FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT
December 18, 2022
Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol was published in 1843, a week before Popula – never out of print. Ebenezer Scrooge Bah Humbug. Scrooge was greedy, stingy, and crabby.
Another line: darkness is cheap and scrooge liked it.
Scrooge also had once been engaged to marry. But his obsession with money alienated his fiancé Belle. Ghost of Christmas past – we learned she happily married another man.

In today’s Gospel, we hear the story of another engaged man, Joseph. Unlike Scrooge, Joseph was a righteous man. He was going to save many. But the angel of God appeared and spoke a memorable line that changed Joseph’s life and changed our lives as well: Do not be afraid…Joseph took Mary into his home so we today are able to cry out Emmanuel. God is with us.

God is calling us to something greater than we can imagine. St. Paul was called to belong to Jesus Christ. We are called to be holy. To turn ourselves around and to prefer the light.

In A Christmas Carol, Scrooge turns himself around. He gets troubling signs from the ghosts…tye help him to see things differently – which prompts him to turn his life around. He discovers that light is much better than darkness, and generosity and compassion are much better than greediness and stinginess.

Oh to be given such a sign before it is too late to change our ways! But, we have – the Eucharist – the body and blood of Christ. This is the ultimate assurance that God is with us as the angel promised. God sent Jesus to be with us and to change us so we can be holy; so we can prefer the light.

May compassion take place of indifference. May light overcome all darkness.