20251221 RECOGNISING JESUS AS THE SIGN OF GOD’S PRESENCE CONQUERS FEAR
21 December 2025, Sunday, 4th Week of Advent
First reading | Isaiah 7:10-14 |
The maiden is with child
The Lord spoke to Ahaz and said, ‘Ask the Lord your God for a sign for yourself coming either from the depths of Sheol or from the heights above.’ ‘No,’ Ahaz answered ‘I will not put the Lord to the test.’
Then Isaiah said:
‘Listen now, House of David:
are you not satisfied with trying the patience of men
without trying the patience of my God, too?
The Lord himself, therefore,
will give you a sign.
It is this: the maiden is with child
and will soon give birth to a son
whom she will call Immanuel,
a name which means “God-is-with-us.”’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 23(24):1-6 |
Let the Lord enter! He is the king of glory.
The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness,
the world and all its peoples.
It is he who set it on the seas;
on the waters he made it firm.
Let the Lord enter! He is the king of glory.
Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?
Who shall stand in his holy place?
The man with clean hands and pure heart,
who desires not worthless things.
Let the Lord enter! He is the king of glory.
He shall receive blessings from the Lord
and reward from the God who saves him.
Such are the men who seek him,
seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Let the Lord enter! He is the king of glory.
Second reading | Romans 1:1-7 |
Our apostolic mission is to preach the obedience of faith to all pagan nations
From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus who has been called to be an apostle, and specially chosen to preach the Good News that God promised long ago through his prophets in the scriptures.
This news is about the Son of God who, according to the human nature he took was a descendant of David: it is about Jesus Christ our Lord who, in the order of the spirit, the spirit of holiness that was in him, was proclaimed Son of God in all his power through his resurrection from the dead. Through him we received grace and our apostolic mission to preach the obedience of faith to all pagan nations in honour of his name. You are one of these nations, and by his call belong to Jesus Christ. To you all, then, who are God’s beloved in Rome, called to be saints, may God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ send grace and peace.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt1:23 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son
and they will call him Emmanuel,
a name which means ‘God-is-with-us’.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 1:18-24 |
How Jesus Christ came to be born
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. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when 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. 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.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son
and they will call him Emmanuel,
a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’ When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home.
RECOGNISING JESUS AS THE SIGN OF GOD’S PRESENCE CONQUERS FEAR
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Isaiah 7:10-14; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24]
What is the greatest threat to our peace and happiness? It is not terrorism, sickness, or poverty. It is not even death. It is fear. The fear of unforeseen circumstances is often more unnerving than the reality itself. When we live in fear — whether of terrorism, illness, suffering, or death — we cannot function normally. Fear of terrorism affects everyday life; it keeps people from travelling abroad lest the plane crashes. Fear prevents people from getting married lest the relationship fails. Fear deters people from taking risks, whether in business or even in religious vocations. Fear paralyses us.
This motif of fear appears in both the first reading and the Gospel. When we are fearful, we tend to react instinctively. Our immediate reaction is often to take matters into our own hands. We may act logically or illogically. Ahaz, in the first reading, was fearful of an invasion by the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the king of Syria. Using his own reasoning, Ahaz sought the help of the Assyrians to protect his kingdom. He even sold off treasuries, including those of the temple, to pay tribute to Assyria. As a result, he brought in Assyrian culture and religion, thereby contaminating the faith of Israel. Instead of relying on God, he refused to trust in the promise of God, despite the prophet’s assurances. He did not want to ask for a sign — not out of piety or reverence, but because he did not want to change his plans. Ahaz trusted only in himself rather than in God’s wisdom.
Indeed, we are all prone to act like Ahaz. Instead of trusting in God, we trust our own ingenuity. When we insist on following our own will, we are, in effect, saying that we do not believe in God. Today, many assume that evil can be defeated by evil. Pope Benedict once said, “Evil is never defeated by evil; once that road is taken, rather than defeating evil, one will instead be defeated by evil. Peace is the outcome of a long and demanding battle, which is only won when evil is defeated by good.”
