4th Sunday of Advent (A)

Sunday reflections for liturgical years 2014 (A), 2015 (B), and 2016 (C)

December 22, 2013 (edited for 12/21/2025)

Liturgical readings
Isaiah 7:10-14
Psalm 24
Romans 1:1-7
Matthew 1:18-24

"Joseph received Mary into his home as his wife."

Last Sunday of Advent was Gaudete Sunday. The spirit of joy and anticipation of Christ's advent filled all Eucharistic celebrations - signaling that Christmas day is near. A symbol that represents joyful anticipation is the third Advent candle, which is colored rose or pink. Rose or pink represents joy in the Advent season. And that joy is expressed in the gospel for the 3rd Sunday of Advent: 'the blind see, cripples walk, lepers are cured, the deaf hear, dead men live again, and the poor receive the Good News. Now, this fourth Sunday of Advent, that spiritual joy experienced last Gaudete Sunday is magnified in the present readings of the Eucharistic liturgy. The Lord Jesus, the Word of God made flesh in the womb of a humble virgin, will loom before the lives and relationships of everyone. It is a time and an opportunity to thank God for all the blessings received not only this Advent Season, but throughout the whole year. Everyone is encouraged to love God more, be kinder to others (and ourselves), and to act justly in the eyes of God and our fellow man. For He who is to come, is coming for all humanity.

This 4th Sunday of Advent brings us nearer to the image of the Nativity, as we listen to the gospel story of Mary and Joseph. Joseph, a just man, wanted initially to divorce Mary quietly when he found her with child. However, when an angel revealed to him in a dream that Mary's Child would be the the Son of God, the Savior of his people, the Emmanuel prophesied by the prophet Isaiah, Joseph obeyed what the angel of God told him in the dream. He did God's will by not pursuing his intention to divorce Mary, but welcomed her and the Child in her womb into his home. So the word of the prophet Isaiah has been fulfilled in Isaiah 7:14, 'the birth of Immanuel' - meaning 'God-with-us' or 'God-is-with-us' is to be born of Mary and under the guardianship of St. Joseph. The God who was incarnated in the womb of Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit is the God who will not only be with Mary and Joseph, but also with all the faithful in their journey as a people in the Church.

Never in the entire history of human civilization has mankind been privileged to be visited by a God who was incarnated in human flesh. Although the Son of God, in His humility, was incarnated in Jewish ancestry and culture, He and His mission is really meant for all. Whatever the angels of God revealed to Mary and to Joseph, truly changed the direction of human civilization. The "yes" of both Mary and Joseph to God's will has began the process of mankind's salvation from sin. If you have an opportunity to read the book entitled, "Life of Christ", by Bishop Fulton Sheen, he writes that history is full of men who claim to have come from God. These are men like Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, Lao-tze, and many others. However, their births were not pre-announced; only Christ's birth was pre-announced. Christ's birth was pre-announced by: the Jewish prophets, Tacitus of ancient Rome, Chinese chroniclers, the Greek Aeschylus, Cicero, Suetonius, and Virgil. And today's gospel speaks of this pre-announcement by the mention of the Magi from the East. Such a great mystery as the Incarnation is a miracle that evokes wonder and awe. The greatness of Mary's and Joseph's faith and obedience to God's will is an example for all to follow. Their intercession for the Church is a blessing for all to be thankful always for the grace to have faith in God and to obey His will as best as each can in whatever circumstance life brings to all.

Scripture quotes from the readings:
The Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child (Isaiah 7)
He whose heart is clean shall receive a blessing from the Lord (Psalm 24)
Jesus Christ our Lord was descended from David according to the flesh but was made Son of God in power, according to the spirit of holiness (Romans 1)
Joseph, son of David, it is by the Holy Spirit that Mary has conceived this child (Matthew 1)

3rd Sunday of Advent (A)

Sunday reflections from liturgical years 2014 (A), 2015 (B), and 2016 (C)

December 15, 2013 (edited for 12/14/2025)
Liturgical readings
Isaiah 35:1-6, 10
Psalm 146
James 5:7-10
Matthew 11:2-11

"Go back and report to John what you hear and see."

St. John the Baptist and Jesus the Messiah. Both of them prophets. Both were martyred. John prepared the way for Christ. And Christ prepared the way for His people, and continues to prepare the Way for all, through the ministers of the Sacraments in the Catholic Church.

After John finished his mission to baptize in the river Jordan, he decreases in stature; and Christ's mission begins to be in the forefront - to build the Kingdom of God by His mission of healing and preaching to the Jews and Gentiles who professed faith in Him. As Jesus now enters the forefront, He commends John the Baptist for his great role in preparing the people Israel to be saved from sin.

