Fourth Sunday of Advent

Fourth Sunday of Advent 
Lectionary: 11

Reading 1 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16

When King David was settled in his palace,
and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies on every side,
he said to Nathan the prophet,
"Here I am living in a house of cedar,
while the ark of God dwells in a tent!"
Nathan answered the king,
"Go, do whatever you have in mind,
for the LORD is with you."
But that night the LORD spoke to Nathan and said:
"Go, tell my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD:
Should you build me a house to dwell in?'

"'It was I who took you from the pasture
and from the care of the flock
to be commander of my people Israel.
I have been with you wherever you went,
and I have destroyed all your enemies before you.
And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth.
I will fix a place for my people Israel;
I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place
without further disturbance.
Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old,
since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel.
I will give you rest from all your enemies.
The LORD also reveals to you
that he will establish a house for you.
And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,
I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,
and I will make his kingdom firm.
I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever."

Responsorial Psalm Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29

R. (2a) For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
The promises of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, "My kindness is established forever";
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
"I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
and establish your throne for all generations."
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
"He shall say of me, 'You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.'
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm."
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

Reading 2 Rom 16:25-27

Brothers and sisters:
To him who can strengthen you,
according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages
but now manifested through the prophetic writings and,
according to the command of the eternal God,
made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith,
to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ
be glory forever and ever. Amen

Gospel Lk 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.

"Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end."
But Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?"
And the angel said to her in reply,
"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 called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God."
Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.

Scripture Study

This week we celebrate the fourth and final Sunday of Advent. In the first reading, David wishes to build a house (temple) for God. God, however, had other plans and promised to build a house (dynasty) for David. The prophecy of Nathan in that reading forms the basis for the Jewish expectation of a Davidic Messiah that we believe is fulfilled in Christ. In the second reading, Paul ends his letter to the Romans with a wonderful doxology which praises God for the mystery that He had kept hidden and revealed in Jesus. The gospel tells us again the story of Gabriel's appearance to Mary and Mary's yes to God's call. All of these should cause us to ask ourselves how seriously we take our service to God. If I were beginning to live in royal splendor like David would I be struck with a desire to build a temple for God? How "real" to me is the mystery of God's love expressed in Jesus? Would my yes to God have come as quickly as did the response from Mary?

NOTES on First Reading:

* Verses in brackets [] are omitted from the reading.

* 7:1 This chapter is constructed on the wide range of meanings for the Hebrew word, "bayith," or "house." It is taken as palace in v 1, temple in v 5, dynasty in v 12, family or lineage in v 18. An even more prominent thread is the antithesis: David is not to build a house (temple) for God (verse 5); God is to build a House (dynasty) for David (verse 11). The real substance of the prophecy is the perpetuity of the Davidic dynasty in Israel. This is the first reference to the Davidic Messiah. See also Isa 7:14 ff; Mi 4:;14; Hg 2:22; Acts 2:30.

* 7:6-7 In fact, there were two views of worship in Israel at the time. Although a new view was developing in Israel represented by a desire to establish a temple based worship, the older tradition represented by the ark was generally against the innovation of a temple which followed Canaanite practice. The impasse was resolved by placing the ark in the Temple and modeling the temple, to a degree, after the tent of meeting that was used in the wilderness. Nathan himself was a supporter of the older "ark" tradition.

* 7:8-16 This prophecy to David also appears, in poetic form, in Psalm 89:20-38, and is indirectly referenced in Psalm 132. The people of Israel are included in the promises to David (2 Sam 7:10-11). They are anticipated in 2 Sam 7:6-7, and alluded to in David's thanksgiving, 2 Sam 7:23-24. The text applies to the people an expression that is used of David in Psalm 89:23. This prophecy to David is the basis for the Jewish expectation of a Messiah who was to be a son of David. Christians have always seen Jesus Christ as the true and complete fulfillment of this prophecy in a transcendent way. See Acts 2:30; Hebrews 1:5.

* 7:14 This verse begins with a formula of adoption. See also Ps 2:7; 110:3d; and 89:30-33. 1 Chr 17:13 applies this text to the Messiah and suppresses the second part of the verse.

NOTES on Second Reading:

* 16:25-27 These verses form an appropriate conclusion to the letter but there is considerable disagreement as to where they really belong. Although most manuscripts place them here some place them at the end of chapter 14 and some at the end of chapter 15. Others omit them altogether. In many ways this provides a short, solemn reminder of the main points of the letter. See 3:20; Jude 24-25.

* 16:25 Strengthen refers to being firmly grounded in true doctrine and being strong in the Christian practice.

