First Reading – Isaiah 7: 10 – 14/ Ps 24/ Second Reading – Romans 1 1- 7/ Gospel – Mat 1: 18 – 24
The story of the Virgin Birth is at the very heart of our Christmas celebration. That is why, as we come to this Fourth Sunday of Advent just a few days before Christmas the Church invites us to reflect once more on this sacred mystery and on the people, God chose to bring it about.
In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah speaks to King Ahaz at a moment of fear and uncertainty and offers him a sign from God: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel.” Matthew will later recognize this as one of the clearest and most powerful prophecies pointing to Jesus, the promised Messiah, the Son of David, and God-with-us.
The Responsorial Psalm continues this invitation with the refrain: “Let the Lord enter; He is King of Glory.” Those words are not just something we sing; they are something we must choose. Like Joseph, we must decide whether we will open our hearts and allow the Lord to enter and rule our lives. God never forces His gifts upon us. He waits for our trust.
In the second reading, St. Paul affirms that Jesus is indeed “descended from David according to the flesh,” and therefore the long-awaited Messiah. Paul also reminds us that Jesus is revealed as the Son of God in power through His Resurrection. In just a few verses, Paul gives us a sweeping summary of God’s saving work throughout history faithful to His promises and carried out through Jesus Christ.
Today’s Gospel, however, brings our focus to a quiet and often overlooked figure: St. Joseph. For Jesus to fulfil the prophecy spoken by Isaiah, Joseph had to freely accept Him as his son. Matthew makes it very clear that Joseph is not Jesus’ biological father. Yet, because Joseph was the husband of Mary and because he named the child, Jesus became Joseph’s legal son and therefore a descendant of David.
It was a few days before Christmas. A woman woke up one morning and told her husband, “I just dreamed that you gave me a pearl necklace for Christmas. What do you think this dream means?” “Oh,” her husband replied, “you’ll know the day after tomorrow.” The next morning, she turned to her husband again and said she had the same dream and received the same reply. On the third morning, the woman woke up and smiled at her husband, “I just dreamed again that you gave me a pearl necklace for Christmas. What do you think this dream means?” And he smiled back, “You’ll know tonight.” That evening, the man came home with a small package and presented it to his wife. She was delighted. She opened it gently. And when she did, she found a book! And the book’s title was The Meaning of Dreams. Today’s Gospel tells us how Joseph had a dream and how he reacted to it.
This Gospel recounts the first of four times an angel appears to Joseph in a dream. Each time, the angel calls Joseph to action, and each time Joseph obeys. He never speaks a single word in Scripture, but his actions speak volumes. He takes Mary as his wife. He protects the child from danger. He leads his family into exile and then safely home again.
The angel addresses him as “Joseph, son of David,” reminding us that it is through Joseph that Jesus enters the royal line. Mary’s role is to bear the Son of God; Joseph’s role is to name Him and welcome Him into the house of David. And Joseph does so with prompt, simple, and unspectacular obedience.
That is Joseph’s greatness. His righteousness lies not in extraordinary deeds, but in quiet faithfulness. In Matthew’s Gospel, to be righteous simply means to obey the Word of God. Joseph trusted God even when the situation was frightening, confusing, and uncertain. He set aside his own plans and placed his hope entirely in the Lord.
Brothers and sisters, we are gathered here today, just days before Christmas, because we too are people of faith. Yet we know that faith does not remove our struggles. Many in our parish are facing real challenges financial worries, job insecurity, family tensions, health concerns, loneliness, and fear about the future.
St. Joseph reminds us that trust does not mean having all the answers. Trust means believing that God is at work even when we cannot see the full picture. Instead of relying only on our own plans, Joseph invites us to rely on God through prayer, through listening to His Word, and through faithful obedience.
Christmas proclaims that Emmanuel God-with-us has entered our world. And yet we may ask: if God is with us, why is there still so much suffering? Why are there broken families, violence, war, hunger, and homelessness even in wealthy nations?
The Good News of Christmas is this: Jesus still waits to enter human hearts. He waits for you and for me. When we allow Him to enter, He changes us and through us, He changes the world with His love, mercy, kindness, and compassion.
As we enter these final days of Advent, let us take time to open our hearts to Christ. Let us ask St. Joseph to teach our parish how to trust God more deeply, to hope more firmly, and to obey more faithfully.
Today’s Gospel ends simply: Joseph woke