HOMILY - FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
DECEMBER 18, 2016
7:30 AM, 9:00 AM ORDINARY FORM MASS
Today is the fourth and last Sunday in Advent.
Advent this year is somewhat remarkable, in that only 15 times in the last 100 years does Christmas fall on a Sunday, providing a full four weeks of Advent. And in the next 100 years, we will have a full four weeks of Advent only 15 times.
It’s a moving target.
Because of Leap Years, it’s not a simple case of every 7 years. The last time was 2011. The next one will be 2022. And then not until 2033.
Advent, as we have probably heard, is a time of joyful anticipation … that is, a time of waiting.
There are Advent calendars that can be simple or elaborate … marking the days of the season.
We count off the four weeks by lighting a different candle on the Advent wreath.
From a liturgical perspective, every day of Advent has it’s own prayers, antiphons, and readings. And hidden in the last 7 days of Advent, is another “surprise” of sorts that comes to us courtesy an unnamed medieval copyist.
We are all familiar with the Advent carol, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” And you may have noticed that it has 7 (seven) verses. These correspond to the last 7 (seven) days of Advent.
Starting on December 17, what are called the “O Antiphons – ” that is “letter O” – are used as Gospel Acclamations, and as Vespers Antiphons.
Counting from December 17 to December 23, the corresponding “O Antiphons” are:
Wisdom,Each of these is a prophesied title for the Messiah from the Old Testament. And Each day, from December 17 through December 23, a new Antiphon is used in the Mass and at Evening Prayer.
Lord,
Root of Jesse,
Key of David,
Dayspring,
King of the Nations, and
Emmanuel.
It would be a great Advent reflection to immerse oneself in contemplating the depth and meaning of each of these. But I will leave you to your own devices.
SapientiaAnd I’m sure that even if you knew Latin, that you would know that despite sounding like a word, “SARCORE” is jibberish.
Adonai
Radix
Clavix
Oriens
Rex
Emannuel
But in reverse, it spells ERO CRAS … and for those of you who forgot your Latin dictionaries this morning, ERO is a first person future indicative of the verb “to be”, and CRAS means “tomorrow” …
So, putting that all together, the “secret message” revealed on December 23 is “tomorrow I will be” or more loosely, “tomorrow, I will come.”
And so, as we count down this last week to the end of Advent … and the beginning of the Christmas season: let us pray for the graces to prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ … as we commemorate His coming in the Flesh two (2) millennia ago, His coming to us in Word and Sacrament whenever two or more are gathered in His name, and His ultimate coming to us … at the end of our lives, and at the end of time.
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