December
18, 2015
Friday
of the Third Week of Advent
Saints of the Day: Blessed Giulia Nemesia Valle (1847-1916),
Saint Gatian, Bishop (3rd Century)
Reading 1
5Behold,
the days are coming, says the LORD, when
I will raise up a righteous shoot to David; As
king He shall reign and govern wisely, He
shall do what is just and right in the land.
6In His days Judah shall be saved,Israel
shall dwell in security. This
is the name they give Him:“The
LORD our justice.”
7Therefore,
the days will come, says the LORD, when
they shall no longer say, “As the LORD lives, who
brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt”; 8but
rather, "As the LORD lives, who
brought the descendants of the house of Israel
up
from the land of the north”- and
from all the lands to which I banished them;
they
shall again live on their own land.
Responsorial Psalm
R.
(see 7) Justice shall flourish in His time, and fullness of peace for ever.
1O
God, with your judgment endow the king, and
with your justice, the king’s son;
2He
shall govern your people with justice and
your afflicted ones with judgment.
R.
Justice shall flourish in His time, and fullness of peace for ever.
12For He shall rescue the poor when ce cries out, and
the afflicted when he has no one to help him. 13He
shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the
lives of the poor He shall save.
R.
Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
18Blessed
be the LORD, the God of Israel, who
alone does wondrous deeds. 19And
blessed forever be His glorious Name; may
the whole earth be filled with His glory.
R.
Justice shall flourish in His time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Alleluia
R.
Alleluia, alleluia.
O
Leader of the House of Israel, giver
of the Law to Moses on Sinai: come
to rescue us with your mighty power!
R.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
18This
is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When His mother Mary was betrothed
to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the
Holy Spirit.[1][2]
19Joseph
her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to
shame, decided to divorce her quietly.[3] 20Such
was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a
dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife
into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this Child has been
conceived in her.[4]
21She
will bear a son and you are to name Him Jesus,because He will save His people
from their sins.”[5]
22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23Behold,
the virgin shall be with Child and bear a Son, and they shall name Him
Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.”[6]
24When
Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and
took his wife into his home. 25He had no relations with her until she bore a
son, and he named him Jesus.[7]
Notes on Readings:
[1] Matthew 1:18-25 - This first story of the infancy
narrative spells out what is summarily indicated in Matthew 1:16. The virginal conception of Jesus is the work of the Spirit of God. Joseph's
decision to divorce Mary is overcome by the heavenly command that he take her
into his home and accept the child as his own. The natural genealogical line is
broken but the promises to David are fulfilled; through Joseph's adoption the
child belongs to the family of David. Matthew sees the virginal conception as
the fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14.
[2] Matthew 1:18 - Betrothed to Joseph: betrothal was the
first part of the marriage, constituting a man and woman as husband and wife.
Subsequent infidelity was considered adultery. The betrothal was followed some
months later by the husband's taking his wife into his home, at which time
normal married life began.
[3] Matthew 1:19 - A righteous man: as a devout observer of
the Mosaic law, Joseph wished to break his union with someone whom he suspected
of gross violation of the law. It is commonly said that the law required him to
do so, but the texts usually given in support of that view, that, Deuteronomy 22:20-21 do not clearly pertain to Joseph's situation. Unwilling to expose her to shame:
the penalty for proved adultery was death by stoning; compare with Deuteronomy 22:21-23.
[4] Matthew 1:20 - The angel of the Lord: in the Old
Testament a common designation of God in communication with a human being. In a
dream: see Matthew 2:13, 19, 22. These dreams may be meant to recall the dreams of Joseph, son of Jacob the
patriarch (Genesis 37:5 - 11:19). A closer parallel is the dream of Amram, father of Moses, related by Josephus
(Antiquities 2,9,3; 212, 215-16).
[5] Matthew 1:21 - Jesus: in first-century Judaism the Hebrew
name Joshua (Greek Iesous) meaning "Yahweh helps" was interpreted as
"Yahweh saves."
[6] Matthew 1:23 - God is with us: God's promise of
deliverance to Judah in Isaiah's time is seen by Matthew as fulfilled in the
birth of Jesus, in whom God is with His people. The name Emmanuel is alluded to
at the end of the gospel where the risen Jesus assures His disciples of His
continued presence,". . . I am with you always, until the end of the
age" (Matthew 28:20).
[7] Matthew 1:25 - Until she bore a son: the evangelist is
concerned to emphasize that Joseph was not responsible for the conception of
Jesus. The Greek word translated "until" does not imply normal
marital conduct after Jesus' birth, nor does it exclude it.
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Dear Humanity,
I personally encourage everyone to emulate JESUS' values on LOVE, FAITH, HOPE
and CHARITY, as the humanity has been a failure; which resulted to the more than two (2) years of pandemic and its after-effects on economy, not only here in the Philippines but worldwide.
And the saddest part of it, is that, it affected the POOREST of the POOR to even extremely be more poorer, in exchange of the affluent to be more richer.
Thank you and may GOD bless you and the whole family to have an enjoyed life's journey at home, Church, schools/universities, corporate commitments, public and places of interest.