Daily Gospel
READING OF THE DAY
First reading from the Book of the prophet Isaiah
Is 7:10-14
The LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying:
Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God;
let it be deep as the netherworld, or high as the sky!
But Ahaz answered,
“I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!”
Then Isaiah said:
Listen, O house of David!
Is it not enough for you to weary people,
must you also weary my God?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel.
Second reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans
Rom 1:1-7
Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus,
called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God,
which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,
the gospel about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh,
but established as Son of God in power
according to the Spirit of holiness
through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Through him we have received the grace of apostleship,
to bring about the obedience of faith,
for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles,
among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;
to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Matthew
Mt 1:18-24
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means “God is with us.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.
Fourth Sunday of Advent
(Mt 1:18-24)
The Word of God for Everyone
Dear people of God,
In the Word of God today, God talks about the origin of Jesus’ birth. His coming into the world was foretold from time immemorial, as the prophet Isaiah told all nations: “The virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.” This prophecy was fulfilled through the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is blessed because she obeyed God’s command to bring the Son of God into the world, under the great power of the Holy Spirit.
God came to earth and was born as a man, but not through the flesh and blood of a man, but by the supreme power of God manifested in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The angel’s message to the Blessed Virgin Mary, expressed in the person of Mary, shows one who always obeys the will of God absolutely.
Besides, today, God also teaches people about an example of absolute obedience to the will of God the Father by Saint Joseph. Saint Joseph did not arbitrarily follow his own decision, but he obeyed the will of God the Father, which is the model of a righteous person. Saint Joseph collaborated with the Blessed Virgin Mary to bring up the Son of God who came to earth as a man in order to bring salvation to all mankind. Only God could bring about this very miraculous procreation.
Since God created heaven and earth from nothing, there is nothing in this world that God cannot do. The fact that God was born as a man and was incarnated in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary shows the power of God. God chose a man to do His work of salvation. God gives His love to mankind, a love expressed in Jesus Christ, the Son of God who came to earth as a man. He showed His love through His own concrete actions, that is, coming to earth as a human being to share the suffering and the weak and sinful condition of man. But God absolutely never sinned. He came to accompany mankind, to love and to sympathize, to share in man’s pain, and to save man from Satan’s captivity. This promise was fulfilled through the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah, and to this day God is among us.
God wants all mankind to:
- Have absolute confidence in the truth that the Son of God descended as a man in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He came down as a man because of the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Always trust, absolutely trust in the love that God gives to all mankind. When you believe, live, and follow God’s commandments, then you bring love, and bring the Good News of God to humanity to all people who are in need of the love and mercy of God the Father. Man then reflects the image of Saint Paul, who was sent by God to evangelize, to bring God to all nations.
- Today, God wants all of humanity to open their hearts to receive the Son of God so that we can live in love and follow God’s commands. Then we continue to share that love with others, giving to others according to God’s will, because the joy and love of giving are increased and will please God the Father above all
God the Father wants humanity today to be more awake, to walk on the path of love, the light of God, and to get rid of hatred, jealousy, and selfishness. From there the God of love and His light descends on every soul, and from there Satan will no longer have the opportunity to take the person’s soul from the loving arms of God the Father.
Thanks Be to God. Amen.
