Let Him Enter: Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent – Year A
We are at the end of Advent season and as we make our final preparations for Christmas we may wonder how we should spend these last three days preparing our hearts.
A few minutes ago we sung together the antiphon from today’s responsorial psalm: “Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.”
What better way to make our final preparations for Christmas, then by meditating on that antiphon?
If we take some time over the next few days to repeat it to ourselves and reflect on its meaning, then when Christmas Day comes we will be that much more ready to enter into the full celebration of Christ’s birth.
If we begin with the word “let,” we’re reminded that we are free to either accept or reject God, that God doesn’t impose himself on us. God is never forceful with us, but rather invites us to encounter him in our daily life.
We let God enter. Or we don’t. We can spend the next few days simply asking ourselves, “Am I letting the Lord in? Or am I shutting him out? Do I make choices that lead me closer to God, or do the choices I make lead me away from God?”
Each of us is born with the capacity to choose the One who first chose us, who wants to enter.
And that’s what God desires—to enter into relationship with us. To come into our lives and be Emmanuel, “God with Us.”
To walk side by side with us in our jobs or classrooms.
To sit at the dinner table with our families.
To put an arm around our shoulder when we’ve got bills to pay and no money to pay them.
To cheer for us at our games.
To share an earbud and listen to music with us.
God first seeks us out. God wants to enter into our lives.
The first part of the antiphon, “Let the Lord enter,” is our response to God’s ongoing invitation. It is our “yes” to God. “Yes, Lord, I, too, want a relationship with you. Come into my life. I freely choose you, just as you first freely chose me.”
The second half of the antiphon reminds us that the Lord is not some low-level administrator or ambassador, but the king of glory—the source of all beauty, all truth, all goodness, all love. Every inspiring painting, each mathematical equation, sunsets, ski slopes, love letters, and symphonies are the handiwork of the king of glory. The fingerprints on the walls of our houses, the great plays of Shakespeare, the good works of Mother Teresa, are all part of the Lord’s glory.
The king of glory wishes to bring that glory into our lives as a gift.
This is what we see in the gospel today in the life of Joseph. Joseph is about to unknowingly turn away the savior by quietly divorcing Mary. Mary is with child, and the child is not his.
Joseph is an upright man trying to follow the Mosaic law, and he is also a man of mercy. He knows the child Mary carries is not his. According to the law, the just thing to do is to divorce her, and the merciful thing is to do it quietly so that the real father can step forward and claim the child.
It’s then that the angel reveals the truth and says, “Do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.” The angel is saying, “God has come to you, Joseph. Will you accept him?” In other words, “Let the Lord enter.”
And the angel continues, “he will save his people from their sins.” In other words, “he is the king of glory.”
The words of the angel also invite Joseph to action.
He takes Mary into his home, places her and the child under his protection, devotes his life to loving them. He names the child Jesus. He acts. God’s invitation always prompts us to action.
To be a disciple means more than just hearing the good news, it means acting on it.
If we honestly pray, “Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory,” then we have to be ready to open ourselves up to change.
As Christmas approaches, and we begin to let the Lord, the king of glory, enter into our lives, what is God asking us to do?
Maybe we are being asked to make a drastic change in our lives; more often than not, however, the actions we are called to take are more subtle and quiet. Joseph’s life was not visibly different than what it would otherwise have been. He kept on working, caring for Mary and raising and Jesus.
The angel spoke: “Joseph, Son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.”
If we replace the name “Joseph, Son of David,” with our own names, what would the angel tell us?
Do not be afraid to admit you’ve been wrong?
Do not be afraid to speak words of love to your spouse?
Do not be afraid to hug your children more?
Do not be afraid to care for your parents in their old age?
Do not be afraid to walk away from gossip?
Do not be afraid to “let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.”
Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded. We are offered the same chance. We are given the freedom to let the king of glory in.
In a few moments, when we come forward in communion, we will be offered the Body and Blood of Christ. God invites around His table in order to come into our lives. By our “Amen” we respond, “Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.”
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