GOD IS ALWAYS WITH US

 

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year A

Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch

Scriptural Texts: Isaiah 7:10-14, Romans :1-7, Matthew 1:18-24

 

The season of Advent is drawing to a close; the feast of Christmas is almost upon us. This is reflected in the readings for this fourth Sunday. In the past three Sundays of Advent, we have had the Advent figure of John the Baptist accompany us. But as we will see in the readings of this fourth and last Sunday of Advent, the figure of John the Baptist gives way to three other key biblical figures that we associate with the feast of Christmas, the figures of Mary, Joseph, and their child, Jesus.

In the first reading, Isaiah prophesies to Ahaz and the people of Judah that as a sign from God, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14). This prophecy has both a near and far fulfilment. The prophecy in its immediate context refers to a young woman who is a virgin but in its ultimate fulfilment, this prophecy is obviously a prophecy about a future child, not a child in Isaiah’s day. This child shall be named Immanuel which means ‘God with us.’ Therefore, the child would be a sign that God was with Judah even though the king was abandoning God. This child would bring the righteousness that Ahaz abandoned, and he would rule forever.

The ultimate or distant fulfilment of this prophecy goes far beyond Ahaz to announce the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus Christ as we saw in our today’s gospel reading. Mary was a young virgin betrothed to Joseph. But before they came together, Mary was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit. This situation unsettled Joseph. While contemplating on the most honorable way to address the situation, the Lord sent his angel to Joseph (Matthew 1:19-24). Using the exact words found in the prophecy of Isaiah in the first reading, the angel assured Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife for it is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived (Matthew 1:19-24).

Apart from the assurance offered by the angel, another thing that stands out in this gospel reading is the emphasis on the name to be given to this child. The angel revealed that the child to be born shall be called by two names: Jesus and Emmanuel (Matthew 1:21-23). In Hebrew language, names convey a certain meaning. The name Jesus (Yeshua) means ‘the Lord saves.’ Jesus is the one who has come to save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). Jesus came to deal with our sins, to unburden us of them. He spoke of himself as the shepherd who came to seek and to save the lost. If we are to experience Jesus as a Savior, we need to acknowledge that we are sinners who are in need of God’s mercy. Today, we no longer feel the need of a Savior because we do not often see ourselves as sinners. The name Jesus reminds us that, in the words of St. Paul, ‘where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more’ (Romans 5:20). The name Jesus announces to us that there are no lengths to which God will not go to relate to us, even when we have turned away from him.

The other name is Emmanuel which means God-with-us. In Jesus, God has come to be with us. That is why Christmas is more about presence than presents. God’s abiding presence is always with us even in those moments and situations that seem to portray the absence of God. The truth of the matter is that Emmanuel, God is always with us. But the question is, are you with God? Remember that one with God is majority. As St Paul tells us, if God is for us, no one can be against us (Romans 8:31). The abiding presence of God makes all the difference. The responsorial psalm of today urges us to give the king of glory the chance to come into our life. enter in (Psalm 24:7). As we wait for the coming of Jesus at Christmas, let us be prepared to let him into our hearts.