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
In his days justice shall flourish, and peace until the moon fails.
O God, give your judgement to the king,
to a king’s son your justice,
that he may judge your people in justice
and your poor in right judgement.
In his days justice shall flourish, and peace until the moon fails.
For he shall save the poor when they cry
and the needy who are helpless.
He will have pity on the weak
and save the lives of the poor.
In his days justice shall flourish, and peace until the moon fails.
Blessed be the Lord, God of Israel,
who alone works wonders,
ever blessed his glorious name.
Let his glory fill the earth.
Amen! Amen!
In his days justice shall flourish, and peace until the moon fails.
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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Joseph’s trust
In the gospel passage today, we see that Joseph’s world turned upside-down when he discovered Mary, his betrothed, was pregnant and knew that the baby was not his. He was a good man who wanted to avoid publicly divorcing Mary, as that could lead to her being charged with adultery and stoned to death. So, he chose to end the engagement privately. Burdened by the situation, Joseph fell asleep. In his dream, he heard God inviting him to take Mary as his wife and that she would give birth to a child who would bring salvation to all people. When Joseph woke up, he did as God told him to. Despite not seeing the whole picture or understanding the situation, he responded to God without hesitation. By saying “Yes” to God, Joseph revealed the depth of His unwavering trust in Him.
Today, God invites us to willingly get up, like Joseph, and take action based on our understanding of what He wants from us. We ask for the grace to trust unwaveringly and align our lives with God’s purpose.
Reflective question:
What does it mean to trust God at this point in my life?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
