Our Sunday Reflections

CLICK HERE for the Audio recording of the Readings of
December 22nd, 2019.
The Fourth Sunday of Advent. 

CLICK HERE for the Readings of December 22nd, 2019.
The Fourth Sunday of Advent.

Christmas Eve Mass,
Tuesday, December 24th:  4:00PM

Christmas Eve Night Mass,
Tuesday, December 24th:  10:00PM

Christmas Day Mass,
Wednesday, December 25th:  9:00AM

First Christmas Blessing & Mass, (Infants)
Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph  
Sunday, December 29th:  10:30AM

New Year's Eve, Holy Hour Adoration,
Tuesday, December 31st:  7:00AM-7:00PM

New Year's Day Mass,
Solemnity of Mary,Mother of God
Wednesday January 1st:  9:00AM

The Epiphany of the Lord,
Sunday, January 5th: 8:00AM and 10:30AM

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord,
Sunday, January 12th: 8:00AM and 10:30AM

Sunday, December 22nd, 2019.  The Fourth Sunday of Advent.

"Unless your faith is firm, you shall not be firm...
Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; 
let it be deep as the netherworld, or high as the sky!" 
Isaiah 7: 9, 11

There is a ‘back and forth’ of words, between the Prophet Isaiah and King Ahaz immediately from the start of the first reading.  Ahaz, King of Judah is under threat of attack by some of his neighbors (Arameans and Pehakites). He is unsure that if he went to war he would be victorious. Ahaz too was a vacillating type, very wavering and tottering, he could not make decisions.
Isaiah assures him (now for a second time) not to worry, to stay calm, that he must entrust himself and Judah to divine help only.  But he does not.  He quickly rushes to the Assyrian neighbor in the north seeking help (He was probably swayed by the size of the Assyrian Kingdom.  It had a large and powerful army).  Isaiah insists emphatically, almost saying: if you doubt this or are unsure: ‘ask for a sign, let it be as deep as the netherworld, or high as the sky!’ (God will show you!) . ‘No, I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!’, Ahaz says.  He thinks to ask for help will compromise him, so he makes the fatal blunder of ‘discounting’ God ( divine help).  The war happens and it ends in disaster (even with the Assyrians alongside). In this whole back and forth, God does promise that Ahaz will have a son and he will be a good faithful King and he did. The son was a sign of the presence of God among his people. The name of the son will be ‘Emmanuel’ (meaning God is with us).
The point of the reading is this: if you do make yourself firm in the Lord, you will not be affirmed by the Lord. The human response (with faith) makes the difference (especially in challenging times).
 
The birth story of Jesus, Joseph and Mary, exemplify how the human response makes a difference.  Joseph indeed is the person to observe keenly. How one prepares to marry a bride and find that she is pregnant!  Imagine the kind of reaction in the ancient world of Jesus,  engraved in a culture of shame and honor! (The disgrace brought to Joseph’s name, family.  Mary would most likely be stoned or sent away as an outcast).  Joseph is a righteous man (faithful /dutiful to custom and tradition) yet he from the get go does not want her to be put to shame or exposed. He wants to settle this quietly.  He is a man of peace by nature.  In his dream, an angel appears and affirms to him, all of this is of God (the divine).  He should not fear to take Mary home. The son to be born is Jesus (the true Emmanuel- God with us).  When Joseph wakes, he does as God has commanded and Joseph’s response makes a difference.  It is because of this that we have Christmas. 

The human response (in faith) makes the difference.
As Christmas draws so close, we ask, in what does your confidence lie? Do you often discount divine help?
Is it too farfetched?  In hard circumstances, what is your human response like? 
You might find that our (at least for me) human response will always fall short; it is exactly because of this, that we must never discount God (divine help), ever! 
Hence, why a Savior is born unto us.

A Blessed Christmas to all!
Fr. Anthony



CLICK HERE for an understanding of the Advent Season.

CLICK HERE for an understanding of the Christmas Season.


View the below video for another Sunday Reflection on the readings.