseph, Mary’s husband. These two protagonists emerge as contrasting examples of how one can respond to the particular mission which God gives to every human being.
Under the pretext of not wanting to “put the Lord to the test” (Isa 7:12), king Ahaz was not able to make that step in the dark which the life of faith demands. In fact, this king of Judah (735-716 BC) who reigned during the days of prophet Isaiah, found it difficult to believe that God would truly accompany him throughout the critical moment which he and his people were facing. Indeed, instead of trusting God completely, Ahaz preferred to make a political alliance with Assiria in order to overcome the threats which were coming from Pekah, king of the other ten tribes of Israel.
In sharp contrast to Ahaz, we have the silent and humble figure of Joseph who was facing a mountaneous problem in his life: before they were married, his wife, Mary, was found to be pregnant by the action of the Holy Spirit! Although in such a critical situation Joseph might have panicked a bit and even “planned to dismiss her quietly” (Mi 1:19), he was disposed to listen to God’s message as it was revealed to him by an angel. Furthermore, he was all the more ready to put the Lord’s command into practice.
Now what about us? Which model shall we prefer? Ahaz or Joseph? In the coming Christmas, shall we really take a sincere decision to trust the Lord and allow him to enlighten our paths or shall we allow alienation to once again take the upper hand, whereby this Christmas would once more be imbued with mere external celebrations that leave none other than a profound interior void in us when they are gone?
There is no doubt that the manifold of experiences that we undergo in life do influence our relationship with God. But given this reality, may we not place our hope in things that perish, as Ahaz did. Rather, let us place our hope in God alone, as Joseph so rightly did when he enthrusted himself into God’s hand, like docile clay in the potter’s hands, so that the plan of salvation may be accomplished. May this last week of Advent be a splendid occasion for us all to make ours the prayer which Jesus’ disciples so ardently voiced to their master: “Lord, increase our faith!” (Lk 17:5)
Isa 7:10-14; Ps 23; Rom 1:1-7; Mt 1:18-24
While Advent time is drawing to a close so that the celebration of the solemn feast of Jesus’ birth is just round the corner, the Church, on this fourth Advent Sunday, invites us to reflect seriously on the urgency that we be a faith-filled people. Faith is the key which opens before us the treasures of Christmas. We may have celebrated this feast several times; but have we ever got to the core meaning of this event? Have we really understood its significance and allowed our faith to enlighten and enliven all our celebrations at Christmas time? Briefly, do we really believe or not?
The liturgical readings which the Church sets before us present two main figures, namely, Ahaz and Joseph, Mary’s husband. These two protagonists emerge as contrasting examples of how one can respond to the particular mission which God gives to every human being.
Under the pretext of not wanting to “put the Lord to the test” (Isa 7:12), king Ahaz was not able to make that step in the dark which the life of faith demands. In fact, this king of Judah (735-716 BC) who reigned during the days of prophet Isaiah, found it difficult to believe that God would truly accompany him throughout the critical moment which he and his people were facing. Indeed, instead of trusting God completely, Ahaz preferred to make a political alliance with Assiria in order to overcome the threats which were coming from Pekah, king of the other ten tribes of Israel.
In sharp contrast to Ahaz, we have the silent and humble figure of Joseph who was facing a mountaneous problem in his life: before they were married, his wife, Mary, was found to be pregnant by the action of the Holy Spirit! Although in such a critical situation Joseph might have panicked a bit and even “planned to dismiss her quietly” (Mi 1:19), he was disposed to listen to God’s message as it was revealed to him by an angel. Furthermore, he was all the more ready to put the Lord’s command into practice.
Now what about us? Which model shall we prefer? Ahaz or Joseph? In the coming Christmas, shall we really take a sincere decision to trust the Lord and allow him to enlighten our paths or shall we allow alienation to once again take the upper hand, whereby this Christmas would once more be imbued with mere external celebrations that leave none other than a profound interior void in us when they are gone?
There is no doubt that the manifold of experiences that we undergo in life do influence our relationship with God. But given this reality, may we not place our hope in things that perish, as Ahaz did. Rather, let us place our hope in God alone, as Joseph so rightly did when he enthrusted himself into God’s hand, like docile clay in the potter’s hands, so that the plan of salvation may be accomplished. May this last week of Advent be a splendid occasion for us all to make ours the prayer which Jesus’ disciples so ardently voiced to their master: “Lord, increase our faith!” (Lk 17:5)
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