These were two great men in their own right. They call all humanity to follow in their footsteps. The mission is especially the responsibility of the faithful, who are called to bring themselves and others back to God in the fire of the Holy Spirit, by a life of repentance and amendment of life. It is the amendment and reform of one's life as well as its promotion to non-believers that witness to the life of Christ and God's Kingdom.

The baptisms performed by John the Baptist, and our own baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity, makes us share in the prophetic mission of of both John the Baptist and Jesus. How are we to understand the prophetic vocation we received from baptism? A prophet is one who speaks in behalf of God to the people. He announces the Good News. And he denounces the evil of his times. This was what John the Baptist and Christ Jesus Himself also did. The gospel reveals that both their announcement of God's Kingdom and the denouncement of the evil of their own times have cost them their life. Not all are called to be martyrs like John and Christ, but all the faithful have a responsibility to be the "salt of the earth and the light of the world" - to show to the world that a life in Christ makes a big difference in the lives of others through daily acts of patience, courage, and kindness.

Given the circumstances of the world we now live in, how can we specifically be the "salt of the earth and the light of the world" for 2026? Like John the Baptist and Christ, we can follow their footsteps to witness to what they stood for: Life in all its fullness. Prophetic witness can be as simple as opting to follow the stance of the Church with regard to the culture of life. This culture of life was emphasized and made clear to everyone in the world during the pontificate of St. John Paul II. By simply respecting life in all its stages (from womb to tomb), the faithful can make a stand in Christ, and with the Church, for the mission to value the sacrality of life as a gift from God, and a responsibility to defend and protect in the very secular contexts of family, work, and charitable deeds. And this stance can also mean in our own times, to adopt the mindset of inclusivity and acceptance of diversity in the world: that no person, no community, and no country, ought to be left behind.

Verses from this Sunday readings:
Say to those whose hearts are frightened; be strong fear not! (Isaiah 35)
The Lord gives food to the hungry; He sets captives free (Psalm 146)
Steady your hearts because the coming of the Lord is at hand (James 5)
History has not known man born of woman greater than John the Baptizer (Matthew 11)

2nd Sunday of Advent (A)

Reflections for liturgical years 2014 (A), 2015 (B), and 2016 (C)
December 8, 2013 (edited for 12/7/2025)
Liturgical readings
Isaiah 11:1-10
Psalm 72
Romans 15:4-9
Matthew 3:1-12

"I baptize you in water. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire."

John the Baptist, the last prophet of the Old Testament, and the bridge to the New Testament, prepared the people Israel for the coming of Christ. He prepared the people by baptizing them in the in the Jordan river. His prophetic message to the Jews of his time is also a message for our present age: to prepare for the coming of Christ in our minds, hearts, souls, and in all our relationship at work and with family. John the Baptist calls each one to look deep into their souls and to act in a direction of repentance and amendment of life - that God's light may shine each one more brightly. God's light helps each one under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the Eucharistic community to follow the right path. It is in Christ that each one can unlearn bad habits and do what is right in the eyes of both God and man. In Christ Jesus, all can see what is essential: God, His love for each one personally, and for all people. This Sunday of Advent is another opportunity to reflect well on John's message to prepare ourselves well to receive the Lord in our lives.

Moving forward three centuries after John the Baptist baptized in the Jordan, St. Augustine of Hippo, a bishop and doctor of the Church, wrote also in his Advent sermon that John's baptism was meant to prepare the people Israel for the Savior. Now, John the Baptist preaches about the baptism of Christ. Unlike John's baptism, the baptism Christ will give is a baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire. In this baptism everyone receives "a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, and a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord". In this baptism, the faithful are all called to share in the Church's mission to build God's Kingdom in the very circumstances of their work and life.

The message on this Sunday's theme of baptism helps all to reflect on the meaning of each one's own baptism. For the baptism received gifted the faithful with membership in the community of the Church. As members of the Church, it asks each one to fulfill a task and a responsibility: to participate in Christ's mission to bring the gospel to this present generation. Each one is commissioned to make their baptismal consecration bear the image and work of Christ in their lives, and to share that to others as well. This can be done one day at a time. Advent reroots each one's work and life in the context of their initial baptismal commitment to Christ. In this rerooting, one can slow down, pause, and reflect more deeply: "What have I done for Christ?" "What am I doing for Christ?" "What can I do for Christ?"

Quotes from the Sunday readings:
The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him (Isaiah 11)
For he shall rescue the poor man when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him (Psalm 72)
God the source of all patience and encouragement enables us to live in the spirit of Christ Jesus (Romans 15)
A herald's voice in the desert: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.' (Matthew 3)