Fourth Sunday of Advent (A) 2019

INTRO:

ASK: HONESTY NOW…. Raise your hands if someone has accused you of “talking too much”!!!

I thought so!

I have been accused of such as well. Even back when I was in the second grade the Notre Dame Sister wrote to my parents: IF JAMES WOULDN’T TALK SO MUCH, HE WOULD DO A LOT BETTER in class! I am simply a talker, not a terrible thing, but we, as followers of JESUS, also need to be “LISTENERS” as well!!!!

My father would say to me…
“LOOK AT ME AND LISTEN TO ME!”
BUT, on this fourth Sunday of Advent I am referring to another kind of “listening”!

I am referring to a spiritual kind of listening. The SPIRITUAL KIND of listening that Saint Joseph did as we heard today. If he did not have that kind of posture, (spiritual listening trait) his intention to divorce her quietly would have happened!

Our spiritual listening does not necessarily mean a DIVINE INTERVENTION, but it can be your spouse, your child, your friend and or even a stranger
People “interrupt” us when we have “plans,” and that interruption JUST MAY BE GOD telling you something.

Somehow Joseph’s mind and spiritual listening skill was ready and OPEN for an interruption from on high!

Are our schedules and bodies ready for that kind of interruption?

A tall order for me to suggest to you in this busy season, but God just may want to interrupt us as we are getting ready to celebrate CHRISTMAS.

CONCLUSION

Anyway, Joseph had that trait of “spiritual listening” to get interrupted and teaches the church that God can lead our lives if we just accept the interruptions as from GOD, Himself.