Deacon Tom Anthony

Fourth Sunday of Advent
Lectionary: 10

Reading 1 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.

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.

Alleluia Mt 1:23

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

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.

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 Jesus Loves You!

This is the cornerstone of our faith. We were created out of that love and were created to love. We as God’s children have a responsibility to carry this message throughout our lives, having it influence all of our thoughts and actions. The culmination of that love is the Incarnation: the Word made flesh; the birth of the Christ Child. Jesus was not forced to come forth into this world for our salvation but chose to as a display of perfect love and sacrifice. In the end, He gave everything expecting nothing in return but love.

The Fourth Sunday of Advent sends a powerful message to us. We are surrounded by God’s Love. It has the potential to destroy all obstacles that prevent us from living a life of joy, peace, and an intense faith awareness. Yet, it is so potent and overwhelming that we sometimes shy away from it. It makes us feel uncomfortable because we are not used to it. It is much easier to be distracted by something else that is far simpler to understand or enjoy. The stimulations of the flesh offer quicker results and drown out the calling of our God. We are restless without God’s Love yet we tend to seek everything but that which will satisfy our longing.

You see, acknowledgement of God’s Love is just the first step. We then must deepen our understanding of it and make a commitment to remain in its presence. It will then have the ability to affect us all the more. In much the same way as God’s Love is our understanding of an ocean. We can describe it as vast, deep, mysterious, and magnificent. But, to even begin to fully understand the description, we must explore and study what it is. This can only be accomplished through experience and research; gaining knowledge of everything from the tides to what lies beneath. When this is done, the words mentioned take on deeper meaning.

In the Scripture Reading today, the Lord speaks to King Ahaz and offers to him a sign of His greatness and of His promises. Ahaz, in his fear of God refuses. This represents a fault in Ahaz’s relationship with God. God does not want to be feared. He wants to be loved. Throughout the History of Creation God has displayed His love in many different ways. In this final age, He sent His only son to enter the world in His human nature to display it in its ultimate form: sacrifice. Our God was made manifest so that we may achieve salvation. The words that described God’s emotion during that time of prophecy were being weary, weary of the fear and separation that not only Ahaz had but all of us have created between us and God. Jesus came forth to destroy that separation. We now have to acknowledge that it is indeed gone. We can be seen as a prisoner in a cell who has been there for so long that he doesn’t even realize that the door has been unlocked. He just assumes it is locked but never tried it for himself. We assume that the separation between ourselves and God is there but it really isn’t.

Joseph, in his faith and love of God, immediately obeys what the Angel of the Lord told him and did everything that was commanded of him. God asked him to do something and he immediately obeyed without question. Even though this led to much suffering, it also led to much love and joy. Joseph realized that it was through his actions that God’s Plan would be revealed to the world. We are as much a part of that plan as Joseph. The Kingdom of God is within us and permeates through Creation. It is through us that God’s love is revealed. To experience it, we much acknowledge it, accept it, understand it, then we must do what needs to be done.

Deacon Tom