Reflection on Today's Readings, Thursday, 4th Week of Advent, Year B, December 24th, 2020
Texts: 2 Sam. 7:1-5.8-12.14.16; Ps. 89:2-5.27.29; Luke 1:67-79
Whatever has beginning has an end; today marks the end of Advent season, year 2020. Today's evening, we will gather together to keep watch for the birth of our Lord. For four weeks we have been preparing ourselves for the Lord's coming, we have experienced renewal through conversion and repentance. With all the favours and blessings we have received from God, what is going to be our response? Does the end of Advent means an end to seeking the face of God?
In today's first reading, after David had witnessed God's favour and blessings, his response was to build a befitting house for God. Our response to the favours and blessings of God should be to build a befitting house for God, a temple for him to dwell. Building a befitting house for God is the goal of Advent season. The house, we talk about here, is ourselves, our hearts being made ready for God to dwell in. St. Paul says, "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are" (1Cor. 3:16-7). For four weeks we have been building the house, the temple of God, let us not destroy it but continue to adorn it with virtues, the virtues of charity, faith, hope, temperance, fortitude, justice and prudence; love should continue to be our watchword. When we allow love to rule, righteousness will prevail and justice descend from heaven. Our journey with God has no end, it is everlasting. We have a task to fulfill: to build a befitting house for God to dwell and the house is ourselves.
St. Peter says, "He (Jesus Christ) is the living stone ... set yourselves close to him so that you, too, may be living stones making a spiritual house as a holy priesthood to offer the spiritual sacrifices made acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 2:4-5). Let us set ourselves close to Jesus Christ so that we can become holy dwellings for God our Father. When we become holy dwellings for God our Father, we will be filled with the Holy Spirit and we will proclaim the saving acts of God and we will see it fulfilled in us, in our very lives. Here, Zechariah is an example: He waited for the fulfilment of God's promise, the birth of John the Baptist, in silence, meditating on the mysteries of God; he built of himself a holy dwelling for God. At the fulfilment of the promise, he is filled with the Holy Spirit and he proclaimed the saving plan of God and its fulfilment in the life of John the Baptist. The message, today, is that we should build of ourselves holy dwellings for God our Father by setting ourselves close to Jesus Christ and meditating on His mysteries.
Lord our God, we thank you for speaking to us about the building of ourselves holy dwellings for You, help us to conquer our erratic emotion and desires that we may build befitting house for You. Amen.
Rev. Fr. Andrew Olowomuke
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