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,

“The virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.”

The Word becoming flesh and entering the world was an event that didn’t have to happen but it was something that God wanted to happen. It is part of our very nature, stained by Original Sin, to turn away from God and pursue our own goals instead of what God wants. We can be selfish, prideful, and rebellious in relation to God and there are times when He is completely forgotten because of our focus on the physical world instead of what is spiritual. Jesus Christ coming into this world fully human and fully divine brought everything that came before since the creation of the universe to a climatic epoch where Jesus Christ is fully revealed along with God’s plan for our salvation. This event also defines our relationship with God because it shows how much God loves us that He would give His only son in sacrifice for our salvation. It removes all doubt regarding how much God loves us and what He wants from us in return: to be joyful and to love Him. Through this shared love the perfection of God can be realized and celebrated.

A relationship with God can put us at odds with the expectations and encouragements of a society which has slowly drifted away from God. We may find ourselves doing things differently than other people and for different reasons which may draw the ire of those same individuals. Being a Christian is not easy. It is not supposed to be. There is a great value living a Christian life because it is the way that God intended us to live. It is a part of us that, even though it may have been ignored for large amounts of time, provides the key to a truly joyous and satisfying life because God created us to be that way. To do the will of God means we are reacting to the love He has for us and are spreading that love through His creation. Everything touched by it also reacts to it and is made better as a result. Wherever there is pain, crisis, or confusion there is a lack of God’s love. Bringing His love to all things we interact with repairs these defections and makes them perfect. The presence of God’s love is enough to right all wrongs and make things better. The purpose of all things in God’s creation is to love Him and glorify Him. When we start doing the same then we become the perfect piece to complete the masterpiece of His creation.

Joseph serves as an example to us of doing things differently according to what God wants. Discovering that Mary was with child, Joseph planned to divorce her quietly. God revealed to Joseph His Divine Plan whereupon Joseph took Mary as His wife and brought her into his home; raising Jesus as his own child. Joseph chose God’s way above that of the expectations of society. This caused scandal within Joseph’s community and even led him to make the decision to settle his new family in Bethlehem instead of returning to Nazareth.  These things he confronted as he was challenged by them and his faith remained strong. Joseph led his new family from one situation to another guided by his faith and his love for God. Imagine being a man at the age of 15 with a wife and a child whose origins you were suspicious of. Guided by your faith and a message contained in a dream you find yourself marrying a woman you suspect as being unfaithful, settling in a strange town far away from your family, and then exiled for 12 years in Egypt fleeing from mass murder and people who wanted you dead because of this strange child that is not yours. It is in circumstances such as these that the love of God is realized. It is seen in the imperfect not the perfect.

We all are Joseph and Mary when we find ourselves at odds with the social norms of our times. Broken and beautiful we are healed through the presence of God in our lives and because of the salvation offered through Jesus Christ. We cannot do this ourselves. No one can. We need God’s help so that we can receive again what was offered to us previously and we refused. Once we receive it then we can experience all things through the Light of Christ and the Love of God; just as God intended in the first place.

Deacon Tom