December 18, 2017

Gospel: 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 disgrace 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 fulfil 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 awoke, he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do, and he took his wife to his home. He did not have any marital relations with her. When she gave birth to a son, Joseph gave him the name Jesus.

REFLECTION:
In our world today, beset by poverty, violence, environmental destruction, infidelity, and indifference, people can easily become desperately fearful and paranoid. Yes, fear is part of human life. But if we do not learn to overcome it, we become paralyzed and lose our trust in life and in the saving power of God. Fear makes us unable to recognize God‘s gifts in us and our capacity to move on and live.
Christmas is special day to look forward to. This feast is our assurance that God is with us and among us in Jesus. Even if God allows adversary to cross our journey, He never ceases to be present in all the events of our life. Even if we sinned, God still loves us. Hindi tayo niya ititiwalag. As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, let us also not forget to share the gift of faith to others especially to those who are unable to recognize His saving presence of God in our midst. May we be the bearers of God‘s life-giving love.