Homily – O Emmanuel “God With Us — Not at a Distance”

Tonight the Church reaches the final and greatest of the O Antiphons:

O Emmanuel — God with us.

This is not a comforting slogan.
It is a claim that changes everything.

God does not save us from afar.
He saves us by coming close.

And today’s readings show us what that closeness looks like.

Malachi speaks of the Lord coming to His Temple.

Not to applaud.
Not to ignore what is wrong.
But to purify.

He is like a refiner’s fire,
like a fuller’s soap.

That image matters.

Fire does not destroy what is precious.
It removes what does not belong.

This is what Emmanuel means:
God draws near, not to condemn us from a distance,
but to cleanse us from the inside.

Salvation is not God lowering His standards.
It is God entering our lives to raise us up.

The Gospel shows us God at work in a quiet, domestic moment.

Elizabeth gives birth.
Neighbours gather.
A child is named.

Nothing dramatic.
No angels singing.
No visions.

And yet God is present.

The child is named John, as God commanded.
Zechariah’s tongue is loosed.
Praise breaks out.

This is Emmanuel in action.

God is not only present in miracles.
He is present in obedience,
in faithfulness,
in ordinary moments where His will is trusted.

The people ask:

“What will this child turn out to be?”

That is the right question.

John’s whole life will point away from himself
and toward Another.

John prepares the way.
Jesus is the way.

John announces God’s nearness.
Jesus is God near.

This is why the Church ends Advent with O Emmanuel.

All the other titles lead here.

When the Church prays O Emmanuel, she is saying:

Come and stay.
Come and dwell.
Come and be present.

Not as an idea.
Not as a memory.
But as Lord and Saviour.

God with us —
in our confusion,
in our weakness,
in our need for mercy.

This is the heart of Christianity.

As Christmas is almost upon us,
this antiphon asks us one final Advent question:

Do I actually believe that God is with me?

Not just in church.
Not just when things go well.
But in the hidden places of my life.

God with us means:
no situation is untouched by grace,
no sin is beyond mercy,
no fear is faced alone.

But it also means God is close enough to change us.

Emmanuel comforts —
and Emmanuel converts.

Tonight the Church cries out:

O Emmanuel, come.

Come and purify what is false.
Come and heal what is wounded.
Come and dwell among us.

And as we stand on the edge of Christmas,
may we not keep God at a distance,
but welcome Him into our lives.

For the great joy of this feast is simple and astonishing:

God is with us.