“Should you build me a house to dwell in?”

4th Sunday of Advent, Year B

First Reading: Second Samuel 7:1-5, 8-11, 16

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29

Second Reading: Romans 16:25-27

Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

“Should you build me a house to dwell in?” God questions David through Prophet Nathan. We shall reflect on this God’s question in a spiritual way rather than seeing the question in a historical way.

In this question, we can discover certain underlying truths. God is not really interested in David building a house for Him.  At least for now! Though David’s desire to build a house for God is sincere, God seems uninterested. David feels saddened that while he lives a palace, the Ark of God is left in a tent! God is however content to be in a Tent!

As Christmas fast approaches, we are busy in our own ways as individuals and as a community preparing ourselves for the celebration. One of the integral aspects of Christmas Celebration is making a Crib -a Franciscan tradition. Though not everyone may be involved actively in the process of crib-making, we all love to have a crib – a house for the babe of Bethlehem. In this situation, we are faced with the same question as David – Should you build me a house? The implicit truth here is that God does not want us to build a material temple.

Since the season of Advent is about coming of Jesus in our life and welcoming Him in our hearts, our life and heart are to become the dwelling place of God and not just the crib that we make. This isn’t something new you are hearing! Unless we have already built our house into God’s dwelling place, you can simply ignore me and what I am saying. If not, though it is being repeated, year after year, it still touches the core of our being stirring us from deep within to see what is that which prevents us from building our heart into God’s dwelling place.

We are in the fourth week of Advent; 3 weeks of preparations have gone by and we are confronted with a question – how far are we in building our life and heart into a house for God to dwell in? Prayer after prayer, day after day, week after week, we were instructed through antiphons, psalms, scripture readings, prophecies, Gospel passages and homilies about repentance, preparing the way for the Lord and making the path straight. Because of all these, how has our life changed to house Jesus Christ?

The Gospel beautifully brings out how Mary our Mother carefully constructs her life into a house for God to dwell in. The greeting, “Hail, full of grace!” is vouching for the truth that Mary has gone about her life living in such a manner, that Mary has a house full of grace ready to welcome the Son of God in her life. What are we full of? Do we deserve the same greeting as of Mary – Full of Grace! Is our life and our heart as a house for God full of grace?

The angel Gabriel goes on to say to Mary, “You have found favour with God.” Another important aspect to be considered in the process of building our life and heart into a house for God – Have we found favour with God?  In preparation for Christmas – Coming of Jesus Christ in our hearts, we should find favour with God – in other words – Is God happy with what we are, what we do and how we relate to one another?  This is how we build our life into a house for God. Finding favour with God is like building the House for God on the rocky foundation. Forgetting God and His ways is like building the House for God on the sand bound to crumble any time!

As we make conscious efforts to transform our life into a dwelling place of God, as angel Gabriel assures Mary, the Holy Spirit will come upon us and the power of the Most High will overshadow us. It is with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the Power of the Most High, our efforts to build a House for God will bear fruits. Now is the time to ask ourselves, how have we allowed the Holy Spirit to guide us and the Power of God to rule us? with these words, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May It be done to me according to your word.”  Mary consecrates her life as the dwelling place of God – A total surrender without a hesitation and reservation what makes the life of Mother Mary into a fitting dwelling place for God!  It is these life-moments of Mother Mary that we should make our own in our preparation for the coming of Jesus as well as in making our life a home for God.

St. Francis had the greatest admiration for Mary our Mother. In his salutation to Blessed Mary, St. Francis says, Hail, His Palace, Hail His Tabernacle, Hail His Robe. In other words, St. Francis admires her for making herself, her life into a house for God.

St. Francis did make a house for God! The first one ever to make a Crib. It is only acceptable that God would not have questioned St. Francis’ motive to build a house for Him. Because, St. Francis first made himself-his life into God’s house. God’s presence radiated in and through every fibre of St. Francis. His act of making crib therefore a radiation of God’s home that was already built in the life of St. Francis. Without the life of St. Francis already becoming a God’s house, St. Francis efforts to make a crib would be a meaningless exercise, a futile effort and a hypocrisy. 

How did St. Francis make himself – his life into God’s house? I do not really think that I need to elaborate on this which will only lengthen my homily. I am sure we are all on the same page agreeing with one another how St. Francis made himself and his life into a dwelling place of God. Should we wish to learn from him how – he offers us plenty of lessons. It takes only a few lessons St. Francis teaches to transform ourselves and our life into a dwelling place of God.

Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God because God lives in that Pure Heart!

It is never too late for a new beginning in our life. In a few days left before Christmas, I am urged to do all that I can to build my life and my heart into a God’s House. As Mary and Joseph went knocking one door to another, they were denied a house for Jesus to be born. The same Mary and Joseph come knocking at the door of my life and your life, my heart and your heart, if we have built our life and heart into God’s house, Joseph, Mary and Jesus make our life and heart their own. If not, we are no different all those innkeepers who denied the House for Joseph and Mary.