Fourth Sunday in Advent C. December 21, 2003. Our Lady of Grace 7:30, 11:00, 6PM. Micah 5: 1-4a, Hebrews 10: 5-10; Luke 1: 39-45

St. Francis of Assisi was born into a wealthy family in central Italy. His father sold fine cloth to make exquisite clothes for the leading people of the city. Francis was a pampered young man. One evening he put on his flashiest clothes, got on his powerful horse and set out for a night of drinking and carousing with his friends. As he rode down a narrow road he found his path blocked by a man with the dread disease of leprosy. Francis was repulsed by the man who was deformed by the disease and smelled like rotting flesh. Francis tried to steer his horse around the man, but the path was too narrow. Angry and frustrated by this delay in his evening of partying, Francis finally had no choice but to get off his horse and try to move the man out of the way. When Francis put out his hand to take the leper by the arm something inside of him snapped. For a reason that no one but God can explain, Francis was very moved at the sight of this poor, rotting man. Moving beyond the terrible smell, Francis kissed the sick man. From that moment on Francis found more joy in doing God’s will than in all the riches and parties that he had ever had. St. Francis of Assisi spent the rest of his life loving Jesus intensely and bringing peace and joy to everyone, especially the poor. In December of the year 1221 Francis carefully set up the first Christmas manger scene. A changed man, Francis wanted everyone to see the child of Bethlehem, God’s great gift to the world.

Mary said yes to the will of God when the angel Gabriel visited her. With that “yes” a whole new way of life began for Mary. Christ Jesus would be forever in her mind and her heart. Not only would she give birth to the infant Jesus, but from that moment on her joy would be to follow Jesus always. Even when her son was humiliated and crucified, Mary’s joy and peace came from following him and leading others to him. Elizabeth reminded Mary that her consent to being the mother of Jesus would bring peace and joy to her and to the whole world. “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord’s word to her would be fulfilled.

I hope that your preparations for Christmas have gone well. I hope all of our children get what they want for Christmas. I pray that each of us will have a delightful time with our families. I pray that Christmas Day will be a day of heavenly peace for you and for me. Yet, I know better. I have been a priest for 37 years and I have never seen a perfect Christmas. I have learned that the only thing that makes Christmas peaceful and holy is the simple fact that Jesus fills our hearts and that the good news of his presence guides our lives, on Christmas day and beyond, far into the new year. The gift of Jesus is still our greatest gift, even if our preparations for Christmas have left us disappointed and exhausted.

Long after the toys have been broken, the gifts forgotten and the decorations stored away for another year, the joy and peace of believing in the Lord’s word and following the Lord’s call remains. Mary believed and gave birth to the savior, but her mission of peace and joy did not end there. The image of our Lady of Guadalupe reminds us that Mary is still following Jesus and spreading his peace and joy two thousand years after her work as his mother was completed. She brought good news to poor Indians who had lost hope in the future and she continues to proclaim the peace and joy of Jesus throughout the world. The love and peace of Jesus Christ never grows old. The way that we express love for God and our neighbor changes with the various stages of our lives; yet we never get old enough to retire from bringing the peace and joy of Jesus to others, As long as the peace and joy of the Lord fills our lives.

The only Christmas gift worth having or giving is a good life. Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta gave us some good advice about living a successful, Christ-filled life in our confused and pushy world. She said,

“People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give the world the best you have anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway.”

Mary did what God wanted; no matter what else happened in her life she was filled with peace and joy that was between her and God, anyway. For the peace that comes from doing God’s will always, everywhere and anyway, we give God thanks and praise.