He Will Be Called Emmanuel

The maiden is with a child, his name God with us!-

Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year A)
Isa 7.10-14;
Rom 1.1-7;  
Mt 1.18-24

In few days time, we all together will celebrate the miracle that forever changed the world. The healing that we all need and beauty we seek. Heaven is wedded to earth. the Spirit of the Lord is upon us. When God became one of us in Jesus, the infant king being born into our world in Bethlehem, we received a promise of hope we never thought possible and a blessing of joy we never believed our hearts could know. Immanuel, God with us.

As always in advent, we have begun a new cycle of gospel readings, this year is drawn from the gospel of Matthew. Unlike Luke that gives us the midnight mass reading of the birth of Christ with Mary playing the leading role, the hero of the infancy story of the birth of Jesus by Matthew is Joseph- the foster Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. While Luke features annumciation to Mary, Matthew gives us the annunciation to Joseph

As Matthew’s gospel highlights the genealogy of Jesus, the Son of David, it also shows us Joseph’s character and dilemma, Joseph was a compassionate observer of the law, even before he had the dream revelation, he was already contemplating how to do with it justly.; with the decision to divorce Mary quietly and avoid embarrassing her. Just like the Joseph of Old Testament, he had a dream revelation of the Holy Spirit’s intervention on mankind, and in the New Testament to become the living Father of Jesus.. The team revelation for each one helps them to fulfill God’s plan of salvation. The Old Testament’s Joseph made peace with his brothers and offer service to his family so also Joseph cooperate with God. The story of the infancy narrative by Matthew ends with the meaning off the name Emmanuel -God-with-us. The same words Jesus says to his disciples at the end of Matthew’s gospel, I am with you always.

And so today, on this last Sunday of Advent, we honour and venerate the Mother of God. The devotion we pay to her is not an added extra. It is the very guarantee of our true understanding and belief in the Incarnation, holding together the two natures of Christ in one person. Like every other mother, Mary is not the mother of a nature.  She is the mother of a person, of the Person born in that nature.  And as her son is true God, so Mary is rightly called the Mother of God. This is the basis for all of Mary’s unique privileges.  If she had not been the Mother of the Redeemer, but merely the mother of any human being, she would not have the role in our salvation that we believe she has, and so would not have the place in our devotion of which she is worthy.
 
As Queen and Mother, we ask for her assistance in the last hours of preparation for the coming of Christ among us at Christmas: that our preparation may be spiritual as well as material:  Most Pure Virgin, obtain for us a deep hatred of sin, and purity of heart, so that our every thought, word and deed may tend to the greater glory of God. Most Holy Virgin, obtain for us the spirit of prayer and self denial, that we may recover through penance what we have lost by sin. Virgin full of grace, obtain for us the grace to share one day your happiness in heaven. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Fr Joseph Osho