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.
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
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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.
Commentary
In the First Reading, Isaiah gives King Ahaz a sign that a young woman will bear a son. The birth of a child is a universal and lasting symbol of hope for the human race. Although this child will not resolve any military conflicts or bring an end to any crisis, he is still a sign of hope for future generations. In the Hebrew text, Isaiah calls the mother “almah” which means a young woman of marrying age. In the Greek translation she is called “parthenos” which means virgin. The Greek translation was ultimately cited in the Gospel of Matthew (1:22-23), and thus formed the basis of Christian interpretation of the text as the prophecy of Jesus’ birth. The name “Immanuel” literally means “God is with us”, but was probably used as a catchphrase or slogan for the line of David.
Paul’s Letter to the Romans contains the longest of all his greetings and is the focus of today’s Second Reading. To his customary salutation of grace and peace, he adds six verses that tell of the good news he has preached everywhere. The good news is, of course, Jesus – God’s Son and a descendant of David – who was raised from the dead. This statement is key in understanding the Letter to the Romans because it is essential to understanding Paul’s new outlook toward the Torah. According to the Torah (Deut 21:23), to die such a shameful death as the one suffered by Jesus, would be a sign of being accursed. However, Jesus’ rising from the dead is a sign of God’s blessing, thus God must have abrogated the Torah. In Paul’s view, the Torah no longer serves as law but instead is part of history that no longer binds the future.
Where Luke focuses on Mary, Matthew’s Gospel turns to Joseph as example of faith in the narrative of the birth of Jesus. Matthew’s recount of Jesus’ birth is in fact an extension of the genealogy that precedes it, and is concerned primarily with establishing Jesus’ place in the messianic genealogy through Joseph. By assuming all the obligations of paternity (including legal obligations), Joseph’s decision to accept Mary as his wife makes Jesus a participant in the messianic line of David. The angelic messenger in Joseph’s dream reveals Mary’s righteousness by declaring Jesus’ conception an act of the Holy Spirit. The messenger refers to Jesus with the messianic titles of “Son of David” and “Immanuel” – meaning “God with us” which makes reference to Isaiah’s prophecy found in the First Reading. “God with us” held particular significance for the early Church and Matthew captures its importance in the final verse of his Gospel: “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (28:20).
This
past summer, my wife went to the
Imagine the situation. Joseph and Mary were not yet married, but betrothed and obligated to behave as if married, remaining faithful to one another. Mary returns from a trip of about 6 months and is pregnant. Joseph sees Mary in this condition and probably asks her for an explanation. Mary responds by saying that her pregnancy is a miracle by the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph’s response is probably “Yeah Right!” It’s probably not that difficult to assume that this situation was very hard for both of them. Mary must have been aware that according to the Law, her condition would be cause for scandal and an eventual death sentence for adultery. Joseph undoubtedly loved Mary and did not want her to suffer such a fate. But how could he accept her? Despite his love for her, in his mind she had probably been either unfaithful or raped.
The dilemma seems to be put to an end with the appearance of the angel who assures Joseph that he should not be afraid to take Mary as his wife, and confirms Mary’s fidelity and the miraculous conception. But even so, how many of us today would wake from this dream with doubt and unwilling to act in faith as Joseph did? Today’s liturgy asks that we act in faith just as Mary and Joseph. It is a challenge to accept God’s Word without any further sign or promise. It is a call to put aside our fears and lack of understanding and allow God to mold our lives just as he did to Mary and Joseph.
New American Bible; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Jensen, J. “The Use of tôrâ by Isaiah”; Barrett, C. K., “A Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans”; Cranfield, C. E. B., “A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans”; Beare, F. W., “The Gospel According to Matthew”; Gundry, R. H., “Matthew”; Schwizer, E., “The Good News According to Matthew”; Stanton, G., “The Interpretation of Matthew”; Brown, Raymond E., S.S., “Introduction to the New Testament”; Brown, Fitzmyer, and Murphy (ed.) “The New Jerome Biblical Commentary".
Deacon Lazaro J. Ulloa