Homily
for December 24, 2017.
“He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the
Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign
over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Luke
1:32-33.
In the course of the last one week, our readings have tactically brought
out certain persons who played very indispensable roles in the story of the
birth of Jesus Christ and there have been very great lessons to learn from each
of these persons. We have looked at Joseph, Zechariah, Elizabeth and Mary.
Today, we are looking at one Old Testament Character without whom there
might not have been Christmas at all – King David. Here is a man who so pleased
God as king that God personally promised him an everlasting kingdom. “And your
house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me, your throne shall
be established forever.” 2nd Samuel 7:16.
Does it occur to you that the coming of Jesus Christ, God made flesh is
a direct fulfillment of the promise God made to one man: David? When God told
David his kingdom would last forever, God already had in mind how he would send
Jesus Christ to the world as a direct descendant of the house of David.
What is it about David that made him so pleasing to God? Was he a saint?
Was he spotless and sinless? Not at all. However, one thing that endeared David
to the heart of God was David’s humility. Despite being king of Israel, David
never forgot his roots, David never forgot how he used to be an ordinary
shepherd boy before God made him King of Israel. David never saw himself as
some self-made man.
As we read in today’s first reading, David felt so embarrassed that the
Ark of God was dwelling a tent while he was living in a house of cedar. For David,
this was not right at all. How can I be living in a house of affluence while
the Ark of God who made me what I am is just there in a tent? How can I be
living in a house of gold while the Blessed Sacrament is out there under a
canopy?
You see, if there is one characteristic that David had in common with
Mary as we read in today’s Gospel passage, it is this sense of humility and lowliness.
Like David, Mary never saw herself as some First Lady rather she was able to
say to the Angel: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; Let it be to me
according to your word.” In other words, “I am nothing before God, let God use
me as he pleases.” While David opted to build a house for God, Mary agreed to
become a living tabernacle for God.
Both David and Mary would become instrumental to the coming of the Messiah
yet neither David nor Mary ever became proud and arrogant as a result.
Consider David, he had all the money to build the greatest temple for
God, he had everything he needed and he was the commander in chief of the entire
nation of Israel. Everyone obeyed him and people fell at his feet, yet, when
Nathan told him what God had said regarding building the temple, David did not
argue or insist in his decision. Here is a man obeyed by all of Israel, but he chooses
to obey the voice of Nathan as the voice of God.
Dear friends, David today teaches us a great lesson in humility. Never forget
your root. Never forget that before God, you are nothing. As James teaches us: “God
opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6. Even St. Peter
admonishes us with similar words: “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility
toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he
may exalt you.” 1 Peter 5:5-6.
The second lesson we learn from our readings today is that Building for
God is a privilege. Dear friends, we should always consider ourselves lucky
when we have the opportunity to invest our resources towards the growth and
development of the house of God. The truth is that there is nothing we have
that was not given to us by God. As the Isaiah teaches us:
“Thus says the LORD: ‘Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool;
what is the house which you would build for me, and what is the place of my
rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things are mine, says
the LORD. But this is the man to whom I will look, he that is humble and
contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.’” Isaiah 66:1-2.
Once again, Isaiah draws our attention to humility. In the end,
Christmas itself is a story of humility; a story of how God stooped so low as
to take on the human flesh. There is no better way to conclude this homily than
to quote the words of St. Paul: “Have this mind among yourselves, which is
yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count
equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form
of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form
he humbled himself and became obedient unto death. Philippians 2:5-8.
Let us
Pray: Lord Jesus, may my celebration of your birth increase my humility. Amen.
Happy
Sunday. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless
you. (Fourth Sunday of Advent. Year B. Bible Study: 2nd Samuel 7:1-16,
Romans 16:25-27 and Luke 1:26-38).
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