December 18, 2025
Thursday of the Third Week of
Advent
Lectionary: 194
Reading
1
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.
Responsorial
Psalm
R. (see 7) Justice
shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous deeds.
And blessed forever be his glorious name;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
R. Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
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, alleluia.
Gospel
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 fulfill
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.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121825.cfm
Commentary on
Jeremiah 23:5-8
Today’s reading comes from one of three prose sermons which
seem to originate either from the period of exile in Babylon or soon after the
return to Jerusalem. After scolding Judah’s rulers for scattering Judah, in
today’s passage God promises to establish an upright member, a “Branch”, of
David’s line over a restored Israel.
‘Branch’ is used elsewhere as a messianic title. Zerubbabel,
whose name means ‘branch/shoot of Babylon’, was one of the leaders in the
return of the Jews from exile. And he was a descendant of David.
The Messiah, unlike any previous descendant of David, will
be the ideal King. He will sum up in himself all the finest qualities of the
best rulers, and infinitely more. He will rule responsibly before God as a real
king and not as a puppet like King Zedekiah. He will be a true shepherd for his
people, free of the corruption found in so many of Judah’s rulers. He will:
…deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness
in the land.
He will be called “The Lord is our righteousness”. This is
in contrast with the present ruler, Zedekiah, whose name in Hebrew meant ‘the
Lord [Yahweh] is my justice’. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon originally gave
this name to Mattaniah when he was appointed king.
Zedekiah was the last king of Judah (597-587 BC). He was a
tragic figure. He tried to enter into an alliance with surrounding peoples,
including Egypt, to rebel against Babylon. But he suffered defeat and was led
off to Babylon. Here his two sons were executed in his presence and then his
own two eyes were gouged out. Although Zedekiah did not in any way live up to
his name ‘the Lord is our righteousness’, the new Lord of Righteousness will
bring many blessings to his people and give them all that they need to be truly
God’s people.
A new era is on the way. People will no longer be thinking
of God as the one who brought his people out of Egypt. Rather, they will think
of him as the one who brought his people from their place of exile to live once
more on their own soil. This will be the ‘New Exodus’, one of even greater
significance than the earlier one. And it will not be complete until the
Messiah comes and establishes the Kingdom of God, not only in Israel, but
throughout the world—bringing true justice and peace to all.
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Commentary on Matthew
1:18-24
There were three stages for Jews getting married in Jesus’
time. First there was the engagement, then the betrothal, and finally the
wedding. The betrothal was a serious commitment. It was already the first part
of the marriage. There would be no sexual relationship, as the couple would not
yet be living together, but it was a binding relationship. Normal married life
began some months later when the husband took his betrothed into his home. To
violate the betrothal by having sexual relations with another person was
equivalent to adultery.
Imagine, then, the horrific dilemma of Joseph. He discovers
that the woman to whom he is already betrothed, but with whom he has not
consummated their relationship in marriage, is already pregnant. There could be
only one explanation—she had been unfaithful and was having another man’s
child. It was a very serious matter and, if brought out into the open, would
have made Mary liable to death by stoning.
But Joseph was a “righteous man”. As a devout follower of
the Mosaic Law, he would want to break the union with someone who had so
seriously broken the Law. And yet, because he was such a good man, he did not
want to expose her to a terrible punishment. In this, for his time and indeed
for our own time, he shows extraordinary forbearance. Few men would be like
Joseph and accept such a situation with such calmness and self-restraint. Most
would find it a terrible blow.
It is at this point that there is divine intervention and
God communicates the true situation to Joseph. He is assured that no other man
is involved, and that Mary has conceived through the power of God’s Spirit.
Joseph is further instructed to call the newborn child Jesus. Jesus, in
Hebrew Joshua, had the meaning at this time of “Yahweh saves”. Jesus
is so called because he will save his people from their sin.
And as Matthew likes to do, he shows that all this is in
fulfilment of an Old Testament prophecy (following the Septuagint text of
Isaiah):
Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son
and shall name him Immanuel… (Is 7:14)
‘Immanuel’ means “God-is-with-us”. This will be re-echoed
when, at the very end of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says to his disciples just
before he ascends to his Father:
And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the
age. (Matt 28:20)
Jesus remains with us forever.
Joseph, now at peace, took Mary to his home as his wife.
