Community Word: The Nativity of Jesus, our Emmanuel, brings salvation to His people.
Theme: Our salvation is at hand when we are obedient to God’s will and plan.
Promise: “He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, a reward from God his saviour.” (Ps 24: 5)
Reflection:
The 4th Sunday of Advent is merely a week before Christmas, as we eagerly wait to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Emmanuel, “God with us.” The readings call to mind the mystery of the Incarnation – God becoming human. In the Gospel reading, we see this mystery unfold through the obedient faith of Joseph and Mary, who allowed the Lord to enter their lives for the salvation of mankind, expressed in our Community Word – The Nativity of Jesus, our Emmanuel, brings salvation to His people.
Like Joseph and Mary, we are also called to let the Lord enter our lives. As the psalmist tells us, “Let the Lord enter, he is the king of glory,” (Ps 24). This is the challenge of obedient faith. Are we prepared to let the Lord come and rule our life, or we just continue focusing on our self-serving plans?
Because the Lord respects our human freedom, He does not impose Himself upon us. He knew that coming into this world would pose a lot of resistance on our part. But because He loves us so much, He patiently waits for us to allow Him to enter so that we may experience Him to be our strength and peace. As we strive to open our hearts, He reveals His will to us in various ways – through His Word, by insights we receive while praying, through the promptings of His Holy Spirit, in the wisdom and guidance through homilies at mass and especially through the people He places in our lives…our own families, friends and brethren in our community. Like Joseph, we sometimes feel confused and fearful when God calls us to a certain task. We cannot readily say “yes” in faith. In the community, we are sometimes hesitant to take on responsibility because of a feeling of inadequacy to live up to our leaders’ expectations, not knowing that our reliance should only be in the Lord because whenever He calls, He equips and qualifies.
Our week’s theme tells us that – Our salvation is at hand when we are obedient to God’s will and plan. If we believe that God’s ways are beyond ours, we have to take a leap of faith and be obedient to God’s will. We must trust in Him and take a new step. Our words are not what the Lord sees but our decision of faith and the actions that flow from our faith is what is important to Him. Faith means following God’s direction despite our fears. Like St. Paul who gave witness to Jesus through his apostleship, let us live not only in faith but in obedient faith. The faith that will move us to take action, taking the risk to trust God’s word and live it, like Joseph. For only then can we say that we have allowed the Lord to enter and use us mightily so that we may reap His promise in Psalm 24, verse 5, “He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, a reward from God his saviour.”
Let us remember that our Abba truly loves us. His love is the only reason He humbly came down in human form so that He may walk our paths and that ultimately, we may all receive this great love, through Jesus, His Son. This is the message of the Incarnation.
Prayer:
We thank you Abba, Father, that through Your goodness, You sent Your Son Jesus, our Emmanuel, to humbly take on our nature. He is the greatest example of Your love by living among us not only to save us but to touch our lives with so much compassion. Thank you Lord Jesus for teaching us to obey in faith by Your death on the cross. May we be Your living witnesses by sharing Your messages of love, peace and joy to our brothers and sisters in our own family, in our workplace and in our BLD community.
We will forever praise You Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for You are our one and only God, forever and ever. Amen!
Reflection Guide Questions:
- What is the meaning of Jesus’ Incarnation (becoming human flesh) in my life? In what way can I share my understanding of the birth of Jesus to others, especially during this Christmas season?
- How can I become closer to St. Joseph and Mama Mary in the remaining days of Advent?
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
December 18, 2022 (Sun) – Is 7:10-14/Ps 24:16/Rom 1:1-7/Mt 1:18-24
December 19, 2022 (Mon) – Jgs 13:2-7, 24, 25/Ps 71:3-6.16, 17/Lk 1:5-25
December 20, 2022 (Tue) – Is 7:10-14/Ps 24:1-6/Lk 1:26-38
December 21, 2022 (Wed) – Sg 2:8-14/Ps 33:2, 3, 11, 12, and 20, 21/Lk 1:39-45
December 22 2022 (Thu) – 1Sm 1:24-28/1Sm 2:1, 4, 8/Lk 1:46-56
December 23, 2022 (Fri) – Mal 3:1-4, 23, 24/Ps 25:4, 5, 8-10, 14/Lk 1:57-66
December 24, 2022 (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!”
