4th Sunday of Advent (Cycle A, Year I)
Community Word:
The coming of Christ brings joy to the people of God.
Theme:
We rejoice in the coming of Christ as we obey & trust in God’s will.
Promise:
“He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, a reward from God his savior.”(Ps 24:5)
Reflection:
We are now on the 4th Sunday of Advent, a week before Christmas day. The liturgical readings remind us of the mystery of the Incarnation when God became man through God the Son, Jesus Christ. This is the very reason why every year we celebrate Christmas with joy. ‘The coming of Christ brings joy to the people of God’ is our BLD community word for December.
We feel joy when we reflect on the very essence of the Incarnation. In the 1st reading, we see the sign of God’s love for His people: “the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel,” (Is 7:14). Emmanuel means “God with us.” In the gospel, we read the fulfillment of this prophecy when the angel of the Lord told Joseph: “She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins,” (Mt 1:21). Jesus means “God saves” and Christ means “God’s Anointed Messiah.” Jesus Christ is our Savior and redeemer who is with us. He is the greatest bridge-builder of all who connects us to God as “No man has ever seen God. The Only-Begotten Son, who is closest to the Father’s heart, has made him known” (Jn 1:18).
The birth of Jesus only proves that God truly loves us. He humbled Himself to take on the lowly form of humanity to speak our language and walk our paths that we might know the love our Abba Father has for us and to bring us into the safety and warmth of His Light. He desires to be with us and for us to have a relationship with Him.
The mystery of the Incarnation must have baffled Joseph. But waking up from his dream, he immediately followed the instructions of the angel, no questioning or complaining, but in complete trust and obedience to God. Joseph was part of God’s plan of salvation and he accomplished it with his full cooperation.
As His true disciples, we are called to be cooperators of God’s grace so that we and all others will be saved. We need to give our faithful acceptance to God’s will in our lives. While we face opposition, persecution and criticism, as Joseph would likely undergo in accepting a pregnant Mary, we only need to put our faith in the Lord. Our theme for this week says: We rejoice in the coming of Christ as we obey and trust in God’s will. Peace and joy follows when we are in perfect relationship with God. Joseph has a humble and obedient heart, and so God chose him to be the foster father of Jesus. Like Joseph, we too are assured of His promise this week: “He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, a reward from God his savior,” (Ps 24:5)
Prayer:
Blessed are you Lord God, Abba-Father of the Word Incarnate, our Emmanuel. By Your goodness, You allowed Your Son to be with us that we may experience a perfect relationship with You. By touching our lives through Jesus’ example of love and compassion, may we become true witnesses in sharing Your peace, joy and love this Christmas season. Mama Mary and St. Joseph, you were chosen to be God’s instruments of salvation. Please intercede for us in all our needs and supplications. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
1. When our faith is tested in times of crisis and difficulty, do we fully trust in God’s care and compassion?
2. How can I meaningfully bring the message of Jesus as our Emmanuel (God with us) to others especially during the Christmas season?
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
December 18, 2016 (Sun) – Is 7:10-14/Ps 24:16/Rom 1:1-7/Mt 1:18-24
December 19, 2016 (Mon) – Jgs 13:2-7, 24, 25/Ps 71:3-6.16, 17/Lk 1:5-25
December 20, 2016 (Tue) – Is 7:10-14/Ps 24:1-6/Lk 1:26-38
December 21, 2016 (Wed) – Sg 2:8-14/Ps 33:2, 3, 11, 12, and 20, 21/Lk 1:39-45
December 22 2016 (Thu) – 1Sm 1:24-28/1Sm 2:1, 4, 8/Lk 1:46-56
December 23, 2016 (Fri) – Mal 3:1-4, 23, 24/Ps 25:4, 5, 8-10, 14/Lk 1:57-66
December 24, 2016 (Sat) – 2Sm 7:1-5,8-12,14,16/Ps 89:2-5,27,29/Lk 1:67-79
“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”
WSC Reflection 18 December 2016
