WELCOME HOME!

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

2 Sam.7:1-5,8-12,14,16; Ps.89; Rom.16:25-27; Lk.1:26-38

What is the difference between a “house” and a “home”? Aside from their spelling, a “house” is a mere structure, a building with divisions and partitions inside while a “home” is a place where you are with you loved ones. A “home” goes beyond the limits and boundaries of the house. That is why when you are in another place, the host will always say to you, “This is your second home. Consider us as your new home.”

In our first reading, King David after settling in his palace and enjoying his rest from his enemies realized that the Lord has no place to dwell in. “ Here I am living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God dwells in a tent.” And so, he decided to build the Lord a house. However, towards the end of the reading, the Lord revealed to David through Nathan “that God will establish a house for you. Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne stand firm forever.” God did not allow David to build him a house. It was God who build David not just a house but a home where his ancestors can dwell forever.

In our Gospel reading, we heard of God the Father building a home for His only Son in the womb of the Virgin Mary through the annunciation of the angel Gabriel. Like the home of David which shall endure until the end, inside the womb of Mary, dwells Jesus who “will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”  

What happened in our Gospel is what Paul in our second reading refers to as the “mystery kept secret for long ages has now been manifested” through the angel’s announcement and Mary’s fiat.

Hence we ask ourselves, what made Mary the chosen home of Jesus, the Son of God?

First, Mary is the chosen home of Jesus because God filled her with grace! “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you. Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” Being filled with God’s grace also means that she was empty with her own self. Mary was filled to the brim all because of her emptiness. In fact, such fullness of grace was so great that even sin has no place in her life. She was immaculately conceived!

Second, Mary is the chosen home of Jesus not only because she was filled with God’s grace but also because she was humble enough to accept God’s outpouring of grace in her life. “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”  Mary was never coerced. It was as Paul mentions in his letter to the Philippians, “the obedience of faith.”

We are now in the fourth Sunday of Advent. Last Sunday, we were called to rejoice for the Lord is near. Today, our liturgical color shifts back to violet from pink. This means that we are now on our final call to repentance, to empty ourselves, so that like Mary, we will also be filled with God’s grace. We empty ourselves so that God can find a home in our hearts where he shall stay forever.

When someone who has left home for quite some time has returned, we usually say, “Welcome Home!” Indeed, it is true that “there is no other place like home!” As we draw near Christmas, may we truly welcome Jesus, our guest, in our empty selves so that He will fill us with his love and mercy and say to him, “Jesus, welcome home!” Amen!

Photo taken from http://fbcocc.com/welcome-home-college-students/