Advent 18th December
Jeremiah 23:5-8 / Matthew 1:18-24
Jeremiah prophesies: A descendant of David will rule as king.
A king who had no sons to succeed him posted a sign inviting young men in his kingdom to become his adopted son and rule after him. There were only two qualifications. The boy must love God and neighbor deeply. A young peasant boy felt moved to apply, but he lacked decent clothes for the interview. Finally, he saved enough money for the clothes. As the boy neared the palace, he came upon a shivering old man begging for clothes. The boy was moved to pity and gave the beggar the clothes he had brought for the interview. Then the boy went on to the castle, wondering if he would be admitted in rags.
The boy did gain admittance. When he came to the throne room, he couldn't believe his eyes. On the throne sat the shivering old man. The king smiled and said, “Welcome, my son.”
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How generous are we to those in need? The shivering child in the manger turned out to be the King of Kings.
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When the kings of God’s people had not fulfilled their mission of guiding the people to God, the prophet Jeremiah announces that God would do away with them and become himself the shepherd of his people. But he will make this new beginning through a man, a virtuous shoot of the house of David. Through him, God would become his people’s integrity, the cause of our fidelity.
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There is no better place to be than to be at home, especially for Christmas. Surely, to be at home for Christmas is a warm good feeling, especially to be among family and loved ones. Home is where we can call our own place with our own space, a place to be comfortable and secure.
The 1st reading was really good news for People of God who were in exile in a foreign land as the Lord says: Judah will be saved and Israel dwell in confidence. And a promise is also made: the Lord will lead back and bring home the descendants of the House of Israel out of the land of the North and from all the countries to which He had dispersed them, to live on their own soil. That was certainly good news for the people as they longed to go back to their own country and to their own homes and to live on their own soil.
But for Joseph to find out that Mary was with child, that was not good news to him at all. Being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, Joseph decided to divorce Mary informally, but the angel of the Lord intervened and he changed his mind, and he took Mary to his home.
As we draw closer to Christmas, let us make our homes a place of prayer where there will be love, peace and joy. Joseph made a place for Mary and Jesus in his home. May we also make a place for Jesus, Mary and Joseph in our homes.
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Matthew’s description of Jesus’ birth is rich in terms of human thought and action, and God’s purposes and interventions in family life. In the first place, Mary’s conceiving of Jesus was an act of God. Her anxiety was real. Joseph was himself in a dilemma about the embarrassing situation, and decided to cause minimum hurt to Mary. Mary had to be patient to see her vindication; Joseph had to be docile and obedient. In the end, since each allowed God’s will to prevail, misunderstandings gave way to fidelity and communion in family life. How do I make space for God’s plan while going through the struggles of family life?
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Prayer
Lord, faithful God, in Jesus, you have given us someone taken from our human flesh and blood, a man, yet your Son, through whom you want to restore integrity and fidelity among us. With him, help us to give to you and also to one another, the proper and adequate response of faithful, serving love, that you expect from your people. Be our God forever through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen
