4th Sunday of Advent

Dear Friends,

Happy 4th Sunday of Advent, and Merry Christmas! In this season we celebrate the awesome, earth-shattering mystery that God became man. GOD, the all-powerful creator and Lord, came into the world as a humble, helpless infant because of his great love for us. We are so used to this fact that sometimes its sheer magnitude escapes us. We know that God became man to save us from sin, but we forget that he could have accomplished this however he wanted to. He could have stayed in the heavens, snapped his fingers and accomplished our salvation. But that isn’t the sort of God that we have. We have a God so generous, so personal, so concerned with each one of us, that he chose to enter our messy humanity and to sanctify and redeem our lowly human station.

God doesn’t come into the world as a conqueror or a king enthroned in glory; he comes gently and peacefully as a baby with a mother. And even in choosing Mary to be his blessed mother, God honors her freedom and awaits her “yes.” St. Bernard of Clairvaux has a famous homily where he describes the whole world, all of creation—past, present, and future—waiting with baited breath for Mary’s reply. God allows his entire plan for salvation to rest on the courage and consent of one humble handmaiden. And Jesus shows this same humble deference to each one of us. He desires to dwell in the shabby stables of our hearts, but he pauses to knock at the door and see if there is any room. Our savior is not a pushy conqueror who wants to take control of us, he is a gentle king who wishes be a light in our darkness. This Christmas, let’s say “yes” as Mary did, allowing Love himself to make his home in our hearts.

Jule Coppa, Penn Campus Minister