4th Sunday of Advent (A)

Sunday reflections for liturgical years 2014 (A), 2015 (B), and 2016 (C)

December 22, 2013
Liturgical readings

Isaiah 7:10-14
Psalm 24
Romans 1:1-7
Matthew 1:18-24

"Joseph received Mary into his home as his wife."

Last Gaudete Sunday, the spirit of joy and anticipation filled all Eucharistic celebrations - signaling that Christmas is near. The symbol that represents that joyful anticipation is the third Advent candle, which was lit and colored rose or pink. And that joy was expressed in the gospel: 'the blind see, cripples walk, lepers are cured, the deaf hear, dead men live again, and the poor receive the Good News. Now, that joy of Gaudete Sunday magnifies as we listen to the readings of this fourth Sunday of Advent. The Lord Jesus, the Word made flesh, will enter our lives and our work again. As we thank God for the blessings of the Season, we are encouraged to love God more, be kind to others (and to ourselves), and to see justly with the eyes of Christ. For He is to come for all humanity.

This 4th Sunday of Advent brings us nearer to the image of the Nativity, as we listen to the story of Mary and Joseph. Joseph wanted to initially to divorce Mary quietly when he found her with child. Joseph was a just and righteous man. But when an angel revealed to him in a dream that Mary's Child would be the Savior of his people, Joseph heeded what the angel of God told him in that dream. He did God's will through the message God sent. Joseph did not pursue his intention to divorce but received Mary into his home. So the word of the prophet Isaiah has been fulfilled: Isaiah 7:14, 'the birth of Immanuel' -meaning 'God-with-us' or 'God-is-with-us' is to be born of Mary and under the guardianship of St. Joseph. The God we believe in is a God who will be with Mary and Joseph, and also with us in our journey as a people.

Never in the history of human civilization has man been privileged to be visited by a God who took human flesh. Although God was incarnated in the Jewish ancestry and culture, He really is meant for all. Whatever the angels revealed to Mary and to Joseph truly changed the direction of human civilization. The "yes" of both Mary and Joseph to God's will has began the process of saving - the saving plan of God that both Mary and Joseph understood through the unfolding events written in the gospel. If you read "Life of Christ" by Bishop Fulton Sheen, he writes that history is full of men who claim to have come from God (Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, Lao-tze, and many others). But only Christ's birth was pre-announced: by the Jewish prophets; Tacitus of ancient Rome; Chinese chroniclers; the Greek Aeschylus; Cicero; Suetonius; and Virgil. Even the gospel attests to this by mentioning the Magi of the East. We have to admit the greatness of Mary's and Joseph's faith and obedience to God's will. It is to their intercession that we also owe our Christian faith and obedience.

Scripture quotes for reflection:
The Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child (Isaiah 7)
He whose heart is clean shall receive a blessing from the Lord (Psalm 24)
Jesus Christ our Lord was descended from David according to the flesh but was made Son of God in power, according to the spirit of holiness (Romans 1)
Joseph, son of David, it is by the Holy Spirit that Mary has conceived this child (Matthew 1)