Homily: Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 21, 2025
My dear brothers and sisters, we are on the fourth Sunday of Advent, which is the final Sunday of Advent too. For these four Sundays in Advent, the first reading has always been from the prophet Isaiah. Some call the prophet Isaiah the fifth evangelist, some others call him the evangelist of the Old Testament. He is called by these names because he was the prophet who had the clearest vision of the Messiah. His prophecy about Jesus who is to come was very detailed and forever these prophecies continue to come to fulfillment. The central focus of his prophecy in today’s first reading is on the sign of salvation.
In life different signs and symbols depict different realities that speak louder than words. Without uttering a word for instance, a maple leaf on a flag tells the world about the sovereign Canadian nation, similarly, a bald eagle conveys the same message about the United States of America. A green light on a highway signals one to drive along with super confidence while a red light warns you to stop or risk causing a fatal clash. In the history of salvation which started with the people of Israel, God showed these signs through His holy prophets aimed at directing God’s holy people on the proper path to salvation.
In today’s first reading, we see one such sign of God’s salvation for humanity, this history revolved around king Ahaz of Judah and the prophet Isaiah. We remember God promised David that his dynasty would last forever, however, the descendants of David did not keep faith with God, so because of their infidelity, the kingship was torn away from the house of David. Ten tribes of Israel in the Northern side stayed together, retained the name Israel and had its capital at Samaria while two tribes of Israel at the Southern side stayed together and answered the name Judah with Jerusalem as its capital. The unfaithful king Ahaz was the king of the Southern nation of Judah. Then, the king of Israel teamed together with the king of pagan country Syria to fight Judah. When King Ahaz and the people of Judah heard of this evil plot, they were greatly terrified. King Ahaz decided to enter into his own alliance with the pagan neighboring nation of Assyria to fight their Northern brothers of Israel.
It was then that the prophet Isaiah approached King Ahaz with a word from God that an alliance with a nation who does not know God cannot save him. He advised him to turn to God, that His salvation will only come through the living God. Isaiah told Ahaz to ask God for a sign to show that God would be with him. King Ahaz said no, with a false humility of pretense he said he does not wish to put the Lord His God into the text. Isaiah continued his warning and prophecy. Isaiah insisted on giving him a sign that God would save His people and what sign did Isaiah give? A young virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and you shall call him Emmanuel. King Ahaz neglected prophet Isaiah and God’s sign, continued his alliance with the King of Assyria, but instead of winning, the end became a total disaster. Yes, the Assyrians helped him to conquer the Northern nation of Israel, but they did not stop there, they took over the Southern nation of Judah too, made them slaves and Judah became their colony.
Dear brothers and sisters, God’s word from His holy prophets remains eternal. This sign from the mouth of the prophet Isaiah, “a young virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and you shall name him Emmanuel,” will forever remain a sign that God’s holy people are on the path to salvation. King Ahaz did not pay heed to it and the end was disaster, like him, if we remove our eyes from the sign of salvation, disaster will be looming. An alliance with a lifestyle opposed to God cannot save us. In the gospel reading today, we can see how Joseph and Mary cooperated with the different salvific messages given to them by the angel and forever, they are gloriously reigning. Same will be our plight if we persevere in aligning our life with God’s plan of salvation.
In all, the watchword on this final Sunday before Christmas is Emmanuel, God is with us. It is a sign. God became one of us, took our skin and our flesh, shared in our pains, temptations, disappointments and fears. God became man to search for us and elevate us to be like God. We remember God’s question to Adam and Eve in Gen 3:9, “Adam and Eve where are you?” In the Incarnation, Emmanuel has taken human form, searching for us, ceaselessly asking, where are you?
