Our King, Christ, is coming, whom John announced as the Lamb who is to come.

 

Our King, Christ, is coming, whom John announced as the Lamb who is to come.

When projecting the person of the Messiah into the future, God states that “a descendant of David… will establish justice and righteousness in the land.” However, to carry out his plans, the Lord relies on human collaboration, as happened with Joseph and Mary. Let us seek to be generous cooperators in the divine works.

First Reading: Jeremiah 23:5-8

A reading from the book of the prophet Jeremiah – 5“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up a descendant of David; he will reign as king and be wise, and he will establish justice and righteousness in the land. 6In those days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell in safety; that is his name: ‘The Lord our righteousness.’ 7Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when it will no longer be necessary to swear, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt,’ 8but ‘As the Lord lives, who brought the descendants of Israel out of the land of the north and all the other countries to which he had driven them; and they will dwell in their own land.’” – The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm: 71(72)

In his days, justice will flourish / and peace will be abundant forever.

1. Give your king your power, O Lord God, / your justice to the royal offspring! / May he govern your people with justice, / may he judge your needy with equity. – R.

2. He will free the needy who pleads / and the poor whom no one will help. / He will have pity on the needy and the afflicted / and save the lives of the needy. – R.

3. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, / for he alone does wonders! / Blessed be his glorious name! / Blessed be he forever! Amen, amen! – R.

Gospel: Matthew 1,18-24

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

O Leader of Israel, who guided Moses on Mount Sinai, / come and redeem us with an outstretched arm! – R.

Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Matthew – 18The birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19But her husband Joseph was a righteous man, and not wanting to denounce her, he decided to divorce her secretly. 20 While Joseph was considering this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call his name Immanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” 24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took her as his wife. – Word of salvation.

Reflection:

The biblical passage narrates Mary’s pregnancy “by the power of the Holy Spirit” and her marriage to Joseph, “son of David.” It is natural that Joseph would be surprised by his wife’s pregnancy “before they lived together.” While he was pondering what to do, God came to clarify the facts: “An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.’” Joseph understood that this was a great intervention by God for the salvation of the world, and that he, Joseph, was being chosen to be part of this wonderful divine plan. Once the misunderstanding was resolved, just like Mary, Joseph surrendered himself to the will of God.

(Daily Gospel 2024)