First reading Jeremiah 23:5-8
I will raise a virtuous Branch for David
See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks –
when I will raise a virtuous Branch for David,
who will reign as true king and be wise,
practising honesty and integrity in the land.
In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel dwell in confidence.
And this is the name he will be called:
The-Lord-our-integrity.
So, then, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when people will no longer say, “As the Lord lives who brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt!” but, “As the Lord lives who led back and brought 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.”
Responsorial Psalm 71(72):1-2,12-13,18-19
R. (see 7) Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous deeds.
And blessed forever be his glorious name;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Gospel Matthew 1:18-24
How Jesus Christ came to be born
This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son
and they will call him Emmanuel,
a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’ When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home.
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Do not be afraid
In today’s gospel, Joseph learned that Mary, his betrothed, was pregnant. In the face of this dilemma, he wanted to do the right thing, and thus, the only solution was to divorce Mary. It was difficult for Joseph to deal with this unexpected situation when things did not turn out the way he wanted. When life throws us a curveball, we, like Joseph, struggle to know what steps to take. In a dream, Joseph understood what God wanted of him and did not hesitate to act accordingly. Like Joseph, we too can be enlightened on what to do through prayer, talking to someone we trust, etc. Let us know that God will not abandon us but will always guide us and show us the way to go.
As we pray, let us listen to God telling us the same words He used to assure Joseph, “Do not be afraid”. In the ups and downs of life, there is no need to be afraid because God, Emmanuel, is with us.
Reflective question:
What message does God want to tell me in this time of prayer?
What message does God want to tell me in this time of prayer?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year B” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
