The great Catholic author, G.K. Chesterton once made this remarkable observation about children and God that I first heard when my nieces were much younger – an idea that has resonated with me ever since. He wrote: “Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, ‘Do it again’; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It may be that God says every morning, ‘Do it again’ to the sun; and every evening, ‘Do it again’ to the moon.”

Thanks so much for stopping by to read this homily for the FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT- December 22, 2024.  I appreciate your sharing this on your social media posts and your feedback and comments…  I’m also grateful for all those who’ve asked for the audio version and share them as well at SOUNDCLOUD click HERE or from ITUNES as a podcast HERE.  May the Lord be glorified in your reading and sharing- Father Jim – 

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That image of little kids pleading, begging, demanding “do it again,” and thinking that God never tires of it – there’s something gentle and beautiful about this vision that comes to mind as we’re days away from celebrating Christmas. We’re just entering into the beloved Nativity narrative with this prologue today where we witness Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. We’ve heard this story countless times – two cousins meeting, both carrying children who would change the world. Elizabeth, thought barren, bearing John the Baptist. Mary, a young virgin from Nazareth, chosen to be the Mother of God carrying the Messiah. “Blessed are you among women,” Elizabeth proclaims, as she recognizes God’s hand in this extraordinary moment.

Sit with that scene: Two women, each carrying within them God’s “Do it again.” Through Elizabeth, God was saying “Do it again” to the long line of prophets who had called Israel to faithfulness. Through Mary, God was saying “Do it again” to the very act of creation itself – bringing forth something new and transformative from what appeared to be nothing. In that small house in the hill country of Judea, heaven and earth met in an embrace of divine repetition.

But here’s what strikes me: God keeps saying “Do it again.” He doesn’t tire of creating new life, of bringing forth goodness, of working through unlikely people. As Chesterton notes, “It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.” While we grow weary of repetition, God finds fresh delight in each new sunrise, each blooming flower, each act of love.

This is the heart of Advent. We’re not simply remembering a birth that happened 2,000 years ago. We’re not playing pretend, waiting for baby Jesus as if it hasn’t happened yet. As we’ve reflected throughout these weeks, Advent is about preparing for Christ’s coming into the world – historically at Christmas, eventually at the End of Time, but right here and now as well. We receive His word in these scriptures being proclaimed, we receive His real body, blood, soul and divinity in the Eucharist – but not simply for ourselves. That’s meant to be the first step of our participating in God’s eternal “Do it again!” He wants Christ born again – not in a manger this time, but in us, in our world, in our everyday moments.

Throughout history, we’ve seen examples of how that has happened. Consider one of our most beloved Saints of the last century, Mother Teresa of Calcutta. We can’t think of her as a distant figure of impossible virtue, but as someone who heard and answered God’s “Do it again” in her own time. In the gutters of Calcutta, amid suffering that would make most turn away, she saw opportunities for Christ to be born again and again. Each time she knelt beside a dying person, God was saying “Do it again.” Every time she bathed a leper or fed a hungry child, Christ was being born anew in that moment of tender care. Her life wasn’t about achieving sainthood – it was about responding to God’s daily invitation of bringing His son Jesus into the world one small act at a time.

In that first reading today, the prophet Micah tells us that from tiny Bethlehem would come the ruler of Israel. Who would expect the Savior to emerge from such an insignificant place? Yet God delights in saying “Do it again” in the smallest and most unexpected corners of our world. He still does today – in hospital rooms where nurses offer comfort beyond their job descriptions, in classrooms where teachers kindle hope in struggling students, in soup kitchens where volunteers see Christ in each person they serve, in police officers organizing a coat drive for people in need, in neighbors checking on elderly friends.

We might think we’re too ordinary, too flawed, too small to be part of this divine story. But that’s why these scriptures are so important, so we can remember how  – Elizabeth was “too old.” Mary was “too young.” Bethlehem was “too small.” Yet God said “Do it again” through each of them.

This Advent, God invites us to share in His childlike joy of repetition. Every act of kindness is a chance for Christ to be born anew. Every moment of forgiveness, every gesture of love, every act of sacrifice, every choice to serve – these are our opportunities to join in God’s eternal “Do it again.”

When we feel tired of trying, when our efforts seem monotonous or small, remember that God never tires of making daisies, of raising the sun, of creating opportunities for love to enter the world. He is the eternal child, delighting in each new expression of grace.