Contributed by Father Tim Uniac, C.R

Contributed by Father Tim Uniac, C.R.

Father Tim was ordained in 1986. Over the years Father Tim has served in parish ministry as both Assistant Pastor and Pastor. For a number of years he worked full time in youth ministry. He has served his Religious Community as Vocation Director and as Vicar Provincial. He also served his Community internationally as the Vicar General, residing in Rome for six years. Currently he is pastor of St. Francis Parish, Kitchener, Ontario.

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

December 24, 2017

GATHERING TIME

(10-15 Minutes)

Introduction to the Word:

For literally months now, stores have been bombarding us with Christmas decorations, Christmas music and the need to shop-till-we-drop in order to get the perfect gifts for Christmas. In church, we have been liturgically preparing to celebrate Christmas throughout the weeks of Advent (I would have said the four weeks of Advent, but this year Advent is only three weeks and a portion of one day). For many of us tonight, Christmas Eve, this period of preparation will formally come to end—forbehold, our Saviour is born! Our Gospel reading today brings us almost to the end of our period of preparation, with the annunciation to Mary, the announcement that Mary would give birth to Jesus.

In the few hours remaining before the Season of Christmas begins, we are still being scripturally reminded to not only prepare for this great event, but to also be aware how this event came to be, how it was prophetically proclaimed throughout the Old Testament. What better way to prepare for this event in our lives of faith than to use the short time remaining to pause and reflect on the power of God's Word in our life; to reflect upon how God fulfilled the promise of old; to bear witness to our ancestors in faith, from Jesse onward, who kept the prophetic message of Christ's coming alive; to hear the words of the Angel Gabriel proclaim the fulfillment of Nathan's prophecy; to behold the light of a newborn child blinding us with the rays of God's love; to silently and joyfully see God's Word fulfilled. Celebrating the Word becomes for us today an avenue by which we can truly discover the meaning of Christmas as the prophecies are brought to fulfillment.

Warm-up Activity:

King David in our first reading today expresses his desire to be in a close relationship with God. This relationship with God should not only be close and intimate, but should also, as David would attest, be a relationship that is easily assessable. David makes the “mistake” of concluding that an accessible relationship with God requires a sacred space in which the encounter can take place, in his case, the Temple. The “mistake” is not that God cannot be found in a sacred space, for indeed God can be found there, but rather, the mistake is that David seems to conclude it is the onlyplace where God is accessible. We know this not to be completely accurate. Indeed God is found in specifically designated sacred spaces, but God is also found in other spaces as well. Spend some time sharing with one another some of your spaces of encounter with God, places where you feel close and intimate with God. It may be in a church, or it may be in your backyard, or perhaps it is at the kitchen table with family and friends. How can we cultivate spaces in which to encounter our God?

The Table of the Word

THEME

Some parishes throughout the Season of Advent would use a Jesse tree as a means to better prepare themselves to celebrate the Nativity of Jesus. The Jesse tree is the family tree of Jesse, the father of King David, the ancestors of Jesus. The tree is decorated with items that relate to the birth accounts of Jesus and the Old Testament prophecies that foretold this event. From the story of the apple in the Garden of Eden to the birth of Christ our Savior, the stories of the Old Testament prepare us to celebrate Christmas. What better way to prepare for Christmas than for each of us to recount which Old Testament stories and prophecies help point us toward the Nativity of Jesus Christ. Our readings today, the table of God's Word, are intended to recount the ancestral tree of Jesse and the stories the tree contains that point us to the birth of Jesus.

Leader:The Angel Gabriel proclaimed: “Do not be afraid ... you have found favour with God.” For the times we have allowed fear to stop us from experiencing God's favour for us, we pray.

Lord Jesus, you lift up our fears and take them upon your shoulders,Lord, have mercy.

Christ Jesus, you constantly remind us that we rest in God's favour,Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, we stand in awe before your Nativity,Lord, have mercy.

Let us pray (together)

Eternal God, whom the heavens cannot contain,

you have chosen as your tabernacle the womb of Mary, the Virgin of Nazareth.

Overshadow us with your power, form us as your daughters and sons

and knit us together as your holy people according to your Word.

For nothing is impossible with you,

and so we offer you our prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.

SCRIPTURE REFLECTION TIME(45 minutes)

(As Christians we believe that the WORD of God we hear proclaimed each Sunday is an empowering Word, and that God is present in the Word proclaimed. This is the Word that God wants us to hear today. The dynamic of the Small Christian Community, namely, reflecting on our life story within the context of this Word, and sharing the insights of these reflections, is such that God’s Spirit becomes present, and the gifts of the Spirit are experienced as empowering and life giving.)

FIRST READING(Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16)

Now when David, the king, was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the Prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.” Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind, for the Lord is with you.” But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: “Go and tell my servant David: 'Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel: and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord declares to you, David, that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne, David shall be established forever.'”

The Word of the Lord.Thanks be to God.

SECOND READING(Romans 16:25-27)

Brothers and sisters: To the One who is able to strengthen you according to my Gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith – to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.

The Word of the Lord.Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL(Luke 1:26-38)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord.

The Angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

The Angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Mary said to the Angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The Angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” Then the Angel departed from her.

The Gospel of the Lord.Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Lectio Divina means “sacred prayer through sacred reading.” It was a popular form of prayer in the early Church. This Word proclaimed today is God's own Word, God's way of speaking to you today through God's own Spirit. So take a few moments to be quiet, allowing this Word you have just heard to touch you or soak into you as you reflect quietly on the three readings. Is there a word or thought that somehow attracts you or has your interest? If so, simply identify it and describe it in a few words.

