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Perhaps our Advent has not been the time of watchfulness that we hoped it would be. But it is not too late. Like St Joseph, we can awake from sleep full of purpose, believing the promises of God that Joseph believed. The feast of Christmas should draw our hearts towards the furnace of divine love. In the manger, with Mary and Joseph looking on, the mystery of the infinite love of God for us sinners is powerfully and vividly portrayed before our eyes.

The Fourth Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 7:10-14

Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

Romans 1:1-7

M atthew 1:18-24  Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; (19) and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. (20) But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; (21) she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." (22) All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: (23) "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel" (which means, God with us). (24) When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife.

Meditation by Timothy Gardner O.P.

How Inscrutable His Ways

In his Letter to the Romans, several chapters after the portion appointed to be read as the second reading today, St. Paul waxes lyrical over the utterly mysterious nature of God, 'O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!'

St. Matthew, on the other hand, seems to have a rather matter of fact style - 'Now the birth of Jesus took place in this way…' - yet what he goes on to describe is mysterious, the central mystery of the Christian faith: the incarnation.

The first hint of the inscrutability of God's ways is the person of Joseph. Had God preserved the throne of Judah (whose one time occupant, Ahaz, we meet in the first reading) then we might have expected Christ to have been born in the royal palace in Jerusalem rather than Bethlehem which is 'little in Judah '. St. Thomas Aquinas, who delighted in asking such questions, wondered in the Summa Theologiae whether it was fitting that Christ should have been born in Bethlehem when Jerusalem seemed a more appropriate choice for the nativity. And yet God chose to be born not in Jerusalem, but in Bethlehem, of the wife of a carpenter from Nazareth.

In the passage immediately before today's Gospel, Matthew lists the 'ancestors' of Jesus in twenty-eight generations back to David, and fourteen more through Judah himself to Abraham. Some of the names listed are familiar to us (like Solomon and Ahaz), but others are less familiar. Some names in the list of these 'sons of David' are probably best forgotten (like Manasseh the grandson of Ahaz, who did his best to banish worship of the God of Israel in Jerusalem and in all likelihood sacrificed infants) but the point is that God did not choose any of these great (and not so great) kings. Instead he allowed the kingly line, the throne of Judah, to disappear, and he chose a simple carpenter of Nazareth, a true son of David albeit a lowly one, to be the foster father of his divine Son when he took human nature and came to earth to dwell among us.

But God's ways are not our ways. It is not by their social standing nor by their bank accounts that God values men. Indeed one of the reasons that St. Thomas suggests for Jesus being born in Bethlehem was to 'silence the vain boasting of men who take pride in being born in great cities'. In God's eyes, no king ever sat on the throne of Judah, not even David himself, who was more acceptable to God as foster father for his Son and consort of his mother, than the humble carpenter.

This is the last Sunday of our preparation to meet Christ at Christmas. Like St. Joseph we might feel confused and troubled, unworthy of the honor of receiving Christ into our hearts and our homes. We are, of course, unworthy. We are unworthy not because we lack riches and kingdoms but because we are lacking in the virtues that Joseph displayed: charity, faith and hope in God's goodness. Thus we should strive to imitate Joseph, that quiet and humble man who stands awestruck beside the crib and soon fades from view in the Gospel account.

Perhaps our Advent has not been the time of watchfulness that we hoped it would be. But it is not too late. Like St. Joseph, we can awake from sleep full of purpose, believing the promises of God that Joseph believed. The feast of Christmas should draw our hearts towards the furnace of divine love. In the manger, with Mary and Joseph looking on, the mystery of the infinite love of God for us sinners is powerfully and vividly portrayed before our eyes.

'The depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God' comes to dwell with us. God became a human being like ourselves so that he could begin to make us divine like himself. How inscrutable his ways! He came to earth to bring us to heaven. He hid his divine nature so that he could cover us with it.

We can never make ourselves worthy of this love, but let us imitate St. Joseph and accept the honor that God gives us, and he will make us daily less unworthy.

Supplementary Reading

Positioned to Receive

If you believe, you will receive... – Matthew 21:22

A ll through the Bible, there are so many promises of what God has already done for us. It says in Ephesians that “God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.” It says in Colossians that “God has made us worthy.” There is mercy for any mistake we will ever make. It’s already been taken care of. He paid the ultimate price through the death, burial and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. He’s done His part. Now it’s up to us to do our part. We have to start believing it so we can receive.

In the natural, when someone gives you a gift, what’s the first thing you usually say? “Thank you.” When you give thanks, it’s a sign that you are receiving the gift. Today, start receiving what God has given you by saying, “Father, thank You for Your mercy. Thank You for supplying all of my needs. Thank You for Your goodness in my life.”

As you learn to give Him thanks, you are learning to receive from Him. Open your heart by faith today and thank Him for all the blessings He has prepared for you!

Father God, I come to You today giving You thanks and praise for Your faithfulness in my life. I choose to receive Your Word which is life and strength to my soul. Help me to keep my heart focused on You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.  — Joel & Victoria Osteen # # #

GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU. – Bobot Apit

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