Although Nathan's prophecy to David
and Gabriel's announcement to Mary may lead us to expect a messiah bringing
peace by ruling in splendor from "the throne of David his father,"
today's readings suggest that God's mysterious ways often overturn human
expectations.
David is deterred from building a
glorious house for God (temple). Instead, the Lord will build a house for him
(dynasty). God's fulfillment of the "mystery hidden for many ages" is
first revealed to Mary. . . in the out-of-the-way region of Galilee. As she
obediently submits to the Lord's impossible plan for the messiah's birth, we
may already anticipate that her child's rule is not going to conform to the
standards of earthly power and prestige.
Luke 1:26-38
In a tone of wonder and joy, Luke's
annunciation story describes the beginning of the fulfillment of the
long-awaited time of salvation. . . .
The scene is filled with
improbabilities. The site is Nazareth in Galilee; there has been no Davidic
court in Jerusalem for almost 600 years. The recipient is a virgin,
"deeply troubled" by the angel's greeting who later must ask,
"How can this be since I do not know man?" The child will be
conceived by the power of the Most High, and the confirming sign that Mary's baby
is indeed to be called Son of God is that her kinswoman Elizabeth has conceived
a son in her old age.
In language reminiscent of the
annunciation of Isaac's birth to Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 18), Gabriel ends
by affirming that, "nothing is impossible with God." In con- trast to
the incredulous Zechariah and their laughing ancestor Sarah, Mary acquiesces to
the mysterious divine plan: "I am the maidservant of the Lord. Let it be
done to me as you say."
2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16
The scriptures remind us that our
God is a god of surprise. The reading from Second Samuel describes Israel as a
people firmly rooted in the promised land. This people has developed such a
sophisticated urban life that it wants to establish a dwelling place for God,
an act that in effect represents an attempt to domesticate God.
But Nathan receives a night-time
revelation from God, an appeal to remember God's nomadic, sojourning, tent-dwelling
presence for Israel. Nathan is reminded that God's power enabled Israel's
enemies to be thwarted and that God desires no temple where the divine will
exist under the domination of human designs. The Davidic covenant is not to be
placed in a particular space but is to be rooted in a person, David, and his
posterity. God speaks surprise. God takes a posture of presence with David and
his posterity.
Romans 16:25-27
This concluding doxology gives
praise to God who strengthens the Christian community in the gospel, now
revealed to gentiles through Paul's preaching. . .
Its emphasis on the hidden mystery
of God's plan, which completes the message of the prophets and is now revealed
to all the nations, is central to the theme of today's readings. The plan for
salvation, now open to gentiles, is manifested not according to human
timetables but "at the command of the eternal God."
These reflections were
written by a number of different scholars who contributed to this volume of Homily Service without attribution
according to specific sections.
Homily Service 36, no. 1 (2002): 35-42.
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