DAILY- HOMILY

December 18, 2013

Wednesday 3^rd Week of Advent - Year I

Jer 23:5-8 / Ps 72: 1-2. 12-13. 18-19 / Mt 1:18-25

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 Yah- weh, "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 Yah- weh 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!"

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

Reflection

Joseph must have been devastated and confused when he discovered Mary's condition for he knew Mary to be a virtuous woman. Surely he became even more confused when an angel encouraged him to take Mary home as his wife for she was to give birth to the Messiah. Nevertheless, he obeyed the word of the angel. Mary, on the other hand, was experiencing a deep suffering as well for she knew that if people found out that she was pregnant she would be stoned to death. Despite this crisis, she accepted to suffer in silence, waiting for this mystery to be revealed to Joseph as well.

Both Joseph and Mary entered into the plan of God even if they did not fully understand it and they became key figures in the fulfillment of God's plan of salvation. The prophecy of the angel was realized when an infant was born of Mary and he was named Jesus, the only name in the world by which we can be saved. Christ's Incarnation is a great event in the life of every person for before his birth the heavens were closed. The host of angels would later announce to the shepherds the great news of the Savior's birth: "He is Christ the Lord!" manifesting that the heavens are now open for all of us. The gospel is reminding us to anticipate the feast of Christmas which is so near. May we appreciate Joseph and Mary for all their sacrifices in bringing Jesus into the world. May we become more like them so that Jesus may also be born in us.

Prayer Requests

We pray …

… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.

… for the speedy recovery and healing of

-               Lorenzo Meoli

-               Joy Droke

… for the personal intentions of

-               Feliciana Bonsol

-               Beny Chua

-               Pauline

… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.

-               Birthday: Mel San Diego

-               Birthday: Athena LKK SyBuenasenso

-               Birthday: Richie Donovan

-               Wedding Anniversary: Glenn & Marisa Espino

-               Wedding Anniversary: Zenaida & Alexander See Co.

-               Wedding Anniversary: Benito & Alice Cua

-               Wedding Anniversary: Robin & Jackie Tong

… for families who are in need of healing

… for world peace and reconciliation.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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