Thus, there is no mistaking the origins of Jesus. He has a human mother, but a
divine Father. He will be the perfect Saviour of his people—in a fully human
person, the power of God himself will be at work.
God still lives with his people. And he does that through
the Body of the Risen Jesus, the Church, the Christian community and its
communities all over the world. Each one of us is called to be Immanuel.
Through us people can meet God and hear the message of love and salvation,
forgiveness and reconciliation. Let us renew our commitment to be Immanuel for
the people in our lives.
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https://livingspace.sacredspace.ie/a1218g/
Thursday,
December 18, 2025
3rd Week of
Advent
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us to read the Scriptures
with the same mind that you read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In
the light of the Word, written in the Bible, you helped them to discover the
presence of God in the disturbing events of your sentence and death. Thus, the
cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life
and of resurrection. Create in us silence so that we may listen to your voice
in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the
poor and suffering. May your word guide us so that we too, like the two
disciples from Emmaus, may experience the force of your resurrection and
witness to others that you are alive in our midst as source of fraternity,
justice, and peace. We ask this of you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us
the Father and sent us your Spirit. Amen.
Gospel Reading – Matthew 1: 18-25
Key for reading:
The majority of the members of the Christian Communities in
Palestine and in
Syria, for whom Matthew wrote his
Gospel, were converted Jews. They accepted Jesus as Messiah and believed in
Him. They were persecuted because of their faith. Their brother Jews said to
them: “You Christians are deceived! Jesus is not, nor can he be the Messiah!”
In the text which we are meditating on this Sunday, the concern of Matthew is
evident, he wants to confirm the faith of the communities. It is as if he
wished to tell us: “You do not live deceived! Jesus is truly the Messiah! “
The intention of Matthew in chapters one
and two of his Gospel is to inform the readers concerning Jesus, whose activity
will be described beginning in chapter three. In the first two chapters,
Matthew presents the credentials of Jesus, the new Legislator, the new Moses.
In the genealogy (Mt 1: 1-17), he had already shown that Jesus belongs to the
race of David and of Abraham (Mt 1: 1). In these verses (Mt 1: 18-25) Matthew
continues to present Jesus to us describing his birth. He says how Joseph
received the news that Mary was with child and, the prophecies which will be
realized with the birth of Jesus, showing that he is the expected Messiah.
During the reading, it is well to pay attention to what the text tells us on
the person of Jesus, especially in what concerns the significance of the two
names that he receives.
A Division of the Text to Help the Reading:
•
Matthew 1: 18: A legal irregularity in Mary
•
Matthew 1: 19: The justice of Joseph
•
Matthew 1: 20-21: The explanation or elucidation
by the Angel • Matthew
1: 21-23: The melody in Matthew’s Gospel
•
Matthew 1: 24-25: The obedience of Joseph. The Text:
18 This is how Jesus Christ came to be
born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live
together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband
Joseph, being an upright man and wanting to spare her disgrace, decided to
divorce her informally. 20 He had made up his mind to do this when suddenly the
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 she has conceived what is
in her by the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son and you must name him
Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.'
22
Now all this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet:
23
Look! the virgin is with child and will give birth to a son whom they will call
Immanuel, a name which means 'God-is-with-us.' 24 When Joseph woke up he did
what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home; 25 he had not
had intercourse with her when she gave birth to a son; and he named him Jesus.
A Moment of Prayerful Silence
so that the Word of God may penetrate and
enlighten our life.
Some Questions
to help us in our personal reflection.
•
Which point of this text struck you the most?
Why?
•
According to the words of the Angel, who is the
Son who will be born of Mary?
•
According to the words of Matthew, which
prophecy of the Old Testament is fulfilled in Jesus?
•
Which are the two names which the Child
receives, and which is God’s project hidden in these names?
•
How is Joseph’s attitude to be understood? What
does this attitude teach us?
•
In what exactly does Joseph’s “justice” consist?
•
Which is our justice, compared with that of
Joseph?
