4th Sunday of Advent (Cycle A, Year II)

Community Word:The coming of Jesus Christ brings joy and hope in our lives.

Theme: There is joy and hope in our lives when we are obedient to God’s plan and direction.

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 and hope in our lives’is our 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 fulfilment 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 co-operators 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 have undergone in accepting a pregnant Mary, we only need to put our faith in the Lord. Our theme for this week says: There is joy and hope in our lives when we are obedient to God’s plan and direction.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:
Father God, as Christmas day draw closer help us to bring joy to others. May we find Jesus as the true gift of Christmas and the real joy, not the expensive presents that demand time and money. Allow us to transmit this joy with a simple smile, with a kind gesture, with some small help, and forgiveness. Let this joy and hope be like what Mary and Joseph experience when they gave everything in obedience to be part of the mystery of salvation. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Reflection Guide 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 22, 2019 (Sun) – Is 7:10-14/Ps 23:1-2,3-2,5-6/Rom 1:1-7/ Mt 1:18-24
December 23, 2019 (Mon) – Mal 3:1-4, 23, 24/Ps 25:4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 14/Lk 1:57-66
December 24, 2019 (Tue) –2Sm 7:1-58-12, 14, 16/Ps 89:2-5, 27, 29/Lk 1:67-79
December 25, 2019 (Wed) – Is 9:1-6/Ps 96:1-3, 11-13/Ti 2:11-14/Lk 2:1-14
December 26, 2019 (Thu) – Acts 6:8-10/Ps 31:3, 4, 6, 8, 17, 21/Mt 10:17-22
December 27, 2019 (Fri) –1Jn 1:1-4/Ps 97:1, 2, 5, 6, 11, 12/Jn 20:1, 2-8
December 28, 2019 (Sat) –1Jn 1:5-2:2/Ps 124:2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8/Mt 2:13-18

“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”