Why do people act in this manner? It is often because they are not conscious of God’s presence. When people do not feel God with them, they rely on themselves or on natural forces. Fear arises from a lack of faith in God’s presence. The problem is that we often do not believe God is with us. How can we turn to God and trust Him in times of trouble if we doubt His presence? Today, more than ever, many struggle to recognise God’s presence.
The Good News of Christianity is that God is not absent. He is present. He is Emmanuel. The liturgy reminds us that God is present not only as Spirit, but also as Body. He is not so distant that we cannot see Him. Nay, he is present with us as a sign. He comes to us as a man in the Incarnation. Jesus is the visible sign of God’s presence. Indeed, Christians see Jesus as the fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah: “The Lord himself, therefore, will give you a sign. It is this: the maiden is with child and will soon give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel, a name which means God-is-with-us.” In Mary’s conception of Jesus, the angel said, “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.”
How do we know that Jesus is the presence of God? We need faith. This is what St. Paul tells us in the second reading. We are called to respond to divine revelation with the obedience of faith. Only faith can reveal to us that Jesus is the Emmanuel. Faith is not reducible to reason. But neither is faith unreasonable. That would be superstition. Faith becomes possible through the signs God gives us. Mary and Joseph submitted in faith to God’s will because they witnessed these signs: Mary was given a sign through an angel and the conception of John the Baptist by Elizabeth, who was barren in her old age, and Joseph was reassured through a dream. Jesus’ virginal conception further confirms His unique role as Saviour. While other women in Scripture, like Sarah or Elizabeth, gave birth at advanced ages, Mary alone bore Jesus as a virgin. Jesus is not only the Saviour but also the personal representative and mediator of God. As St. Paul says, “This news is about the Son of God who, according to the human nature he took, was a descendant of David.”
The obedience of faith, however, is more than mere confession of Jesus as Son of God and Son of Man. If Jesus is the Son of Man and the Son of God, and the presence of the Father, what does that demand of us? It calls us to live out the life of Christ. St. Paul explains: “Through him we received grace and our apostolic mission to preach the obedience of faith to all nations in honour of his name. You are one of these nations, and by his call belong to Jesus Christ. To you all, then, who are God’s beloved in Rome, called to be saints, may God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ send grace and peace.”
Obedience of faith requires that we welcome the Lord into our lives. To belong to Jesus means to be receptive to His presence. Mary and Joseph allowed God to be present in their lives. We are called to imitate Mary and Joseph in their response to God. Indeed, the fiat of Mary is symbolised in her virginity. To be a virgin is to be receptive and to be available to God totally. That is why priestly consecration and religious consecration are signs of our consecration. The virginity of Mary is the symbol of receptivity and trust. Like Mary, we must prepare to receive Jesus, allowing Him to be “born” in our hearts so that we can carry Him in our lives.
Receptivity and welcoming require us to be people of faith, like Mary and Joseph. Mary had to face an enormous challenge to her faith and trust in God. That a child could be born without a natural father would be contrary to natural laws. Furthermore, as Mary was only engaged to Joseph, her pregnancy would have put her reputation and life at risk. There was a serious possibility of being rejected by Joseph and her family. In spite of such odds against her, she believed and trusted in God’s promises.
Joseph, too, is our model of faith. He was a just and religious man and knew what the Law of God prescribed. He intended to save Mary from shame and himself from breaking the religious law. The Gospel describes him as “a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally.” Whereas Ahaz was insistent in doing his own will, Joseph was ever ready to change his mind when God spoke to him in a dream. Indeed, what a contrast between Joseph and Ahaz!
Therefore, we must no longer trust in ourselves alone. We must trust in Jesus. Trusting Him means believing in God’s promises even in perplexing or seemingly impossible circumstances. God has not abandoned us; He sent His only begotten Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We are no longer orphans but God’s chosen saints, as St. Paul reminds us. Our trust will not be disappointed, for through the Holy Spirit, God reveals His love. With God, nothing is impossible. As the Gospel reminds us, “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.” The same Holy Spirit who enabled Jesus’ virginal conception, His life of holiness, and resurrection, empowers us to overcome all difficulties. What is needed is faith, trust, and surrender to God’s will. We need not be afraid, for God is with us — in Jesus and in His Spirit. Let us therefore celebrate Christmas, the feast of the Incarnation, with joyful hearts.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment