2019년 12월 22일 대림 제4주일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
이사야서. 7,10-14
그 무렵 10 주님께서 아하즈에게 이르셨다.
11 “너는 주 너의 하느님께 너를 위하여 표징을 청하여라.
저 저승 깊은 곳에 있는 것이든,
저 위 높은 곳에 있는 것이든 아무것이나 청하여라.”
12 아하즈가 대답하였다.
“저는 청하지 않겠습니다. 그리고 주님을 시험하지 않으렵니다.”
13 그러자 이사야가 말하였다.
“다윗 왕실은 잘 들으십시오!
여러분은 사람들을 성가시게 하는 것으로는 부족하여
나의 하느님까지 성가시게 하려 합니까?
14 그러므로 주님께서 몸소 여러분에게 표징을 주실 것입니다.
보십시오, 젊은 여인이 잉태하여 아들을 낳고
그 이름을 임마누엘이라 할 것입니다.”
제2독서
로마서. 1,1-7
1 그리스도 예수님의 종으로서 사도로 부르심을 받고
하느님의 복음을 위하여 선택을 받은 바오로가 이 편지를 씁니다.
2 이 복음은 하느님께서 당신의 예언자들을 통하여
미리 성경에 약속해 놓으신 것으로,
3 당신 아드님에 관한 말씀입니다.
그분께서는 육으로는 다윗의 후손으로 태어나셨고,
4 거룩한 영으로는 죽은 이들 가운데에서 부활하시어,
힘을 지니신 하느님의 아드님으로 확인되신 우리 주 예수 그리스도이십니다.
5 우리는 바로 그분을 통하여 사도직의 은총을 받았습니다.
이는 그분의 이름을 위하여
모든 민족들에게 믿음의 순종을 일깨우려는 것입니다.
6 여러분도 그들 가운데에서 부르심을 받고 예수 그리스도의 사람이 되었습니다.
7 성도로 부르심을 받은 이들로서
하느님께 사랑받는 로마의 모든 신자에게 인사합니다.
하느님 우리 아버지와 주 예수 그리스도에게서
은총과 평화가 여러분에게 내리기를 빕니다.
복음
마태오. 1,18-24
18 예수 그리스도께서는 이렇게 탄생하셨다.
그분의 어머니 마리아가 요셉과 약혼하였는데,
그들이 같이 살기 전에 마리아가 성령으로 말미암아 잉태한 사실이 드러났다.
19 마리아의 남편 요셉은 의로운 사람이었고
또 마리아의 일을 세상에 드러내고 싶지 않았으므로,
남모르게 마리아와 파혼하기로 작정하였다.
20 요셉이 그렇게 하기로 생각을 굳혔을 때, 꿈에 주님의 천사가 나타나 말하였다.
“다윗의 자손 요셉아, 두려워하지 말고 마리아를 아내로 맞아들여라.
그 몸에 잉태된 아기는 성령으로 말미암은 것이다.
21 마리아가 아들을 낳으리니 그 이름을 예수라고 하여라.
그분께서 당신 백성을 죄에서 구원하실 것이다.”
22 주님께서 예언자를 통하여 하신 말씀이 이루어지려고 이 모든 일이 일어났다.
곧 23 “보아라, 동정녀가 잉태하여 아들을 낳으리니
그 이름을 임마누엘이라고 하리라.” 하신 말씀이다.
임마누엘은 번역하면 ‘하느님께서 우리와 함께 계시다.’는 뜻이다.
24 잠에서 깨어난 요셉은 주님의 천사가 명령한 대로 아내를 맞아들였다.
December 22, 2019
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
Reading 1
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.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6.
R. (7c and 10b) Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.
Reading 2
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
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.
http://evangeli.net/gospel/tomorrow
«When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had told him»
+ Fr. Pere GRAU i Andreu
(Les Planes, Barcelona, Spain)
Today, the liturgy of the Word invites us to consider and admire St. Joseph's figure, a truly good man. About Mary, God's Mother, it has been said that she was blessed among women (cf. Lk 1:42). About Joseph it has been written he was a just man (cf. Mt 1:19).
