"You shall call him "Jesus'."

While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream.

God’s angel spoke in the dream: Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to

get married Mary. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived.

She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph,

will name him Jesus —‘God saves’—. he will save his people from their sins.

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Jeremiah 23:5-8

The Lord 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 the Lord-our-justice!"

 

"The days are coming," says the Lord, "when people shall no longer swear by the Lord as the living God

who freed the people of Israel from the land of Egypt. Rather, they will swear

by the Lord 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 for ever.

 

＊＊＊ 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 disgrace 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 ：

"You shall call him "Jesus'."

Both Mary and Joseph had an important role in the Incarnation.

Perhaps it's clearer to us how Mary's "yes" to God's plan was essential to the eternal Word becoming flesh.

God became human so that we might eternally share in his divine life, healing the deep wounds of sin and death.

This comes about through Mary's humble and selfless cooperation. However, Joseph's role is also significant.

In Joseph's dream, the angel explains the parts they are to play in God's plan: "She will bear a son.

You shall call him 'Jesus." Joseph names the child, and in doing so, Joseph becomes his legal father.

 

Therefore, Jesus, as legal son, becomes part of the family line of Joseph.

He is a "descendent of David," and so in naming the child, Jesus also becomes a Son of David.

God had promised to raise a son after David whose reign would never end (2 Sam 7:12-13).

Without Joseph, Jesus would not have belonged to David's line.

Nor would he have been recognized as the long-waited King and Messiah who would come to save his people.

Joseph's role seems slight, but it's essential. Like Joseph, may we always seek to cooperate with God's will.