Immaculata University Advent Reflection Booklet

December 24Fourth Saturday of AdventWhen King David was settled in his palace, and the LORD had given him rest from hisenemies on every side, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am living in a house of cedar,while the ark of God dwells in a tent!" Nathan answered the king, “Go, do whatever youhave in mind, for the LORD is with you. “But that night the LORD spoke to Nathan andsaid: “Go, tell my servant David, "Thus says the LORD: Should you build me a house todwell in? “'It was I who took you from the pasture and from the care of the flock to be commanderof my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you went, and I have destroyedall your enemies before you. And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth. Iwill fix a place for my people Israel; I will plant them so that they may dwell in their placewithout further disturbance. Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did ofold, since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel. I will give you rest fromall your enemies. The LORD also reveals to you that He will establish a house for you. Andwhen your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you,sprung from your loins, and I will make his Kingdom firm. I will be a father to him, and heshall be a son to me. Your house and your Kingdom shall endure forever before me; yourthrone shall stand firm forever.” 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16God scolds David for trying to build Him a house of gold, when, for years, Godsays He has been perfectly satisfied to live in a tent. This tent (called the Ark ofthe Covenant) had poles attached so that it could be easily carried from place toplace. When the Israelites went into battle, the Ark of the Covenant was carriedby Levites, students for the Jewish priesthood. In later times, it rested in theHoly of Holies in the Temple that David's son, Solomon, built. But that waslater. In today's readings, God says, "Not yet!" Through the prophet, Nathan,God tells the King that He'll let Solomon do the building of the temple.This reading was chosen for Christmas Eve to show that tomorrow, God isgoing to do something truly awesome. He is going to send His Son, Jesus, andJesus will choose for His Temple a human person called Mary. We may ask how,then, is it possible for Jesus to be set on the throne of David as the Father hadpromised. The answer lies in the fact that Jesus' mother, Mary, and His fosterfather,Joseph, are both descendants of David. In this way, the promise will befulfilledHeavenly Father, You can only build on life. All else is sand. You cannot build on fear,guilt, coercion, or even idealism. You cannot build on death, un-forgiveness, repressed hurts,denied feelings, or unconscious anger for they will eventually show themselves as unfit foundationsfor community. They might appear to be energy in the short run, but they will in timeshow themselves to be negative energy, incapable of sustaining real life. Wisdom has builtherself a house, says Proverbs 9:1. And Wisdom knows that you can only build on the foundationof life. Thank you for helping me to journey into an ever deeper life this Advent whichis the essence of faith community.Sister Agnes Marie Cummings, IHMNursing Faculty