Fourth Sunday of Advent

Father Leo Hausmann
Homily from the Televised Mass, NewsCenter1
Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 24, 2023

The historical background of the first reading from the Second Book of Samuel is that Moses had led God’s people in their escape from Egypt around the year 1250 B.C. Then about forty years later, Joshua led them through the Jordan River and into the promised land. After Joshua’s death, Judges ruled the Jewish people from around 1200 to about 1030 B.C. The last Judge, Samuel, anointed their first king, King Saul, around 1030 B.C. David succeeded Saul in 1010 B.C. 

King David’s first step was to make Jerusalem the political and the spiritual capital of his kingdom. Once King David had completed the building of his palace, he wanted a more beautiful house to accommodate the Ark of the Covenant, which represented God’s presence in the midst of His chosen people. For over 200 years, the Ark of the Covenant had been a mobile shrine, kept in a tent so that it could be easily carried to any place to which the people moved or where Yahweh’s special presence was needed. 

King David wanted to build a special Temple in Jerusalem to house the Ark. Though the prophet Nathan initially accepted David’s plan, as we heard in the first reading, he eventually returned to inform the king that God said that David was not to build a house for God; rather God would build a House for David! That is, a kingly lineage, a kingly throne from the family of David, upon which David’s descendents would reign forever. 

For about the next four hundred years an unbroken succession of kings from the lineage of King David ruled over God’s people. But in the 6th century BC, the Babylonians conquered Judah and ended the succession of Davidic kings, prompting Israel to look for a different kind of fulfillment of God’s promise to David. Israel began to look for the Messiah, a descendant of David, who would come at the end of time to eradicate evil from the world.  

We find the beginning of the fulfillment of this hope in today’s Gospel where the angel tells Mary that the son she is about to conceive will sit on “the throne of his father David, and reign over the house of Jacob forever.” The promise of God to King David and the kingly line of David’s lineage finds its everlasting fulfillment in Jesus Christ.  

Seventeen verses in the New Testament describe Jesus as the “son of David.” When people referred to Jesus as the Son of David, they meant that He was the long-awaited deliverer, the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. 

On Mary’s part, Mary does not require confirmation but responds in faith. She agrees to carry out the Word Gabriel has addressed to her. Her humble embrace of the will of God commends itself to every believer: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let what you have said be done to me.” Thus, Mary is presented as the perfect disciple. 

Those who find out what God wants of them and accept His message as Mary did are Jesus’ true followers. Those who only hear the Word but never put it into action are deceiving themselves. Christian faith is a matter of continually making Jesus a part of our lives. 

This Gospel reading is encapsulated in a great and traditional prayer, the Angelus. Traditionally, the Angelus is prayed at morning, noon, and evening. The tradition of praying the Angelus has really fallen away in our homes. However, it would be a great thing if we made it a practice of saying it at least once a day. 

Saint Teresa of Calcutta, who many of us knew as Mother Teresa, said that if families prayed the Angelus together in their homes, the world would have ample vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

There is also a famous painting, named “The Angelus” depicting two peasants standing in the field praying the Angelus when the church bells in the distance rang, calling them to prayer.

Growing up, our family prayed the Angelus together after breakfast, lunch, and supper. Today, I personally pray the Angelus daily for the intention of an openness to the will of God in my everyday life, that I will immediately and joyfully follow Jesus wherever he leads me. If you don’t have the Angelus in a prayer book it can easily be found online.