4th Sunday of Advent (A)

Sunday reflections for liturgical years 2014 (A), 2015 (B), and 2016 (C)

December 22, 2013
Liturgical readings

Isaiah 7:10-14
Psalm 24
Romans 1:1-7
Matthew 1:18-24

"Joseph received Mary into his home as his wife."

Last Gaudete Sunday, the spirit of joy and anticipation filled all Eucharistic celebrations - signaling that Christmas is near. The symbol that represents that joyful anticipation is the third Advent candle, which was lit and colored rose or pink. And that joy was expressed in the gospel: 'the blind see, cripples walk, lepers are cured, the deaf hear, dead men live again, and the poor receive the Good News. Now, that joy of Gaudete Sunday magnifies as we listen to the readings of this fourth Sunday of Advent. The Lord Jesus, the Word made flesh, will enter our lives and our work again. As we thank God for the blessings of the Season, we are encouraged to love God more, be kind to others (and to ourselves), and to see justly with the eyes of Christ. For He is to come for all humanity.

This 4th Sunday of Advent brings us nearer to the image of the Nativity, as we listen to the story of Mary and Joseph. Joseph wanted to initially to divorce Mary quietly when he found her with child. Joseph was a just and righteous man. But when an angel revealed to him in a dream that Mary's Child would be the Savior of his people, Joseph heeded what the angel of God told him in that dream. He did God's will through the message God sent. Joseph did not pursue his intention to divorce but received Mary into his home. So the word of the prophet Isaiah has been fulfilled: Isaiah 7:14, 'the birth of Immanuel' -meaning 'God-with-us' or 'God-is-with-us' is to be born of Mary and under the guardianship of St. Joseph. The God we believe in is a God who will be with Mary and Joseph, and also with us in our journey as a people.

Never in the history of human civilization has man been privileged to be visited by a God who took human flesh. Although God was incarnated in the Jewish ancestry and culture, He really is meant for all. Whatever the angels revealed to Mary and to Joseph truly changed the direction of human civilization. The "yes" of both Mary and Joseph to God's will has began the process of saving - the saving plan of God that both Mary and Joseph understood through the unfolding events written in the gospel. If you read "Life of Christ" by Bishop Fulton Sheen, he writes that history is full of men who claim to have come from God (Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, Lao-tze, and many others). But only Christ's birth was pre-announced: by the Jewish prophets; Tacitus of ancient Rome; Chinese chroniclers; the Greek Aeschylus; Cicero; Suetonius; and Virgil. Even the gospel attests to this by mentioning the Magi of the East. We have to admit the greatness of Mary's and Joseph's faith and obedience to God's will. It is to their intercession that we also owe our Christian faith and obedience.

Scripture quotes for reflection:
The Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child (Isaiah 7)
He whose heart is clean shall receive a blessing from the Lord (Psalm 24)
Jesus Christ our Lord was descended from David according to the flesh but was made Son of God in power, according to the spirit of holiness (Romans 1)
Joseph, son of David, it is by the Holy Spirit that Mary has conceived this child (Matthew 1)

3rd Sunday of Advent (A)

2nd Sunday of Advent (A)

Reflections for liturgical years 2014 (A), 2015 (B), and 2016 (C)

December 8, 2013 (edited for 12/7/2025)
Liturgical readings
Isaiah 11:1-10
Psalm 72
Romans 15:4-9
Matthew 3:1-12

"I baptize you in water. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire."

John the Baptist, the last of the Old Testament prophets, and the one that acts as a bridge to the New Testament, prepared the way for the coming of Christ. He called the people Israel to be baptized in the Jordan river. His prophetic message is a message meant also for our present age: to prepare for the coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ into our the life of all our relationships, and even to our work. John the Baptist calls us to look more deeply into how we relate with God, with others, and with ourselves in our work and life with the intention of seeking repentance and amendment of manners and behaviour - that God's light may shine brilliantly upon each of our souls. God's light will help us follow the right path under the guidance of His Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit that can help us see how we can unlearn bad habits and do what is right in the eyes of both God and man. Through our reverence of Christ Jesus, we can see what is essential: God Himself, His love for us, and the commandments to follow that we may not be led astray. This second Sunday of Advent is another opportunity to reflect well on the message of John the Baptist.

Three centuries after John the Baptist baptized the people Israel in the Jordan, St. Augustine of Hippo, a bishop and doctor of the Church, also wrote in his Advent sermon that the baptism given by John was meant to prepare God's people for the Savior. But that was John the Baptist's baptism. This 2nd Sunday of Advent, we are called to see that John was also preparing the people for the baptism which Christ will give. Unlike John's baptism, Christ will baptize in the Holy Spirit and fire. It is in Christ's baptism that we receive "a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, and a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord". In this baptism, we are called to share in the Church's mission to build God's Kingdom in the very circumstances of work and life.

This Sunday's message on the theme of baptism can help us to reflect also on the meaning of our own baptism. The baptism the faithful received gifted each one with membership in the many communities of the Church - beginning in the family. As members of the Church, baptismal commitment asks each one to fulfill a task and a responsibility: to continue the mission of Jesus for this generation and for future generations. All of the baptized are commissioned to make their baptismal consecration bear fidelity and joy in their lives and to share the light and joy of the gospel also in the lives of others. This can be done one day at a time. And Advent is the liturgical season to remind each one of this vocation. Advent reroots everyone's work and life in the context of their initial commitment to Christ. In this rerooting, everyone can be reminded to slow down, pause, and reflect: "What have I done for Christ?" "What am I doing for Christ?" "What can I do for Christ?"

Quotes from the Sunday readings:
The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him (Isaiah 11)
For he shall rescue the poor man when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him (Psalm 72)
God the source of all patience and encouragement enables us to live in the spirit of Christ Jesus (Romans 15)
A herald's voice in the desert: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.' (Matthew 3)