Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection December 18, 2024
Third Week of Advent
18th December 2024 (Wednesday)
Psalter: Week 3
Readings of the Day
First Reading: Jeremiah 23:5-8
Behold, 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. In his days Judah shall be saved, Israel shall dwell in security. This is the name they give him: “The LORD our justice.” Therefore, 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”; but 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.
Psalm 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19 (R. see 7)
R/. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Alleluia
R/. Alleluia
V/. 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.
Gospel: Matthew 1:18-25
This 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. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such 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. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.
Daily Gospel Reflection
Wednesday – Third Week of Advent
Guidelines: God’s ways are not always clear and graspable. It needs real openness and surrender to understand and do God’s will
1. Today’s gospel focuses on the person of Joseph. There is only one attribute that is applied to him. That is, being “just”. The gospel episode demonstrates how he was just.
2. He was just because he acted magnanimously toward Mary. Even though he knew nothing of the divine intervention for Mary’s pregnancy, yet he did not want to publicly denounce Mary. He was so concerned for Mary’s self-dignity that he decided to divorce her quietly.
3. True justice always carries charity. Humanly speaking, Joseph was obviously wronged because of the apparent infidelity of Mary by conceiving a child outside the marital bond.
4. He had perfectly the right of a husband to avenge his honor by exposing her in the public. But for him, the right of Mary for public honor was more than his own legal honor.
3. The second aspect of how he was just is seen in his total docility and surrender to God’s will. Even though he had already totally decided to divorce Mary quietly, yet as soon as he knew it was God’s plan, he instantly submitted to it.
4. There were no hurt feelings, no arguing, no challenging, no contesting God’s plans, no lamenting, no annoyance about why God did not first reveal His plan to him before he underwent so much mental struggle. It was God’s plan and he just needs to submit to it. That was all that mattered for him.
Practice: Those who claim today to be just and project themselves as justice-fighters must take some lessons from St Joseph. True justice never does harm to the other and it is every submissive to God’s will
