FOUR SUNDAY OF ADVENT 2025
FIRST READING
ISAIAH 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 ask 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- Psalm 24
R. 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
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
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
SECOND READING
ROMANS 1:1-7
Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set part 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 the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness through resurrection of 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 of the Gentiles, among whom you are 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 Lord Jesus Christ.
GOSEL ACCLAMATION
Alleluia. Alleluia.
The virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel.
Alleluia. Alleluia.
GOSPEL
MATTHEW 1:18-24
THIS IS HOW THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST CAME ABOUT.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph her husband, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph, 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 has said through the prophet,
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel.”
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
As we enter into the fourth week of the Season of Advent, we are given a view of God’s Divine Plan for our salvation. We are reminded that through the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ was conceived inside the Virgin Mary. It is through Mary, the God Vessel, that the Word became flesh and Jesus Christ entered the world. This is known as the Incarnation and marks a pivotal moment in our Salvation Story, where everything that came before leads up to and is made perfect through it. In four short days, the world will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and will be reminded, if only for a brief moment, the impact of that event over 2000 years ago; where the spiritual world merged with this physical world, bringing about such a consequential event.
Why do I write, “if only for a brief moment?” I do so, because it is unfortunately true. In our brokenness, pride, and ego, we as sinners tend to gauge the importance of something by its impact on us. If we cannot see this effect firsthand, it is reduced in its importance because we feel, either consciously or subconsciously, that we are not affected by it. Almost automatically, a lesser value is assigned to it and it is then treated as such. When it comes to our spiritually, there is always a danger that we will not fully experience it and a relationship with God will be lacking depth. Our five senses, which are naturally entuned to the physical, are of no assistance when encountering the spiritual. Moreover, it usually takes a lot of time and effort to have a fruitful spiritual life and spiritual experience. There is a process to go through and that process never ends but only brings us deeper. Most of us, at the beginning of this process, were unaware of what to do first and furthermore did not know how to approach God, let alone feel His presence within ourselves. How can we embrace something when we cannot even see it or feel its presence? This is a challenge that many people face, including possibly ourselves at one point or another in our lives. The key is to remind ourselves who Jesus Christ is and what that means for us. He, being the Son of God, came into this world exclusively for us and for our salvation. A supreme sacrifice was to be made, and He chose to do it. God so loved us, that He chose to do this, thus bringing our Salvation Story into the next chapter.
As it is written in the Gospel of John:
“God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that we might not die, but live and have eternal life.”
What love one must have to offer one’s life for, not only a friend, but to those who might be considered enemies. Salvation has been paid for and is offered to all those who choose to accept it, including those who just might still be struggling with a relationship with God.
With these facts presented to us, how should we react to this message? We are encouraged to do so with love and an open heart. Acknowledging the divinity of Jesus Christ and understanding that He is God, challenges us with an obligation to structure our lives around our faith. If we don’t believe, then we are exempt from this obligation but, if we truly believe these things, then we have a lot of work to do. Our words and beliefs must be put into action. The Christian Way of life is a life of action and a life of reaction based on to the presence of the Holy Spirit and how it affects us. If we do not actively seek God, then we will never find Him. If we don’t ask for things, then we will never get them. If we don’t inquire about being received by Him, He will never receive us.
God has offered everything to us and is waiting for us to reply. The proper reply is through prioritizing prayer, worship, and the pursuit of wisdom through an understanding of our faith. As Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him, so too we are asked and are further encouraged to show this through our actions. As the Apostle James wrote,
“Faith without works id dead.”
This can be true about our relationship with Jesus Christ: If we do not practice our faith and love God through our thoughts and actions, then we are in danger of abandoned Him as His Apostles did as He died on the cross. To prevent this from happening, the importance of both the Incarnation and the Crucifixion must be realized at all times. With love in our hearts and a smile on our face, we can then journey forward to the remainder of the Advent Season with a profound love of God.
Deacon Tom
No comments:
Post a Comment