Posted: 12/20/2014 7:04:05 AM EDT
Fourth Sunday of Advent 21 DEC 2014 Lectionary: 11 
(King David in Prayer, Pieter DeGrebber, 1635) 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/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. Alleluia LK 1:38 R. Alleluia, alleluia. Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word. R. Alleluia, alleluia. 
(The Annunciation, Adnaen van de Velde, 1667) 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. 
(The Annunciation, Leonardo Da Vinci, 1472) Gospel Reading: Luke 1:26-38 ~The events related in this Sunday’s Gospel reading take place nine months before the feast we are to celebrate in a few days—The Feast of the Nativity, or, Christmas. ~Today’s reading marks the most important event that ever occurred, what is known as the Incarnation—the taking on of human flesh by the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ. It is known as the first Joyful Mystery of the Rosary, and is commemorated in the prayer traditionally recited three times a day, the Angelus. ~That the Messiah would be born of a virgin was prophesied in the Old Testament by Isaiah (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22-23). Mary herself had been prepared by God for this moment. ~Though on the surface this passage might seem to be primarily about Mary, like all Marian teachings of the Church, the emphasis is really on Jesus. Here we find out (in verses 31-33) what his name will be (a name which means “God saves”), that he will be “great” (because he is God), that he will be “Son of the Most High” (i.e. God) as well as son (descendant) of the ancient Israelite king David (thus heir to the messianic promises to the Davidic throne; cf. 2 Samuel 7:12-17), and that his kingdom will have no end. ~He will also be called, in verse 33, ruler of the house of Jacob (which included all twelve tribes of Israel). At the time of Jesus, by and large, only two of the tribes (Judah and Benjamin) remained in the land, the others having been carried off into captivity in 784 B.C. The implication is that those ten tribes will be restored by drawing them from other nations. Thus Jesus’ kingdom is to be a universal one, not a national one, made up of people from every time and nation. 
(The Annunciation, Carl Heinrich Bloch, ca. 1890) QUESTIONS: +In what ways was the prophecy from God to David about his kingdom and his posterity (which we hear in the 1st Reading) most literally fulfilled in Jesus Christ? +How does the 2nd Reading make clear God’s salvation was fulfilled according to his own plan? +In the Gospel Reading, how does Gabriel’s announcement to Mary compare with his announcement to Zechariah (verses 13-17)? What is different in her response? +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? (courtesy of Scripture Study For Catholics) Bible Study--4th Sunday of Advent--Cycle B (courtesy of St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Picayune, MS, Faith Studies) 
"Mary was raised to the dignity of Mother of God rather for sinners than for the just, since Jesus Christ declares that he came to call not the just, but sinners." -St. Anselm |