An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream,
saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife’ (Matthew
1:24).
Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa)
Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)
Gospel Matthew 1:18-24 (English Standard Version Anglicised: India)
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When
his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together
she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And
her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame,
resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these
things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying,
“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is
conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will
bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his
people from their sins.” All this took
place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive
and bear a son,
and they shall call his
name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife [into his home].
A young friend of mine in Mindanao on his first day in school was asked by his teacher who his father was. The boy answered, Ang Dios nga Amahan - 'God the Father'. The youngster was correct. Our deepest identity is that through baptism we are sons and daughters of God the Father, brothers and sisters of our Lord Jesus Christ declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, as St Paul states in today's Second Reading.
Not only is that our identity, it is also our mission because through Jesus we have received grace and apostleship . . . among all the nations. In his First Letter to the Corinthians St Paul spells out what this may mean: For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles (1 Corinthians 1:22-23). Being a son or daughter of God the Father, a brother or sister of Jesus and of one another demands that we help carry the Cross of Jesus and that we make him known to others.
St John of the Cross writes: When he [God the Father] gave us, as he did, his Son, who is his one Word, he spoke everything to us, once and for all in that one Word. There is nothing further for him to say.
I highlight some of those words: he spoke everything to us, once and for all in that one Word. There is nothing further for him to say.
El Greco's two paintings here show very clearly that we preach Christ crucified. The background of the city of Toledo, Spain, where the artist lived for many years, highlights the truth of the words of St John read at the Mass During the Day on Christmas Day: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). The Risen Lord lived in Toledo in El Greco's time, as he lives there now, as he lives wherever we are.
Advent prepares us to meet Jesus Christ, recalling the moment of his birth at Christmas; prepares us to meet him when he comes again in glory at the end of time, while preparing us to meet him at the moment of our death. And it prepares us to meet him in our daily lives, often in surprising and unexpected ways. All of this is the way of Jesus to draw us into a more intimate relationship with him, to draw us more deeply into our understanding of him as the Father's one Word.
Pope Benedict XVI in his General Audience on 3 September 2008 spoke on what had happened to St Paul on the road to Damascus. He finished with the following words [emphases added].
Turning now to ourselves, let us ask what this means for us. It means that for us too Christianity is not a new philosophy or a new morality. We are only Christians if we encounter Christ. Of course, he does not show himself to us in this overwhelming, luminous way, as he did to Paul to make him the Apostle to all peoples. But we too can encounter Christ in reading Sacred Scripture, in prayer, in the liturgical life of the Church. We can touch Christ's Heart and feel him touching ours. Only in this personal relationship with Christ, only in this encounter with the Risen One do we truly become Christians. And in this way our reason opens, all Christ's wisdom opens as do all the riches of truth.
Therefore let us pray the Lord to illumine us, to grant us an encounter with his presence in our world, and thus to grant us a lively faith, an open heart and great love for all, which is capable of renewing the world.
May the coming week be a time when we meet the loving Heart of Christ intimately and feel him touching ours.
Antiphona at introitum
Entrance Antiphon Cf Isaiah 45:8
The longer form is used in the Traditional Latin Mass this Sunday.
Rorate, caeli desuper, et nubes pluant iustum;
Drop down dew, you heavens, and let the clouds rain down the just One;
apertatur terra et germinet Salvatorem.
let the earth be opened and bring forth a Saviour.
Caeli enarrant gloriam Dei: et opera manuum eius annunciat firmamentum.
The heavens show forth the glory of God: and the firmament declares the work of His hands.
Gloria Patri, et Filio et Spiritu Sancto; sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper, in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Rorate, caeli desuper, et nubes pluant iustum;
Drop down dew, you heavens, and let the clouds rain down the just One;
apertatur terra et germinet Salvatorem.
let the earth be opened and bring forth a Saviour.
Traditional Latin Mass
Fourth Sunday of Advent
The Complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 12-18-2022 if necessary).
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5. Gospel: Luke 3:1-6.
Ev’ry valley shall be exalted, and ev’ry mountain and hill made low; the crooked straight and the rough places plain (Isaiah 40:4) quoted in today’s Gospel (Luke 3:5).
1 comment:
Dearest Father Seán,
This is a very meaningful time of the year as we prepare for the highlight in Christianity—the birth of Jesus.
It is also a very chaotic period as people hurry and behave so selfish—buying gifts for themselves...
Hard to live through this time of the year when believing in the true Advent and Christmas!
But there at least is a lot of love and satisfaction in the singing of some true classical Christmas music.
May God bring his flock closer together when indulging in the words sung.
May my voice hold up this Sunday while singing and worshiping God.
Hugs,
Mariette
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