* 16:26 Paul borrows the idea of a mystery of wisdom long hidden in God and recently revealed from Jewish apocalyptic (Dan 2:18-19) but he applies it to the climax of salvation history, the cross of Christ

NOTES on Gospel:

* 1:26 The sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy.

* 1:27 The word usually translated as "engaged or espoused" is a relatively rare Greek word, "mnesteveim", that indicated a situation of a legal marriage contract where the principals don't yet live together yet. In Galilee it was the last stage of an engagement prior to moving in together.
"Virgin" as used here is derived from the Septuagint (ancient Greek text) of Isa 7:14. The Hebrew text uses a word that could mean either a virgin or simply a young woman.
The Church has always followed the interpretation of Matthew and of Luke who use the Septuagint version and therefore call Mary a Virgin.

* 1:28 The pattern of the dialog follows that of the announcements of Ishmael, Isaac and Samson. The word translated as "favored one" or "full of grace" means " especially favored" or "highly graced".

* 1:31 This verse tells us the reason for her being "highly favored."

* 1:32 One of Luke's great purposes in the first two chapters of the gospel is to show that Jesus is both "Son of David" and "Son of God." He sets up a series of parallels: 2 Sam 7:9, Luke 1:32a 2 Sam 7:13, Luke 1:32b 2 Sam 7:14, Luke 1:33a 2 Sam 7:16, Luke 1:33b

* 1:34 Literally, "I know not a man." This is a Jewish idiom for not having had sexual intercourse. See Isa 7:14.

* 1:35 The image of the Holy Spirit is from Gen 1:2 and is also used in Rom 1:3-4. That God would send His Son is a startling New Testament idea.

Meditation : "The Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and of his kingdom there will be no end"

 Do you know the steadfast love of the Lord? God's love endures forever because he is a covenant-making God who keeps his promises (Psalm 89:2-4). God showed special favor to David when he anointed him to be king of Israel. After David had established peace in the land and wanted to build a house for God, God reassured him that he would build David a house, not made of stone but of flesh, that would last forever (2 Samuel 7:12,16). This royal house would be no ordinary dynasty because God himself promised to raise up an heir to David's house, another "man after God's own heart" – a Savior and King who would bring healing, pardon, and lasting peace for his people.

We begin to see the fulfillment of this prophecy and the unfolding of God's plan of redemption in the events leading up to the Incarnation, the birth of the Messiah King. The new era of salvation begins with the miraculous conception of Jesus in the womb of Mary. This child to be born is conceived by the gracious action of the Holy Spirit upon Mary, who finds favor with God (Luke 1:28). As Eve was the mother of all humanity doomed to sin, now Mary becomes the mother of the new Adam who will father a new humanity by his grace (Romans 5:12-21). This child to be conceived in her womb is the fulfillment of all God’s promises. He will be “great” and “Son of the Most High” and “King” and his name shall be called “Jesus” (Luke 1:31-32), which means “the Lord saves.” “He will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The angel repeats to Mary, the daughter of the house of David, the promise made to King David: "The Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end" (2 Samuel 7:12-16, Isaiah 9:6-7, Luke 1:32-33).

How does Mary respond to the word of God delivered by the angel Gabriel? She knows she is hearing something beyond human capability. It will surely take a miracle which surpasses all that God has done previously. Her question, “how shall this be, since I have no husband” is not prompted by doubt or skepticism, but by wonderment! She is a true hearer of the Word and she immediately responds with faith and trust. Mary's prompt response of "yes" to the divine message is a model of faith for all believers. Mary believed God's promises even when they seemed impossible. She was full of grace because she trusted that what God said was true and would be fulfilled. She was willing and eager to do God's will, even if it seemed difficult or costly. Mary is the “mother of God” because God becomes incarnate when he takes on flesh in her womb. Jesus, whom the Father sent from heaven, is true God and true man. When we pray the Nicene Creed we state our confession of faith in this great mystery: “For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit, he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man”. God gives us grace and he expects us to respond with the same willingness, obedience, and heartfelt trust as Mary did. When God commands he also gives the help, strength, and means to respond. We can either yield to his grace or resist and go our own way. Do you believe in God's promises and do you yield to his grace?

"Heavenly Father, you offer us abundant grace, mercy, and forgiveness through your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Help me to live a grace-filled life as Mary did by believing in your promises and by giving you my unqualified "yes" to your will and plan for my life."

Psalm 89:1-5,27-29

1 I will sing of your steadfast love, O LORD, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations. 
2 I declare that your steadfast love is established forever; your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens. 
3 You said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to my servant David: 
4 'I will establish your descendants forever, and build your throne for all generations.'" Selah 
5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones. 
27 I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. 
28 Forever I will keep my steadfast love for him, and my covenant with him will stand firm. 
29 I will establish his line forever, and his throne as long as the heavens endure.