Deepening the Theme
Context of the Evangelic Text:
The genealogy of Jesus (Mt 1:
1-17) leaves us with a question. Next to the names of the forty-two paternal
ancestors of Jesus (Mt 1: 17), Matthew gives the names of four maternal
ancestors only: Tamar (Mt 1: 3), Rahab, Ruth (Mt 1: 4) and the wife of Uriah
(Mt 1: 6). The four women conceived their sons outside the parameters of purity
or of the legal justice of that time. Therefore, the state of these four women
is irregular before the Law. The irregularity of these four ancestors is
evident. It is sufficient to read the texts of the Old Testament where their
story is described. And thus, at the end of the genealogy arises a question:
“And Mary, the spouse of Joseph, from whom Jesus is born (Mt 1: 16), does she
also incur in some irregularity of a legal type? The text on which we are
meditating this Sunday speaks about this.
Commentary on the Text:
•
Matthew
1: 18: A legal irregularity in Mary
Mary is with child before going to live with Joseph, her
promised spouse. The one who looks at things from outside is aware of an
irregularity and will say: “Mary, how horrible!” According to the law of Moses,
these errors merited a death penalty (Dt 22: 20). To avoid this mistaken
interpretation of facts, Matthew helps the reader to see the other aspect of
Mary’s pregnancy: “She conceived by the Holy Spirit.” To human eyes this may
seem a transgression of the Law, but in God’s eyes this was exactly the
contrary!
•
Matthew
1: 19: The Justice of Joseph
The
pregnancy of Mary takes place before she went to live with Joseph, not because
of a human deviation, but because of the divine will. God himself made fun of
the law of legal purity in such a way as to make the Messiah be born among us!
If Joseph had acted according to the requirements of the law of that time, he
would have had to denounce Mary and possibly she would have been stoned.
Pregnancy before marriage is irregular and according to the law of legal
purity, she should be punished with the death penalty (Dt 22: 20). But Joseph,
because he is just, does not obey
the requirements of the law of purity. His justice
is greater. Instead of denouncing, he prefers to respect the mystery which
he does not understand and decides to abandon Mary in secret. The greatest
justice of Joseph saves both the life of Mary and that of Jesus.
Thus, Matthew sends an important message to the communities
of Palestine and Syria. It is as if said: “Behold, what would happen if the
rigorous observance would be followed, which certain Pharisees demand from you!
They would put the Messiah to death!” Later Jesus will say: “If your justice is
not greater than that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the
Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 5: 20).
•
Matthew
1: 20-21: The explanation or elucidation of the Angel and the two names of the
Son of Mary: Jesus and Immanuel.
The Angel of the Lord” helps to discover the deepest
dimension of life and of events. He helps to make an X-Ray of events and to
perceive God’s call which with our human eyes alone we cannot perceive. The
Angel makes Joseph understand that Mary’s pregnancy is the fruit of the action
of the Holy Spirit. God himself, the day of creation, blew over the waters and
filled with force the creating Word of God (Gen 1: 2). The new creation takes
place in Mary. It is the beginning of the new heaven and the new earth,
announced by Isaiah (Is 65: 17). The Son of Mary receives two names: Jesus
andImmanuel. Jesus means “Yahweh saves.” Salvation does not come from what we do
but from God, rather from what God does for us. Immanuel means “God with us.” In the Exodus, when getting out of
Egypt, God goes down to be with the oppressed people( Ex 3: 8) and tells Moses:
“I will be with you” (Ex 3: 12) and
from that moment on he never abandons his people. The two names, Jesus and
Immanuel, render concrete, and even go beyond the hope of the people.
•
Matthew
1: 22-23: The Melody of Matthew’s Gospel
“All this took place in order that what had been said of
the Lord by the prophet could be fulfilled.” This phrase or other similar ones
are like a melody, words which are repeated many times in the Gospel of Matthew
(Mt 1: 23; 2: 5, 15, 17, 23; 4: 14; 8: 17; 12: 17; 13: 14, 35; etc.). This
reveals the purpose which the author had in mind: to confirm for his readers of
Jewish origin the fact that Jesus is truly the promised Messiah. In him the
promises of the prophets are fulfilled.
Here Matthew quotes the text of
Isaiah: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, whom she will call
Immanuel” (Is 7: 14). The title Immanuel
more than a name reveals the meaning of Jesus for us. Jesus is the proof
that God continues to be with us. The name itself of the Child is Jesus (Mt 1: 25).
•
Matthew
1: 24-25: The Obedience of Joseph
Waking up from sleep, Joseph does what the Angel told him
and took Mary to his house. And he continues to say that he had no relation
with Mary, to confirm that Jesus is born from the Holy Spirit.
