(The following homily was given by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde on the Fourth Sunday of Advent at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, Virginia on December 19, 2004.)
As we begin this fourth and final week of Advent, some sound and needed advice is being given to us. This advice comes to us both in words and by example. Let us consider each in turn.
The advice in words comes from the response refrain to Psalm 24: “Let the Lord enter.” These words are simple but their advice is profound.
Does the Lord wish to enter our lives, our homes, our world? The answer is clear and unmistakable: Yes, He does! How do we know? Let us listen again to what God is saying to us in the Scriptures. Centuries before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah described the Messiah or Saviour as Someone who would live among His people and be one of them. The very name given to the Messiah would signify this: “Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.” In today's first reading from the Prophet Isaiah, we are reminded that the Lord wishes to live among us. “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.” What was foretold by Isaiah came to be fulfilled as we hear in today's Gospel account from St. Matthew. “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord has said through the prophet: 'Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,' which means 'God is with us.'”
Yes, the promised Messiah or Saviour is no other than God Himself, Who, in Jesus, took on our human nature, became one like us in all things except sin and dwells among us. “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (cf. Jn 1:14). Does the Lord wish to enter our lives, our homes, our world? Indeed, He does! He did that on the first Christmas and He continues to do that if we let Him.
This brings us to reflect on the advice being given us by example. In today's Gospel, we see a human being allowing the Lord to enter his life. St. Joseph is clearly depicted to us as a man of obedient faith, a man ready to do God's Will. In a dream, he learned what God desired him to be and to do: to become the legal husband of Mary and the foster-father of Jesus, the Saviour. The Lord wished to enter Joseph's life in a way he never expected. What was St. Joseph's response? In effect, he said: “Let the Lord enter,” in other words, “let the Lord's will be done in my life, let it be!”
In this fourth and final week of preparing for the reliving of Christ's birth, is our attitude like that of St. Joseph? Are we ready and willing to follow the advice being given us both in words and by example? Are we praying: “Let the Lord enter”?
More concretely, are we allowing the Lord to enter our lives each day through prayer, and through the celebration of the sacraments when He comes to us very specifically through signs? Are we allowing the Lord to enter and remove our sins as we celebrate the Sacrament of Penance? Are we allowing the Lord to enter as we take part in the Eucharistic Sacrifice whereby He feeds us and makes His dwelling within us in the most intimate way possible? Are we allowing the Lord to enter into the ordinary moments of our lives, each day, each week? Do we bring Him to our work? Do we allow Him to sit at our table? Is He included among our close relationships? Do we allow Him to be part of our daily living?
On Saturday, we shall relive His Birth, which is the outward sign of His desire to be among us as Lord and Saviour, to enter our lives, our homes and our world.
Like St. Joseph, let us open our lives to let the Lord enter! Let us surrender to the Lord with the obedience of faith! Let us also ask our Blessed Mother to strengthen our response to the Lord, for she too, like St. Joseph, allowed the Lord to enter her life; indeed, she allowed the Lord to take flesh within her in complete surrender to God's plan for her life.
Yes, the advice being given us is so simple yet so profound: “Let the Lord enter!” Shall we? Our “Yes” will make all the difference, not only this Christmas, but every day!
