20211218 THE TRUE KING OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
18 December, 2021, Saturday, 3rd Week of Advent
First reading | Jeremiah 23:5-8 © |
I will raise a virtuous Branch for David
See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks –
when I will raise a virtuous Branch for David,
who will reign as true king and be wise,
practising honesty and integrity in the land.
In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel dwell in confidence.
And this is the name he will be called:
The-Lord-our-integrity.
So, then, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when people will no longer say, “As the Lord lives who brought the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt!” but, “As the Lord lives who led back and brought home the descendants of the House of Israel out of the land of the North and from all the countries to which he had dispersed them, to live on their own soil.”
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 71(72):1-2,12-13,18-19 © |
In his days justice shall flourish, and peace until the moon fails.
O God, give your judgement to the king,
to a king’s son your justice,
that he may judge your people in justice
and your poor in right judgement.
In his days justice shall flourish, and peace until the moon fails.
For he shall save the poor when they cry
and the needy who are helpless.
He will have pity on the weak
and save the lives of the poor.
In his days justice shall flourish, and peace until the moon fails.
Blessed be the Lord, God of Israel,
who alone works wonders,
ever blessed his glorious name.
Let his glory fill the earth.
Amen! Amen!
In his days justice shall flourish, and peace until the moon fails.
Gospel Acclamation |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Ruler of the House of Israel,
who gave the law to Moses on Sinai,
come and save us with outstretched arm.
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.
THE TRUE KING OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JER 23:5-8; MATTHEW 1:18-24]
Israel suffered from a long series of inefficient, evil and weak kings with a few better ones in-between who sought to do the right thing and walk the way of the Covenant. In general, the kings of Israel were a failure. Prophet Samuel had warned the people what the king would do to them; make use of them and their children to fight and work for them, and take their property and possessions. (1 Sm 8:10-18) There would be no integrity and justice. The internal division among the people and the leaders weakened Israel from standing united to face their external enemies. The last King, Zedekiah, which means “righteousness”, did anything but acted in a righteous manner. He was subsequently blinded and led a captive to Babylon.
Even as Jeremiah prophesied doom for Israel and her leaders, that they would fall into the hands of their enemies, and that they would be exiled from their land, he also preached hope. For Jeremiah was clear that God who is faithful to His covenant would eventually restore Israel by sending them the true and righteous king. He said, “See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks – when I will raise a virtuous Branch for David, who will reign as true king and be wise, practising honesty and integrity in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel dwells in confidence. And this is the name he will be called: The Lord-our-integrity.”
This true king of Israel would come from the stump of the Davidic dynasty. “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” (Isa 11:1f) He would be given as a sign to us all that God is with us. “The Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.” (Isa 7:14) Indeed, “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore.” (Isa 9:6f) How would this be realized?
The Good News is that the promise of this true king who would bring about justice for the people and the poor is none other than Jesus, the son of Mary. He is the fulfilment of the scriptures, as the angel told Joseph. “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’.” St Matthew often quotes the Old Testament to confirm the prophecies as being fulfilled in Christ’s life. The birth of Jesus has been planned by God. History is under the providential guidance of God and is not left to its own fate. Even if we might delay the coming of the Anointed One by our sins, yet God would use all the events of history and ours, to prepare us for the coming of Christ.
Secondly, we are told that this child will be called Emmanuel, which means God is with us, again in fulfilment of the scriptures. God wants to be close to His people. He wants to live in our midst, just as the Ark of the Covenant was always in the midst of His people. God wants to share in our suffering, pain, struggles and even our fight against temptation. This God is not a God who keeps a distance from His people. God told Moses when He saw His people suffering, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey.” (Ex 3:7f)
Thirdly, for this child to be truly God with us, it is most appropriate that Christ is born of a woman and that this woman is also a virgin. Through Mary, the Second Person of the Trinity assumed our humanity and truly became the God who is with us. This is again in fulfilment of the scriptures that the future king of Israel would be born of a young woman. The angel told Joseph, “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.” But this woman, as St Matthew underscores, is a virgin. “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.” This was the most important sign.
The virginal conception of Jesus was an act of the Holy Spirit. This was the thrust of the angel’s message of assurance to Joseph who “being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally” when he heard of Mary’s pregnancy. Indeed, we can appreciate Joseph’s intention, because his reputation and that of his family was at stake. It was too difficult for Joseph to believe that Mary was impregnated through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit. Hence, the angel had to appear to Joseph in a dream to confirm the pregnancy of Mary. “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.”
Today, some people are disputing the virgin birth of Jesus because it does not tally with science. This is where we must be careful that very often today, we read history from the vantage point of today’s understanding. We might think it is impossible and against all scientific arguments. But the truth is, if we can accept the Incarnation and the Resurrection, both of which are the work of the Holy Spirit and against the logic of science, why should we delimit ourselves when it comes to the conception of Jesus in the woman of the virgin Mary? Just like the Incarnation, the Resurrection and the Eucharist, so too the virginal conception of Jesus is a miracle through the intervention of the Holy Spirit. Whilst it is not necessary for Mary to be a virgin to give birth to the Messiah, by so doing, the sign of divine intervention would be much clearer and appropriate in that the Messiah, the Son of Mary, is truly also the Son of God. That is why Joseph is not the father of Jesus but only the foster-father.
Finally, the fulfilment of scriptures is vouched by the fact Joseph was given the right to name Him, “Jesus”. This implies that he had authority over Him and was acting like a father and the spouse of Mary for traditionally, it was the father that gave the name to the child. By so doing, the scriptures once again was fulfilled because Jesus could indeed claim the right to be in the lineage of the Davidic dynasty and therefore the true king of Israel, the king of peace and righteousness. This is why it is important to trace Jesus’ genealogy to Joseph as the gospel wanted to underscore that Jesus is the fulfilment of the promises of God to David that a new king would come from his dynasty.
Today, we are called to act like Joseph. “When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home.” We are called to welcome the king of righteousness into our lives by being obedient to God’s word, like Joseph. We must let Jesus rule our hearts by living a life of integrity and justice. This was the way St Joseph lived his life because the gospel described him as a just man. He was faithful to himself and faithful to God.
Above all, he was also a man of prayer. He did not jump to conclusion or make false accusations against Mary but brought his confusion to prayer. As we reflect on our lives and the confusions in our life, we too must bring our struggles to the Lord in prayer. Listening attentively to the Word of God, we will find direction from the Lord, just as Joseph did. In times of bewilderment, let us not panic but remain calm like Joseph and Mary, and listen attentively to the signs of His presence with us through events and people around us. With God all things are possible. We only have to be responsive to His plans. Only in prayer, listening to His word, can we discern and act justly as Joseph did.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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