Posted: 12/17/2008 3:44:49 PM EDT
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12/21/08
Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year B 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.” Reading II 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. 
How does Gabriel’s announcement to Mary compare with his announcement to Zechariah (verses 13-17)? How does Mary (in verses 34 and 38) respond differently than Zechariah (verses 13-17)? What truths about Jesus are emphasized in this passage? What expectations must have been raised in Mary (Luke 1:46-55, 69-79)? What would it mean to doubt and fear God? When were you recently fearful, but believing? How did God meet you where you were at that time? In what area of your life do you need to believe that “nothing will be impossible with God”? What keeps you from believing this? Catechism of the Catholic Church: §§ 64,148, 430, 437, 486, 488-490, 494, 505, 723, 2617 |
| Just reading those passages gets me excited. They are the precursors to some very big events. Its like seeing the moment right before the world changed. The moment right before thousands of years of God's prophesy was fulfilled. If Mary knew, at the time, only a fraction of the full gravity of her situation then she must have been giddy at the very least. |
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What would it mean to doubt and fear God? When were you recently fearful, but believing? How did God meet you where you were at that time?
I have always been a doubting Thomas, and God has never failed to reveal Himself to me. When I had started to realize that the Catholic Church was the Church that Jesus established 2000 years ago, I got excited but at the same time I got fearful because I knew that when I started to make that move to become Catholic I would face some serious hardships with friends and in my marriage, and I came close to losing all of it. I lost friends along the way but God has managed to keep my marriage alive. Even though I faced some hard times I knew that it was God's will, He kept reassuring me that He was in control. In what area of your life do you need to believe that “nothing will be impossible with God”? What keeps you from believing this? That my wife will unite with me in Faith, I would give anything for that. I think the hardest thing for me to trust in this is that first of all it's her free will, and God won't force anyone against their will, and as time goes on it seems more and more unlikely, even while I pray for this everyday. |