Today the Church celebrates the Fourth Sunday of Advent. The assigned readings are Isaiah 7:10-14, Romans 1:1-7, and Matthew 1:18-24. The Responsorial Psalm is Psalm 24 (24:1-6).
The Gospel reading is as follows:
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.
Father John Kavanaugh, S. J. (of Saint Louis University) wrote a reflection on this Gospel reading, and this reflection begins, “Was it good news for Joseph when the angel appeared and told him about Isaiah’s ‘virgin with child’? Was he thrilled that Mary would give birth to a baby boy called Immanuel? The angel was speaking, we may presume, of the woman Joseph loved. ‘Have no fear about taking Mary as your wife. It is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived this child.’”
To continue reading Father Kavanaugh’s reflection, please visit:
John Kavanaugh, S. J.: Joseph (Fourth Sunday of Advent A)
Also, in his reflection on this Sunday’s gospel, Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio explains why Joseph, like Mary, is a model of faith:
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