A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew (1:18-25)
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means “God is with us.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.
He had no relations with her until she bore a son,
and he named him Jesus.
(The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ!)
Reflection: God is with us.
Through these remaining eight days of Advent just prior to the day of our Lord’s birth, we are encouraged to continue pondering and reflecting upon the blessings we have received, and to continually prepare our hearts and minds for the eventual return in glory of our Lord Jesus.
As human beings, we continually ponder decisions, whether it be a choice for which gifts to buy for our friends and loved ones for Christmas or how to solve a problem for my project, to the more life changing decisions: like which school to attend next year, where to live, what profession to pursue, or what to do after we retire? We may even ponder a decision to stay single or to be married, or heed a calling to consecrate our life to God as a religious person, a deacon, a nun or to even to discern entering the seminary to serve God as a missionary brother or a priest. Lord Jesus, what should we do? Which decision should we make?
For me, it took seven long years of prayer, pondering and discernment before my beloved wife Lillybeth and I heeded the call to seriously inquire about diaconate formation, and another seven years of discernment while serving our church community and completing diaconate formation, before we began serving as a deacon couple. And now, my beloved and I continue to ponder daily as we pray. Lord Jesus, how may we serve you today through our family, and through every person that we meet?
In the Gospel reading from Matthew, we hear how Mary who was betrothed to Joseph, was found with child by the Holy Spirit before they lived together. As Joseph pondered that evening, he must have been deeply troubled by this situation. He may have thought to himself: My fiancé Mary is pregnant, how could this be? How can this happen? And Joseph intended to divorce her quietly to shield her from shame.
A difficult situation to bear. We all, as human beings encounter and experience difficult decisions to make in our lives. And so, when we are faced with difficulties, the question is – how keen, how sensitive, how aware are we to heed God’s prompting, God’s message, and the Holy Spirit speaking to us – just like how the angel spoke to Joseph in a dream, and reminded him about the will and the plan of God to fulfill what was said through the prophets, through the life of Mary, and for Joseph as chosen earthly father of our Lord Jesus.
These are big decisions to make. Ask ourselves: how much time do we pray and discern? And when “we are open” to the will of God, is when the Holy Spirit can work in us, in our hearts.
Do you think if Joseph’s faith was weak, that he may have responded differently and walked off to divorce Mary? But, God gifted Joseph with the faith to listen, because had he not had enough faith, if he was weak in his faith, with his walk with God, he would not have persevered.
We are constantly reminded that no matter how challenging life can get, God is with us, we are never left alone. God is always there to guide us through the daily promptings of His Spirit in our hearts.
Action for the Day: In quiet prayer after reflecting on sacred scripture, ponder and discern God’s promptings. Listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and ask God to guide us on how to do “His will”.
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