As persons made after God's image and semblance, we all owe our individual identity to God the Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth, with actual and radical freedom. And as a response to that freedom we can glorify God, as He deserves, or we can also make, out of ourselves, something quite unpleasant to God's eyes.
We have no doubt that Joseph, through his job and personal commitment to his familial and social surroundings, sort of won our Creator's “Heart”, by considering him a man to be trusted in the collaboration of human Redemption through his Son, made a man as we are.
Let us therefore learn from St. Joseph his allegiance —already proven from the very beginning— and his good behavior during the rest of his life —closely— correlated to Jesus and Mary.
We make him patron and mediator of all fathers, whether biological or not, that in our world must help their sons to provide a similar response to his. We make him patron of the Church, as an entity intimately linked to his Son, and we keep on hearing Mary's words when she finds that the Child Jesus was “lost” in the Temple: «Your father and I...» (Lk 2:48).
Therefore, with Mary, our Mother, we find Joseph as the father. St. Teresa of Avila wrote: «I took for my advocate and comforter the glorious Saint Joseph, and commended myself fervently to him (...). I do not remember at any time having asked him for anything which he did not grant».
Exceptional father for those of us who have heard the call of our Lord to fill up, through the priestly ministry, the place Jesus Christ has handed over to us to carry on with his Church. —O glorious St. Joseph! do protect our families, our communities, all those hearing the call to vocational priesthood... and let us hope there will be many of us.
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
During this Advent season, we find ourselves journeying into God and the mysteries of the incarnation. While the stories may seem familiar as we encounter them each year, may we draw new life from these ancient texts, which continue to bear seeds of faith and hope for us.
The first reading begins with Isaiah’s prophesy of Emmanuel – God with us. The prophesy comes to Ahaz, a king in the midst of threats of warfare all around him. God offers a sign to confirm that His help is all that Ahaz needs – but Ahaz claims he needs no such sign. It seems to me that Ahaz is acting like those relatives that tell you, gee, you didn’t need to get me anything. But of course, you know you do! Ahaz is playing it cool. His faith is being tested.
Isaiah’s prophesy is subtle and difficult to comprehend at the time – after all, the birth and growth of a child would require time and great patience. It was probably not what Ahaz wanted to hear, particularly if he was worried about how to keep his enemies at bay. But the promise given portends the ultimate form of security – God dwelling in the midst of the people. “Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.”
Paul’s letter to the Romans lays claim to the fulfillment of these prophetic words. He writes as one who has joined himself to the risen Son of God, receiving apostleship “to bring about the obedience of faith.” This obedience is due to the one who has raised Jesus from the dead, and who has called us to holiness. We cannot do this of ourselves. Like Ahaz, we are called to open our hearts. “Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.”
In today’s gospel, we see the obedience of faith being modeled in Joseph. The angel who appeared to him in a dream said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid….” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel commanded him. Joseph received an explanation from the angel, but I am sure that he still had some unanswered questions. Some have speculated that Joseph’s fears may have been rooted in consciousness of his own inadequacy to play this role in salvation history. Could any of us not be daunted by the prospect of being the spouse to the Theotokos? Somehow, Joseph was able to act on the word that was given to him. Matthew explains that this was part of the fulfillment of Isaiah’s ancient prophesy, but it is not clear that Joseph acted on such knowledge. In the midst of crisis, we cannot always connect the dots. But we act and move, as we must.
We are called to the obedience of faith. This usually requires choices to be made without a complete understanding of their significance in the unfolding plan of God. Not many of us get an angelic message to guide or confirm our choices. Instead, we must rely on daily encounters with God that come through the scriptures, the sacraments, and prayer. By listening and discerning – often in silence and stillness -- we are given the privilege of participating in the life of God to which we are called, overcoming our fears through love that grows to displace them. Like other forms of incremental change, we may not recognize it until time has passed, but when we do, it gives us hope. “Let the Lord enter; he is the king of Glory.” Thanks be to God.
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
"THE BEST LAID PLANS OF MICE AND MEN" | ||
| "When Joseph awoke he did as the angel of the Lord had directed him." �Matthew 1:24 | ||
Many of you have Christmas planned. You're going to go to certain parties, see certain family members and friends, and give specific presents. You expect to receive a few presents yourself along with some Christmas goodies. The Christmas you have planned is about the same as last year's Christmas, with a few minor variations. What if Jesus decided to change your Christmas plans dramatically? Would you let Him be Lord of your Christmas? Ahaz had plans about how to avoid destruction by the Assyrians. Just when Ahaz had his plans all set, Isaiah told Ahaz to forget his plans and trust in God alone. The Lord even promised a dramatic sign to prove Isaiah's message (Is 7:11). Ahaz refused to ask for the sign, would not even consider changing his plans, and "proved utterly faithless to the Lord" (2 Chr 28:19). Joseph planned to quietly divorce Mary because she was pregnant and the baby was not his (Mt 1:19). An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to change his plans. He changed his plans and became the foster-father of Jesus, the husband of Mary, and head of the Holy Family. The best Christmases are not when we get our way, but when we change our plans so that Jesus gets His way. | ||
| Prayer: Father, ruin any plans of mine that are not Yours. | ||
| Promise: " 'The virgin shall be with Child and give birth to a Son, and they shall call Him Emmanuel,' a name which means 'God is with us.' " —Mt 1:23 | ||
| Praise: "O King of all the nations, the only Joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature You fashioned from the dust." |
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
"He will save his people from their sins"
Do you hold on to the promises of God at all times, especially when you are faced with uncertainty or adversity? The prophet Isaiah spoke words of hope in a hopeless situation for Israel. When Ahaz, the apostate king of Judah and heir to the throne of David (735 B.C.) was surrounded by forces that threatened to destroy him and his people, God offered him a sign to reassure him that God would not abandon the promise he made to David and his descendants. King Ahaz, however, had lost hope in God and refused to ask for a sign of favor. God, nonetheless, gave a sign to assure his people that he would indeed give them a Savior who would rule with peace and righteousness (Isaiah 7:11ff). Like the prophet Isaiah we are called “in hope to believe against hope” (Romans 4:18) that God can and will fulfill all his promises.
Mary was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit
Mary had to face an enormous challenge to her faith and trust in God and to the faith of her family and Joseph, the man she chose to marry. She was asked to assume a burden of tremendous responsibility. It had never been heard of before that a child could be born without a natural father. Mary was asked to accept this miraculous exception to the laws of nature. That required faith and trust in God and in his promises. Second, Mary was not yet married. Pregnancy outside of wedlock was not tolerated in those days. Mary was only espoused to Joseph, and such an engagement had to last for a whole year. She was asked to assume a great risk. She could have been rejected by Joseph, by her family, by all her own people. Mary knew that Joseph and her family would not understand without revelation from God. She nonetheless believed and trusted in God's promises.
Joseph believed the angel's message "that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit"
Joseph, a just and God-fearing man, did not wish to embarrass or punish his espoused wife, Mary when he discovered that she was pregnant. To all appearances she had broken their solemn pledge to be faithful and chaste to one another. Joseph, no doubt took this troubling matter to God in prayer. He was not hasty to judge or to react with hurt and anger. God rewarded him not only with guidance and consolation, but with the divine assurance that he had indeed called Joseph to be the husband of Mary and to assume a mission that would require the utmost faith, confidence, and trust in Almighty God. Joseph believed in the divine message to take Mary as his wife and to accept the child in her womb as the promised Messiah.
A model of faith for us
Like Mary, Joseph is a model of faith for us. He is a faithful witness and servant of God's unfolding plan of redemption. Are you ready to believe in the promises of God, even when faced with perplexing circumstances and what seems like insurmountable problems? God has not left us alone, but has brought us his only begotten Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us celebrate Christmas, the feast of the Incarnation, with joyful hearts and let us renew our faith and hope in God and in his redeeming work.
"Lord Jesus, you came to save us from sin and the power of death. May I always rejoice in your salvation and trust in your divine plan for my life."
Psalm 24:1,12-13,18-19
1 Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son!
12 For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper.
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy.
18 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.
19 Blessed be his glorious name for ever; may his glory fill the whole earth! Amen and Amen!
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: The righteous branch of David is Christ, by Leo the Great, 400-461 A.D.
"There was only one remedy in the secret of the divine plan that could help the fallen living in the general ruin of the entire human race (Jeremiah 23:5-8). This remedy was that one of the sons of Adam should be born free and innocent of original transgression, to prevail for the rest by his example and by his merits. This was not permitted by natural generation. There could be no clean offspring from our faulty stock by this seed. The Scripture says, 'Who can make a clean thing conceived of an unclean seed? Isn't it you alone?' (Job 14:4) David's Lord was made David's Son, and from the fruit of the promised branch sprang. He is one without fault, the twofold nature coming together into one person. By this one and the same conception and birth sprung our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom was present both true Godhead for the performance of mighty works and true manhood for the endurance of sufferings." (excerpt from Sermon 28.3)
http://www.homilies.net/
4 Advent
Fourth Sunday of Advent - A Cycle - Matthew 1:18-24
A child was terrified of the dark. Her father tried to calm her by saying God was in the bedroom with her. She still was upset. She told her dad, "I want a God with skin on Him."
The Christmas season for most of us is speeding in the fast lane miles above the speed level. It is bearing down on us like a truck out of control.
Theoretically these last few weeks should be spiritual quality time between the approaching Christ and ourselves. But preachers are spitting into the wind. Many Catholics will first touch Jesus when, exhausted, they put the chipped plaster Infant back into the shoe box after the Epiphany. Then they put it in the dusty attic for the next year.
The malls that ring our towns decree that gift-hunting season opens the day after Thanksgiving's turkey find its way into the soup pot. Malls can't wait to get their hands on our wallets.
This is one of the worst times of the year for many. Depression before the holiday arrives as faithfully as credit card bills arrive after it. The University of Utah School of Medicine has reported that ninety percent of us suffer from emotional reactions brought on by Christmas stress.
In Chicago, three hundred counselors operated a hot line one year from December 21 through 27. They clocked two thousand calls from depressed people. Suicide rates rise significantly. Death from heart attack and natural causes peak on Dec 25 and 26 and Jan 1. (A sacramental confession this week is a good investment.) Alcoholics, who have been dry for years, will find their way back to friendly, neighborhood liquor stores. "Spare me Christmas wrapping," they will snarl.
Children suffer anxieties about Santa's existence. They become greedy because of too many gifts or envious because of too few. "I want," said a boy, "any kind of gift as long as it's expensive." Non-Christians feel shut out since they are told Jesus is the reason for the season and wise men still search for Him.
Even Norman Rockwell's blue-haired grandmother is hiding in a Florida condo where kids are as welcome as hurricanes.
This we are advised is the season to be merry, but the above suggests many of us would be wiser to be wary.
Jules Feiffer puts it this way: "Every Christmas the family gathers together and fights about presents and why we don't get together more often. And it occurs to me the Bible must have the dates wrong. Christ was born on Good Friday and crucified on Christmas. Isn't everybody?"
But Jesus the Christ whose birthday we celebrate can hardly be enthralled by the style of many of us who claim to be authentic Christians. If you want to better understand what it cost God to become one of us, think how you would feel becoming a cockroach. (CS Lewis)
one is more inclined to look more kindly on Ebenezer Scrooge. There is an awful lot of humbug in Christmas.
Yet, Jesus is not humbug. The birth of Christ brings the infinite God within reach of finite man. (Unknown) The girl who began this homily is going to get God with skin on Him.
When you look into the stable, you witness the Absolute in swaddling clothes and Omnipotence in bonds. (John Newman) The Incarnation is superb poetry, exquisite painting, and sublime music wrapped into one gayly wrapped package.
one never tires of Jesus as a subject. The cover stories of both Time, Newsweek, and US News & World Report regularly mark His nativity. one reason for featuring Him so often is that their circulation invariably increases. Born twenty centuries ago, Jesus still sells. Mel Gibson broke all records with his DVD version of The Passion of the Christ. He sold nine million copies in three weeks at $22 a clip. The first book published by Pope Benedict XVI is called "Jesus of Nazareth." It quickly found a home on the Best Seller list of The New York Times.
As you read these lines, dozens of writers, unknown to one another, work at their computers around this cosmos to produce still one more volume on Him. This despite the fact that the Library of Congress already has twice as many books on Jesus as any other subject.
Artists at their easels struggle to paint His portrait again.
Have you seen Andy Warhol's Nativity? Composers struggle to salute Him with a fresh musical score. Will it ever be otherwise? I believe not.
Tell others of Jesus. But firstly allow Him to be born in you. He can't be born again, but we can. (James Tahaney)
If you want to be considered subversive this week, answer "Merry Christmas" when people wish you "Happy Holidays."
Frjoeshomilies.net
4 Advent
Msgr. Joseph A. Pellegrino
Fourth Sunday of Advent: Joseph the Righteous, Joseph the Just,
Joseph the Compassionate
Today's Gospel gives us the opportunity to focus in on one of the main figures in the stories of the Birth of Our Lord, or the Infancy Narratives, St. Joseph. First of all, the term infancy narratives. These are the Christmas stories as found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. The Prologue of the Gospel of John gives a theological presentation of the Eternal Word of God become flesh, but John starts his narrative with the events that took place when the Lord had already become a man, the preaching of John the Baptist and the baptism of the Lord.
The Infancy Narratives in the Gospel of Luke present Joseph as the foster father of the Lord, but the main focus outside of Jesus is placed on Mary. It's the Gospel of Matthew, today's gospel to be exact, that focuses on Joseph. This makes a great deal of sense. Matthew's main audience was Jewish Christians. Joseph was of the line of David. The Jewish people were very much aware that God had promised David that his Kingdom would never end.
But the Gospel also makes it clear that Joseph was not the natural or birth father of the Lord. Mary was a Virgin. The child was conceived through the Holy Spirit. So, why is Jesus seen as part of the line of David through Joseph? This is because Joseph names the child. For the ancients this meant he had made the child his own. We can even say that he adopted the child. Now we view adoption as a legal procedure. The ancients viewed adoption as both a legal act and a spiritual act. When a man adopted a child, all that made that man who he is, his background, his ancestry, all of this poured out upon the child. When Joseph named the child, adopted the child, Kind David, King Solomon, and all that was part of Joseph's ancestry became part of Jesus' ancestry. The prophets predicted that the Messiah would come through the line of David. This takes place through Joseph.
Even though the infancy narratives in Matthew focus on Joseph, Joseph is not quoted. But we still know a great deal about him. We know that he was a righteous man. That meant that he was in the right with God. And we know that Joseph was open to the guidance of God, given to him three different times in dreams.
one of Joseph's ancestors was the patriarch Joseph. This was the son of Jacob whom God spoke to through dreams. His brothers, you remember, were jealous of him and were about to put him to death, when they changed their mind and sold him into slavery to an Egyptian merchant. The merchant's wife tried to entice Joseph, but he remained honorable, so she had him put into prison, claiming that he assaulted her. Joseph's righteousness was rewarded by God. Joseph had dreams about a coming famine in the area. The Pharaoh heard about these and sent for Joseph. He believed him and placed Joseph as administrator of the Kingdom of Egypt. Joseph had huge silos built to store grain for coming years. When the famine came, Egypt had plenty and could also sell their grain to other nations. You might remember that Joseph's brother's came groveling to him when famine hit their families.
Our Joseph, St. Joseph, received three dreams of which we are aware. In the first, and most important, he was told not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife. A second dream took place after the birth in Bethlehem. Joseph was told to take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt for the wicked King Herod meant to kill Jesus. After Herod died, and while the Holy Family was in Egypt, Joseph had another dream, this one telling him to return to Palestine, which he did but avoiding Jerusalem.
The most important information we have about Joseph is not that he was a dreamer; it was that Joseph was a righteous man, a just man. A just person puts his or her relationship with God before all else in life and cares for people as God would care for them. In scriptures, someone who is just reflects God's compassion.
We all know the story so well. Joseph was about to marry a beautiful young girl. Then he learned that she was pregnant. He was devastated. He must have been heart broken. His life must have appeared to be shattered. Now Jewish Law would come to the aid of a man in his situation. The offending woman would be tried, and most probably killed. If there were extenuating circumstances and she was lucky, she would be cast out of society, and treated with scorn the rest of her life, a pariah, an outcast, forced to beg for food for herself and her child.
Joseph was a just man. Joseph was a compassionate man. He would not do this to the girl. He would not expose Mary to the law. He was certain that God couldn't possibly want that to happen. He would send her away to a distant relative where she could live somewhat of a normal life with the child. Treating Mary with kindness was more important than his rights before the Law.
There is a great deal that we need to learn from St. Joseph. So many times we invoke the law of the land rather than consider how God is calling us to behave. We rush to sue someone who has offended us instead of consider how we can settle the situation in a Christ like way. We hide behind the law as we tear apart families.
The basic problem is that there are many Americans who place country before God. St. Paul tells us that in Philippians 3:20 that our citizenship is in heaven. God comes first, then country. What we need to do as Catholics is work hard that our country's laws reflect the law of the Kingdom. What we should never do is invoke the law of the land over the law of God.
Joseph was exposed to ridicule. Some people had to have known that Mary was pregnant and that Joseph was not the father. Joseph had the law on his side. But Joseph was just. He was compassionate. He asked himself, "What would God want me to do?" Then he made the decision to protect Mary, even though at that point in his mind, it appeared that she had offended him. He would send her away where she could be safe. It was after Joseph made the decision to do what God would want him to do, that the angel appeared to him in the dream. He was not only to care for Mary and the child. Joseph was to name the child. This child would really, perhaps not physically, but really be Joseph's. The Church recognizes that by becoming the father of the Holy Family, Joseph became the father of the Universal Church.
Joseph is one of our greatest saints. His greatness flows from the fact that Joseph was righteous. Joseph was just. Joseph was compassionate. Today we pray to St. Joseph to give us the courage to be righteous. Give us the courage, St. Joseph, to choose the way of the Kingdom of Love over the ways of the kingdoms of man.
Stmaryvalleybloom.org
* Available in Spanish - see Spanish Homilies
4 Advent
Alexmcallister.co.uk
4 Advent
Fourth Sunday of Advent
We are now in the period of immediate preparation for Christmas and the scripture readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent reflect this with the first reading being an extract from Isaiah which explicitly predicts the Virgin Birth. This text is chosen by the Church for the liturgy this Sunday in order to highlight the fact that it was not just the coming of a Messiah that was foretold in the Old Testament but even some of the circumstances of his birth, most especially the fact that he was to be born of a virgin mother.
The Gospel text then provides us with the account of the immediate events leading up to the birth of Jesus and explicitly quotes the prophecy of Isaiah which we already heard in the first reading. The key character in the extract set before us is Joseph to whom all the circumstances are revealed in a dream.
Matthew's Gospel contains more about St Joseph than any of the other Gospel writers. St Luke mentions him seven times but none of these tell us very much about Joseph himself. He only gets one brief mention in the Gospel of Mark and two passing references in the Gospel of John.
Matthew is much more explicit and we are told about the four extraordinary dreams of Joseph the first of which is presented to us in today's reading. In a further dream, he is instructed to take his family into Egypt to escape King Herod's wrath and then once the danger is over another dream informs him that it is now safe to return home to Israel. The final dream warns him to go to Galilee instead of Judea.
About the only actual description of Joseph in the Bible is also given by Matthew in today's reading where it simply states that he was a man of honour. This says a very great deal about Joseph and anyone would be quite proud to have those words said about them as a final epitaph, that they were a person of honour.
I suppose it is because Matthew was a Jew that he tells us more about Joseph. It was important to the Jews to be able to identify one's father for it was from your father that you were able to establish your legitimacy.
Anyway, the main point is that Joseph did the right thing. The true paternity of Mary's child is revealed to him in the dream and he does what he is asked by the Angel and marries Mary and protects her and the child Jesus, returning only to his own village once things were safe for them. These are indeed honourable actions for which he is to be highly commended.
We admire Joseph because he does not question the Angel; he simply does what he is asked to do, recognising that these instructions come ultimately from God. We would do well to imitate Joseph in our own lives especially when we are faced with circumstances which are far from ideal. We should take him for our model and do the right thing at the time when it is needed.
And the fact that Joseph does his duty and protects Mary and Jesus in time of danger is something else that he ought to be commended for. A husband protects his wife, a wife protects her husband and both protect their child. These after all are the principal duties that fall to those who are married. Carrying out these responsibilities is important for the welfare of each family and indeed serves the good of society as a whole.
In these final days of Advent we prepare ourselves to celebrate the feast of Christmas. Let's not, however, focus on all the practical preparations, all the shopping, all the decorating and all the cooking. What we have to understand is that it is far more important for us, who profess ourselves to be Christians, at this particular time to focus on the actual events of Christ's birth.
As we come to the end of the Advent season we ought to be spending time in thinking and meditating on the Christmas mysteries. We ought take a little time out to read for ourselves the Biblical accounts of the birth of Jesus and let them speak to us. Our prayers in this immediate pre-Christmas period should be centred on the coming of the Saviour of the World. And as we do these things, as we meditate on the birth of Christ, our hearts will be filled with hope for all that he represents.
We realise that this was not just any birth, miraculous enough as all births are in themselves; but our recognition is that this is the birth of the one who has come to redeem and save the world. The coming of Jesus is the coming of our salvation, it is the coming of the one who forgives our sins and it is the coming of the Son of God who invites us to share in the life of heaven.
These are weighty things. These are matters of the greatest possible significance. What was achieved through the birth of Jesus was nothing less than the irrevocable first step in the salvation of the entire word.
For some people, most notably those who do not profess the Christian faith, the story of the birth of the Christ Child is nice but not significant. For many it is a beautiful story but of no greater consequence than a legend. Many of those who do not subscribe to the Christian faith simply don't know what to make of the Biblical accounts of the Virgin Birth; for them it is an event whose significance is totally unclear.
But for us Christians the events that took place on the hillside in Bethlehem are earth shattering because they open up for us the road to glory. These events are what make eternal life in heaven possible. For us there is nothing that could surpass their importance.
This explains the joy in our hearts as we celebrate the feast of Christmas. This explains why we want to make up with those we have offended. This is the reason we want to confess our sins. This is the motive behind our celebrations. This tells you why we want to give each other gifts. This tells you too why we come to Church and give praise to God on that most special day of the year.
More Homilies
'오늘의 복음' 카테고리의 다른 글
| December 24, 2019 Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent - Mass in the Morning (0) | 2019.12.23 |
|---|---|
| December 23, 2019 Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent (0) | 2019.12.22 |
| December 21, 2019 Saturday of the Third Week of Advent (0) | 2019.12.20 |
| December 20, 2019 Friday of the Third Week of Advent (0) | 2019.12.19 |
| December 19, 2019 Thurday of the Third Week of Advent (0) | 2019.12.18 |