2022-12-18 SJBC Sunday VMass – 4th Sunday In Advent

Fourth Sunday in Advent TODAY’S READINGS First Reading – You will be given this sign: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:10-14) Psalm – The king of glory shall come in (Psalm 24) Second Reading – God has called us to belong to Jesus Christ (Romans 1:1-7) Gospel – The son born of Mary shall be called Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. He shall be Emmanuel, “God is with us” (Matthew 1:18-24) GOD WANTS TO BE ONE WITH US What great lengths God will go to in loving and saving us! Think of the most outlandish circumstance you might conceive. That seems to be what the Lord is saying to Ahaz in today’s first reading. “A virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.” Not only is the idea of a virgin conceiving beyond comprehension in Ahaz’s time, so would the concept of God wanting to be with us be, as the name Emmanuel indicates. And yet, this is what we celebrate in the Incarnation-God wants so completely to be one with us that God came to be with us in a son born to a virgin, the Blessed Virgin Mary. There is more to this story than even these amazing and outlandish occurrences, however. God wants to be one with us so deeply that God partners with us to make God’s presence known.