Homily, 4th Sunday of Advent 2022

Readings: Isaiah 7:10-14; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24

I have reliably been told that first-time parents soon realize that after the birth of a baby, no matter how intentional and thorough their preparations had been, things often do not go according to plan. Their child will turn their lives upside down in ways both beautiful and trying. We see this lived out in the infancy narratives of Matthew and Luke. From Jesus’ conception through the power of the Holy Spirit, to his birth among the animals in Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph model a deep faith and trust in God, the one who told them through an angel, “Do not be afraid.” (Lk 1/30; Matt 2:20)

In Advent we enter the preparation of an expectant parent. We prepare our homes and hearts to celebrate anew the birth of Jesus- God with us. And just like parents waiting for the birth of a child, we must prepare ourselves to let go of expectations and control in the life of faith. 

This final week of Advent shifts our focus from the promise of the Messiah to the fulfillment of that promise in the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. Today’s Gospel is Matthew’s version of Jesus’ birth at Bethlehem. This is not Luke’s familiar story of a child born in a Bethlehem stable, but that of a young unmarried woman suddenly finding herself pregnant and her very hurt and confused husband wondering what to do. Among the Jews of the time, betrothal was the first part of the marriage, constituting a man and woman as husband and wife although their normal married life would only begin some months later. Thus, any subsequent infidelity was considered adultery which was punished with death by stoning.

Joseph, an observant but compassionate man did not wish to subject Mary to the full fury of Jewish law, so he plans to divorce her “quietly.” In images reminiscent of the First Testament “annunciations” of Isaac and Samuel, an angel appears to Joseph in a dream and reveals that this child is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. 

Fear is the obstacle the angel identifies in Joseph.  ‘Do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home’, says the angel. Do not be afraid to do this strange thing that runs counter to what you know, to what seems unrealistic. Might this be true in our own lives? Might we be afraid to move forward with a choice we know in our hearts is what God wants us to do, but are hesitant because it just doesn’t make sense from a worldly perspective? 

It is quite natural to experience fear and uncertainty when the world seems to run upside down and inside out as it did for Joseph and Mary. But deeper than any fear is the radical trust that God allows us to have if we are willing to take that leap, to say yes and to be obedient. There are few examples; To Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Jeremiah, Jonah, Daniel and so many others God said: Do not be afraid, I will be with you. This was God's greatest promise; the greatest gift he could bestow - his presence. To Mary, the Angel said: The Lord is with you, and then went on to announce to her that she would conceive and bring forth a son. And to Joseph, the angel revealed: … they will call him Emmanuel, a name which means `God-is-with-us'. Surely this is the secret of the celebration of Christmas - that in the coming of the infant Jesus in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago - God comes as a human to be with us.

The underlying truth of our lives as Christians is captured in the name pronounced in Isaiah and in Matthew: Immanuel – “God is with us.” This is the truth that takes us from the Advent wreath to the manger, from the crib to the cross and ultimately to the empty tomb where we realize that life and light and love always have the final say. 

In these last few days of Advent let us spend some time pondering these two questions: 

• How is God inviting me to cooperate with the work of building up his kingdom, in my own heart, in my family and friendships, in the community?

• And how is fear posing an obstacle to my cooperation? 

Advent calls us, like Joseph to be ready for unexpected, often unhoped-for change. God offers as St Paul says, more than we could ever ask or imagine. As we ponder these questions, let us ask Mary and Joseph to intercede for us and show us how to respond with graciousness and humility, with trust and courage, to the Lord’s invitation.