💖 HOMILY - DECEMBER 20 💖

First Reading - Isaiah 7:10-14 

Gospel - Luke 1:26-38

In moments of uncertainty and fear, God often speaks words that invite us to trust beyond what we can see or control. Today’s readings reveal a God who enters human history not through force or certainty, but through promise, faith, and humble openness. They invite us to reflect on how God’s greatest work begins when we dare to say yes.

In the first reading from Isaiah, King Ahaz is facing political danger and inner fear. God offers him a sign, an assurance of divine presence, but Ahaz hesitates, hiding his lack of trust behind religious language. Yet God remains faithful and gives a sign anyway: a young woman will conceive and bear a son, and his name will be Emmanuel, meaning God is with us. This promise reveals something essential about God. Even when human faith is weak, God does not withdraw. He acts for the sake of His people, offering hope not rooted in human power, but in His abiding presence.

This promise reaches its fulfillment in the Gospel from Luke. The angel Gabriel is sent to a young woman named Mary, not to a palace or a centre of influence, but to an ordinary home in Nazareth. Mary is troubled by the message, not because she doubts God’s power, but because she does not yet understand how God’s plan will unfold in her life. Her question is honest, not resistant. And when she receives God’s assurance, she responds with one of the most profound acts of faith in all of Scripture: “Let it be done to me according to your word.”

Here we see the contrast between Ahaz and Mary. Ahaz refuses the sign out of fear disguised as caution. Mary accepts the promise with humility and trust, even though it will change her life completely. Through Mary’s yes, the promise of Emmanuel becomes flesh and blood. God is no longer only with His people in word and symbol, but in person.

Dear friends, we too face moments when God’s call unsettles us, when obedience feels risky, and when the future seems uncertain. Like Mary, we may not fully understand what God is asking of us. Faith does not mean having all the answers. It means trusting the One who calls us.

God continues to seek hearts that are open, not perfect; willing, not powerful. When we say yes to God in the small and hidden moments of our lives, He works through us in ways far greater than we imagine. Emmanuel is not only a name from the past. It is a living promise that God is with us now, in our fears, our decisions, and our daily struggles.

Today, let us ask for the grace to trust God’s word, even when it leads us beyond our comfort. Like Mary, may we learn to say yes—not knowing everything that lies ahead, but confident that God is faithful. When we do, God’s presence takes flesh once again in the world through our lives.