4th SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Gospel (Matthew 1:18-24) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
- NHA CHUA CHA
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
FIRST READING - Is 7:10-14
"The young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son."
A reading from the Book of Isaiah
10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: 11 Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God; let it be deep as Sheol, or high as the sky![a] 12 But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!”[b] 13 Then he said: Listen, house of David! Is it not enough that you weary human beings? Must you also weary my God? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign;[c] the young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel.
SECOND READING - Rom 1:1-7
"Descended from David according to the flesh, established as Son of God."
A reading from the Letter according to the Romans
1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus,[b] called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3 [c]the gospel about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh, 4 but established as Son of God in power according to the spirit of holiness through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 [d]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, 6 among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ; 7 to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy.[e] Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Mt 1:18-24
"When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him."
✠From the Gospel according to Matthew
18 Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,[a] but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit. 19 Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,[b] yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. 20 Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord[c] 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. 21 She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,[d] because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
23 [e]“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means “God is with us.” 24 When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.
4th SUNDAY OF ADVENT - Gospel (Matthew 1:18-24)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
In today’s Word of God, God reveals the origin of Jesus' birth.
God reveals that the Incarnation of God was foretold from ancient times, as the prophet Isaiah foretold to all people: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel."
This prophecy was fulfilled through the Virgin Mary, who was blessed because she obeyed God's command to conceive and bear the Son of God into the world as man by the power of the Holy Spirit.
God came into the world and was born as a human being, but not through the flesh and blood of a man, but through the supreme power of God manifested in the womb of the Virgin Mary.
The angel's message to Mary was fulfilled in Mary herself, a person who always obeyed God's will absolutely.
In addition, today God also teaches us about another model of absolute obedience to God's will, which is Saint Joseph. Saint Joseph did not act according to his own will, but he obeyed God's will; this is the example of a righteous man that God shows to humanity in Saint Joseph. He collaborated with the Virgin Mary to nurture the Son of God who came into the world as man to bring salvation to all of humanity.
This is a miraculous act of procreation that only God can accomplish. For God creates everything from nothing from the very creation of heaven and earth. Therefore, there is nothing in this world that God cannot do.
The fact that God was born as a human being and resided in the womb of the Virgin Mary is due to the power of God, manifested in a person chosen by God in His work of salvation, that is, Mary. This is a wonderful love that God wanted to bestow upon humanity, a love manifested in Jesus Christ, the Son of God who came into the world as man. He demonstrated this love through His actions and deeds by coming down to earth in human form to share in the suffering and weakness of humanity except for sin, for God is absolutely incapable of sinning. He came to accompany, to love, and to sympathize with and share in the pain of humanity, and to save humanity from the bondage of Satan.
This promise was fulfilled through the prophecy of Isaiah, and to this day, God is among us.
God wants all of humanity to:
Absolutely believe that the Son of God, who resided in the womb of the Virgin Mary, is the truth. He became human like everyone else through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Always trust and have absolute faith in the love that God bestows upon all of humanity; and when you believe, live and act according to God's commandments, which is to bring God's love and the Good News to humanity, to all those who need the love and mercy of God the Father, like the image of Saint Paul, who was sent by God to preach the Gospel and bring God to all nations.
Today, God desires all of humanity to open their hearts and receive the Son of God into their souls, so that they may live in love and live according to what God has taught; And then one continues to carry that love to share and bestow upon others according to God's will, for the joy and love increase when shared, and that pleases God the Father most of all.
God the Father wants humanity today to be more vigilant, to walk on the path of love, the path of God's light, to eliminate hatred, jealousy, and selfishness, so that God's love and light may descend upon each soul, and, therefore, Satan will no longer have the opportunity to steal our souls from the loving embrace of God the Father.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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