Extending
the Information:
A key for the Gospel of Matthew - The Gospel of Matthew is
addressed to a community of converted Jews, who live a deep crisis of identity
in relation to their Jewish past. When in the year 65 AC the revolt broke out
against Rome, the Jewish- Christians did not participate and they abandoned
Jerusalem. The Pharisees did the same thing. After the destruction of Jerusalem
in the year 70, the Pharisees reorganized the people who had remained and they
lined up, always in a more decisive way, against the Christians, who at the end
were excommunicated. This excommunication made the problem of identity even
worse. Now, officially excommunicated, they could no longer go to their
Synagogue, to their rabbi. And the question arose among them: To whom do the
promises belong: to the Synagogue or to the Church? Who is the true People of
God, they or we? Is Jesus truly the Messiah? Matthew writes his Gospel for this
community. The Gospel of Matthew can be defined by the three following words:
•
The Gospel of consolation for those excommunicated and persecuted by their
brother Jews who do not accept Jesus as the Messiah (Christ); it helps to
overcome the trauma or shock of the breaking.
•
The Gospel of revelation: It shows Jesus as the true Messiah, the new Messiah, in
whom is the summit of all the history of the Old Testament with its promises.
•
The Gospel of the new practice: which describes the practice of Jesus, and shows how
to attain a new justice, greater than that of the Pharisees.
This happened in
order that it could be realized - by means of this phrase repeated many
times in his Gospel, Matthew touches on the point of greatest tension between
Christians and Jews. Starting from the Bible, they said: “Jesus is not and
cannot be the Messiah!” Starting from the Bible itself, Matthew responds and
affirms: “Jesus is truly the Messiah!”
The
pregnancy of Mary - Matthew as well as Luke quote the text of Isaiah “A
virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, whom she will call Immanuel” (Is
7, 14). But there is a difference. Luke places Mary in the center and gives
more importance to the sign of virginity (Lk 1, 31). Matthew places Joseph in
the center and gives more importance to the significance of the name Immanuel. Joseph’s dream - the Angel appeared to
Joseph in his sleep and helps him to understand. With the help of the Angel,
Joseph succeeded in discovering God’s actionin this event, which according to
the opinion of the time, seemed to be
only the fruit of deviation and of sin. Angel means messenger. He brings
a message and a help to perceive God’s action in life. Today there are many
Angels who guide us in life. Sometimes they act while we sleep, in our dreams,
other times in our meetings, in conversations and in Biblical encounters, in
facts, etc. So many Angels, so many Angels!
Prayer
Psalm 72 (71): His Name Endures Forever!
God, endow the king with your own fair
judgement, the son of the king with your own saving justice, that he may rule
your people with justice, and your poor with fair judgement. Mountains and hills,
bring peace to the people! With justice he will judge the poor of the people,
he will save the children of the needy and crush their oppressors. In the sight
of the sun and the moon he will endure, age after age.
He will come down like rain on mown
grass, like showers moistening the land. In his days uprightness shall
flourish, and peace in plenty till the moon is no more. His empire shall
stretch from sea to sea, from the river to the limits of the earth. The Beast
will cower before him, his enemies lick the dust; the kings of Tarshish and the
islands will pay him tribute. The kings of Sheba and Saba will offer gifts; all
kings will do him homage, all nations become his servants.
For he rescues the needy who calls to him, and the poor who
has no one to help.
He has pity on the weak and the
needy and saves the needy from death. From oppression and violence, he redeems
their lives, their blood is precious in his sight.
Long may he live; may the gold of
Sheba be given him! Prayer will be offered for him constantly, and blessings
invoked on him all day.
May wheat abound in the land,
waving on the heights of the hills, like Lebanon with its fruits and flowers at
their best, like the grasses of the earth.
May his name be blessed forever and endure in the sight of the
sun.
In him shall be blessed every
race in the world, and all nations call him blessed. Blessed be Yahweh, the God
of Israel, who alone works wonders; blessed forever his glorious name.
May the whole world be filled with his glory! Amen! Amen!
Final Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank for the word that has enabled us to
understand better the will of the Father. May your Spirit enlighten our actions
and grant us the strength to practice that which your Word has revealed to us.
May we, like Mary, your mother, not only listen to but also practice the Word.
You who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever
and ever. Amen.
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