Gospel
From the Gospel according to Mathew. Mt. 1, 18-24.
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”(which means “God with us”).
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
The Gospel of the Lord
Finding a Way Out of trouble.
We love the Scripture readings of Christmas. How beautiful they are! Even in the midst of Joseph’s trial, we see God’s tender care through the message of the angel of the Lord, as well as His profound respect and love for Mary—His Mother, Daughter, and Spouse.
Now, let’s focus on the key point: Joseph, during a moment of darkness, remained a righteous man before God- similar to what we now call living in a state of grace. In the midst of his struggle, he chose to trust in God and His message, which for us today would mean trusting in the message of the Gospel. And God pulled him out of his trouble.
May we, in our own moments of darkness, trust in the Word of God and those who bring it to us as His messengers.
May we, in our own moments of darkness, trust in the Word of God and those who bring it to us as His messengers.
Applied to Married Life:
Paul: We’ve been struggling for a while now. It feels like we’re stuck in a hole we can’t climb out of. What do you think we should do, Kelly?
Kelly: I spoke with our tutors today and asked them for advice. They reminded me of something simple—something we’ve heard before but aren’t really practicing.
Paul: And what’s that?
Kelly: That where love is lacking, we need to choose to put love there. To truly love, we first need to face the real source of our sadness—our sin. Then, we need to look to the ultimate source of love, who is Christ, and learn how He loves, even in situations like ours. After all, Jesus came to save His people from their sins. When I choose to love you, I am choosing to love the Lord.
Mother,
How much You delight in seeing us love one another, for in doing so, we make Your Son present. May He be praised forever.