From the Pastor&#039;s Desk: December 18, 2022

From the Pastor’s Desk: December 18, 2022

Christmas is so close we can touch it! The joy of Christ's coming is already warming our hearts! But our Lord wants our hearts to get even warmer! Today in the final week of Advent, the Lord reveals to us three of His names. He shows that Jesus is His Son in an entirely unique way - so much so that God the Father has the right to choose His name from the very beginning of His human existence. He calls Him “Jesus” which in Hebrew means "God saves." The second name God revels to us today is “Emmanuel.” This name was foretold by the prophet Isaiah, and St. Matthew applies it explicitly to Jesus. "Emmanuel" in Hebrew means "God is with/among us." The third name the Church presents us with today comes from the Second Reading and St. Paul’s summary of Christ's amazing mission as our "Lord." "Lord" comes from the Hebrew word "Adonai" and is used frequently in the Old Testament. "Jesus" and "Emmanuel" are names that only God could have given, but "Lord" is a name that only we can give. The name "Jesus" referred to Christ's mission, what He came to do. "Emmanuel" refers to His identity, to who He is. The title “Lord” is our acknowledgement who ought to reign over our lives. We are expressing our conviction that He truly is Jesus, the Savior; that He truly is Emmanuel, God among us; and that He truly is worthy of our faith and our obedience. When we call Jesus "Lord," therefore, we are making a decision, we are committing ourselves to follow and obey Him. Names have power - and Christ's names, when we really understand them, have enough power to bring our relationship with God to a whole new level.

The Gospel passage which comes from Matthew focuses on Joseph and his reaction to all the wondrous things happening about him. As a man of profound integrity, he trusted God and His message. He opened his heart to listen, rather than to enter a conversation with God’s messenger. Joseph never speaks a word in the Gospels. He is a humble Carpenter just as his ancestor David was a humble shepherd. Joseph is a just man who looks at his life in the light of God's will and law. “On awakening from sleep he did as the Angel of the Lord has commanded him” (Mt 1:24). As we prepare for Christmas, we need to take some time to listen, just as Joseph listened to the angel and to imitate his prompt obedience. We need to listen to God speak to us His amazing message of peace in the final days before Christmas. We listen as He speaks this message in the Advent Liturgies of the Word and the Eucharist, among our families and friends. We listen and we believe. To prepare ourselves well to celebrate Christmas this year, we need to take the time to listen to the Gospel message and take it to heart. That is what this time is all about it. God speaks. We listen. There could hardly be a better way to prepare for Christmas as the last Advent's expectation comes to culmination, than to imitate Joseph in his willingness to listen and to trust God especially at those times when life does not seem to make sense. My friends, if we truly have kept the season well, we will be ready to proclaim with the angels: "Glory to God in the highest!" Indeed, with so great a gift as the Christ child, we can do nothing but give thanks and praise.

So, the final week before Christmas offers us an incredible opportunity to respond to God's invitation in our life - through obeying His Will and attentively listening to His voice and the voice of the official teaching of the Church, through the commandments, or through the quiet voice of conscience. Whatever God is asking each one of us these final days of Advent, let us echo the silent “fiat” of Joseph, so we can go into Christmas this year well-prepared to receive Christ, with our hearts warmed up through the obedience of faith.

Next week is Christmas! Please join us and invite others so together we can celebrate the Nativity of Jesus, Emmanuel, the Lord of our lives!

I wish you a blessed final week of Advent!

With prayers,
Fr. Andy