COMMENTARY:

Samuel: King David, no doubt inspired to some degree by the prophets of his day, such as Nathan, believed it possible to have a close, intimate and accessible relationship with God. This belief in a close relationship with God was David's prayerful desire, his hope and dream if you will. This desire would lead David to conclude, as a result of his interaction with Nathan, that the Ark ought not to be in a tent (while he himself lived in a house of cedar). The Ark belonged in a magnificent Temple where one could experience the presence of God in an intimately close way. Sadly, as noble and good as this desire for a Temple for the Ark was, David gave far more importance to this project than it merited. Why? God cannot be contained, cannot be confined to some single place. God is free to choose where to be present to the people of faith – even outside of a sacred space, such as the Temple.

Romans: Note that this reading today is one single sentence. What could Paul possibly say in one sentence that is deemed so important, so succinct, that a single sentence is used for a second scripture reading at a Sunday Eucharist? This letter to the Romans is a confirmation of the connection between the Old Testament Hebrew Scripture promises and the fulfilment of those promises in the New Testament. How so? In the first reading today from Samuel, the promise is made by God to King David that his house, his kingdom, would last forever, and that his offspring would be lifted up. This prophetic promise begins our journey towards its fulfilment in the Nativity of Christ in the New Testament. As Paul reminds the Romans, by pointing out the connection between Old and New Testaments, the promise made to King David cannot be stopped, God's promise to us will be fulfilled.

Luke: The prophecy of Nathan from the Book of Samuel (first reading today) is realized today in Luke's account of the annunciation to Mary. In some backwoods place, Nazareth of Galilee, the Virgin Mary, who has been betrothed to Joseph of the house of David, is visited by the Angel Gabriel. After telling Mary she has been favoured by God, Gabriel tells her she will conceive, bear a son, and she is to name this son Jesus. The Old Testament prophecy of Nathan to King David has been fulfilled! As Nathan said to King David, “Your house and you kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne, David, shall be established forever.”

Allow 5 – 10 minutes for the participants to react to the Commentary

to identify a newly discovered insight.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION:

Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16“... the Lord will make you a house.”

What a powerful prophecy by Nathan to King David! Imagine being told you will be great, that your ancestors, your offspring, will be lifted up by God, and your house will last forever. In other words, you will never be forgotten; David's name would last forever due to his ancestral connection to Jesus. Does this long branch of ancestral connection of King David to Jesus speak to you spiritually in any way? Does this family connection, a promise made by God to us, touch you emotionally? Will our understanding of this fulfilled promise from God influence our celebration of the Nativity of Christ?

Romans 16:25-27“... secret for long ages but is now disclosed, ...”

The people of the New Testament waited an incredibly long time for the Old Testament prophecy of Nathan to be fulfilled. This waiting, even if interspersed with moments of doubt, moments of asking whether or not God would ever fulfill the promise, required great spiritual patience. Not just one generation of patience, but countless generations waiting for the prophecy to become a reality. By what grace were our ancestors able to wait so long? How can we cultivate this kind of spiritual patience in our own lives?

Luke 1:26-38“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”

The Angel Gabriel clearly informs Mary that she is filled with grace due to the presence of the Lord with/in her. Without question one dynamic of the grace Mary was experiencing was the presence of Christ in her womb, yet it would also be safe for us to conclude that other aspects of grace were touching Mary's life. Name some of the graces Mary was experiencing from God.

CARING-PRAYING TIME:(15-20 minutes)

Word of the Week:

“Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.”

Suggestion for the Week:

Mary's fiat, her yes to God, has inspired countless generations of God's faithful to open their hearts so as to also say yes to God. Mary did not permit her young age to deter her; Mary did not let what others would think and say about her deter her; Mary did not let personal doubt and fear deter her; and Mary did not permit what Joseph might say, or how he might react, to deter her. What an amazing example Mary is for us – her fiat changed the course of all of history. Spend some time this week reflecting upon the example of Mary. Does her example help you to be more open to saying yes to God? Does her example inspire you to not be deterred by the doubts, fears, questions or criticisms of others? What, if anything, in your spiritual life is calling you to say yes? How might Mary help you?

Intercessions: (Response: Lord, hear our prayer)

Leader:Let us bring the needs of all to the Rock of our salvation, whose steadfast love endures forever.

For the people of God, who form the house the Lord is building: may all who call on God's name grow in obedience of faith, we pray to the Lord ...

For those parents awaiting the birth of a child: like the Virgin Mary may they joyfully ponder God's power and goodness, we pray to the Lord ...

We pray in thanksgiving for Mary's “YES” to God: may her example challenge us to say yes to God in our own lives, we pray to the Lord ...

The upcoming Christmas season of peace calls us to proclaim God's peace to all of creation: may all who love peace be sheltered from violence, we pray to the Lord ...

For those who mourn the death of a loved one, and will find the Christmas season a time of loneliness and despair: may the favour of God rest upon them and bring them the peace they deserve, we pray to the Lord ...

For those whose days are fulfilled and who are gathered with our ancestors: may they be established in God's kingdom of peace and rest, we pray to the Lord ...

How can we help you in prayer this week?

Let us pray (together)

Great and merciful God,

from among this world's lowly and humble you choose your servants