December 18, 2018
Tuesday, 3rd Week
of Advent
1st Reading: Jer 23:5–8Gospel: Mt 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 of Jesus.
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
The Gospel today tells us that Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together she was found with child. This is an instance we can call divine disturbance. God does this at some point in time. While we are free to chart how our life goes, God disturbs us once in a while. People who do not trust the wisdom of God see this as an invasion. But those who have faith welcome this as a timely intervention.
Mary and Joseph did not understand what God was up to. But they gave themselves up to the wisdom of God, abandoned their human plans and submitted themselves wholeheartedly to God’s design. But what happened next partakes of a mystery. They went through lots of trials, troubles, tribulations and sufferings. “Why is there suffering even among God-fearing people?” many ask. “How come people suffer so much for doing the Will of God”? God’s only answer to these questions is the cross. He too suffered in sending his only Son and in watching this only Son die on the cross at Calvary. In this sense we can say that as the Son suffered, God the Father also suffered.
One thing is sure: the tribulations are pangs of transition. Being so they are temporary. In the end God’s wisdom is proven right. Consider what happened to Joseph and Mary. The intervention led to the salvation of humanity. So in faith let us allow God to disturb us and embrace such disturbance as a timely intervention for the salvation of the world. – (Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., D.M. Email: dan.delosangeles@gmail.com.
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