＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Jeremiah 23:5-8

Yahweh further says,

“The day is coming when I will raise up a king who is David’s righteous successor. He will rule wisely and govern with justice and righteousness. That will be a grandiose era when Judah will enjoy peace and Israel will live in safety. He will be called Yahweh-our-justice!”

 “The days are coming,” says Yahweh, “when people shall no longer swear by Yahweh as the living God who freed the people of Israel from the land of Egypt. Rather, they will swear by Yahweh as the living God who restored the descendants of Israel from the northern empire and from all the lands where he had driven them, to live again in their own land!”

 

Ps 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19

Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace forever.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Matthew 1:18-25

 This is how Jesus Christ was born. Mary his mother had been given to Joseph in marriage but before they lived together, she was found to be preg­nant through the Holy Spirit.  Then Joseph, her husband, made plans to divorce her in all secrecy. He was an upright man, and in no way did he want to discredit her.

 While he was pondering over this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she will bear a son. You shall call him ‘Jesus’ for he will save his people from their sins.”

All this happened in order to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:   The virgin will conceive and bear a son, and he will be called Emmanuel which means: God-with-us.   When Joseph awoke,

 he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do and he took his wife to his home.  He did not have any marital relations with her.  When she gave birth to a son, Joseph gave him the name Jesus.

 

Gospel Reflection：

The 2nd “O Antiphon” introduces us to the mystery of the birth of the Messiah! He comes from the line of David who belongs to the tribe of Judah. The City of King David is Jerusalem which means the city of Justice and Peace.

The title “Lord” is the title of God that the Israelite would use to address God with the hope of receiving the Justice of God, which is Mercy. When the Israelite called on “Adonal” he was begging for mercy and praying for Peace.

The prayer of the pious Jew was that “Lord-Adonai” might reign from Jerusalem and establish peace on earth. The Messiah – Adonai, we were told yesterday is from the family tree of Jacob. Joseph was from the family tree of David.

But Joseph is not the biological father of Jesus. Matthew, yesterday, broke the series of – was the father of – “when Mary is introduced as the MOTHER. Matthew continues the story in no uncertain terms!

Joseph knew that the child in Mary’s womb was not from him. The Angel of God had to reveal to Joseph that the child of Mary was of the Holy Spirit.

“O Lord – Adonai,”be merciful to us and grant us the righteousness of Joseph and the obedience of Mary!