The LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying: Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the netherworld, or high as the sky! But Ahaz answered, "I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!" Then Isaiah said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary people, must you also weary my God? Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.
Second reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans ROM 1:1-7
Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, the gospel about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh, but established as Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him we have received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles, among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ; to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Gospel of the day
From the Gospel according to Matthew MT 1:18-24
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means "God is with us." When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. Words of the Holy Father
By accepting himself according to God’s design, Joseph fully finds himself, beyond himself. His freedom to renounce even what is his, the possession of his very life, and his full interior availability to the will of God challenge us and show us the way. (Angelus 22 december 2013)
FAUSTI - Joseph enters into the genesis of the Son of God through the act of faith that accepts "the addition of God". given to Mary, the humble daughter of Zion. He is the figure of every man who, "too great to be enough for himself" (Pascal), keeps himself open to his mystery, and his mystery is God Himself. One can wait infinitely for the Messiah; but in vain. In fact, He has already come, and He only waits for one who is willing to receive Him. The gift is already given, for Israel and for the Gentiles: this is Matthew's perspective. The question is how to receive it. The story is made for the reader, so that what happened to Joseph may happen to him. The "angel" for us is the text itself, which reminds us of his experience, so that it may also become ours. Joseph is the secret name of every man, finished, who desires infinitely, indeed the "infinity". open to what transcends him and can only fill him. Man is made for this divine "addition": "You have made us for Yourself, Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You" (St. Augustine). "Don't be afraid to take Mary with you." says the Angel to Joseph. From Her, in fact, he will receive Jesus, the Son generated by the Spirit, the God with us. Faith in the Word establishes the kinship between us and God Himself. Through it, like Joseph, we welcome the One who has the power to make us children (Jn 1:12). Everything is left to our responsibility, to our ability to respond to the Word of God: this is His "Angel" who offers us the possibility to welcome Him, to listen to Him and to respond to Him. The previous passage tells us how God enters into our history, this, instead, how we enter into His history. He assumes our flesh as it is, we assume Him as He offers Himself in Mary. Joseph is the descendant of David, to whom God promised the Messiah. But He who always promises always , compromises Himself,and what He promises in the end is Himself, compromised in all His promises. The son of David will be not only the promised Messiah, but the same Lord who promises. The Son is not born from us. He comes from the Spirit because God is Spirit. Joseph thinks that he will back down out of discretion and unworthiness. But he is encouraged by the Angel to take the Mother and the Son. He must give the name to the One who is not his own: he is Other, he is the Other Himself, who awaits his "yes" to be his son, the God-with-him, the One who saves him and every "generation" from the loneliness of not being. Joseph is presented from now on as the one who listens and executes the Word. The Church, like Joseph, "the dreamer" realizes God's dream: in adoring silence, through faith, she welcomes the gift of the Son.
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER This man, this dreamer is capable of accepting this task, this onerous task that has so much to tell us in this time of a strong sense of orphanship. And so this man takes God's promise and carries it forward in silence with fortitude. He is the man who does not speak but obeys, the man of tenderness, the man capable of carrying out the promises so that they become firm, secure. I like to think of Joseph as the guardian of our weaknesses, of our weaknesses too: he is capable of giving birth to many beautiful things from our weaknesses, from our sins too. Today I would like to ask, may he give us all the ability to dream because when we dream the great things, the beautiful things, we come closer to God's dream, the things that God dreams about us. May he give to the young people - because he was young - the ability to dream, to take risks and to take the difficult tasks they have seen in dreams. And give us all the fidelity that generally grows in a just attitude, he was just, he grows in silence - a few words - and he grows in tenderness that is capable of guarding his own weaknesses and those of others. (Saint Martha, 20 March 2017)
RispondiEliminaReading of the day
First reading from the Book of Isaiah
IS 7:10-14
The LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying:
Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God;
let it be deep as the netherworld, or high as the sky!
But Ahaz answered,
"I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!"
Then Isaiah said:
Listen, O house of David!
Is it not enough for you to weary people,
must you also weary my God?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel.
Second reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans
ROM 1:1-7
Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus,
called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God,
which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,
the gospel about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh,
but established as Son of God in power
according to the Spirit of holiness
through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Through him we have received the grace of apostleship,
to bring about the obedience of faith,
for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles,
among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;
to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Gospel of the day
From the Gospel according to Matthew
MT 1:18-24
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
"Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins."
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means "God is with us."
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.
Words of the Holy Father
By accepting himself according to God’s design, Joseph fully finds himself, beyond himself. His freedom to renounce even what is his, the possession of his very life, and his full interior availability to the will of God challenge us and show us the way. (Angelus 22 december 2013)
FAUSTI - Joseph enters into the genesis of the Son of God through the act of faith that accepts "the addition of God". given to Mary, the humble daughter of Zion. He is the figure of every man who, "too great to be enough for himself" (Pascal), keeps himself open to his mystery, and his mystery is God Himself.
RispondiEliminaOne can wait infinitely for the Messiah; but in vain. In fact, He has already come, and He only waits for one who is willing to receive Him. The gift is already given, for Israel and for the Gentiles: this is Matthew's perspective.
The question is how to receive it.
The story is made for the reader, so that what happened to Joseph may happen to him.
The "angel" for us is the text itself, which reminds us of his experience, so that it may also become ours.
Joseph is the secret name of every man, finished, who desires infinitely, indeed the "infinity". open to what transcends him and can only fill him. Man is made for this divine "addition": "You have made us for Yourself, Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You" (St. Augustine).
"Don't be afraid to take Mary with you." says the Angel to Joseph.
From Her, in fact, he will receive Jesus, the Son generated by the Spirit, the God with us.
Faith in the Word establishes the kinship between us and God Himself. Through it, like Joseph, we welcome the One who has the power to make us children (Jn 1:12).
Everything is left to our responsibility, to our ability to respond to the Word of God: this is His "Angel" who offers us the possibility to welcome Him, to listen to Him and to respond to Him.
The previous passage tells us how God enters into our history, this, instead, how we enter into His history. He assumes our flesh as it is, we assume Him as He offers Himself in Mary.
Joseph is the descendant of David, to whom God promised the Messiah.
But He who always promises always , compromises Himself,and what He promises in the end is Himself, compromised in all His promises.
The son of David will be not only the promised Messiah, but the same Lord who promises.
The Son is not born from us. He comes from the Spirit because God is Spirit.
Joseph thinks that he will back down out of discretion and unworthiness.
But he is encouraged by the Angel to take the Mother and the Son. He must give the name to the One who is not his own: he is Other, he is the Other Himself, who awaits his "yes" to be his son, the God-with-him, the One who saves him and every "generation" from the loneliness of not being.
Joseph is presented from now on as the one who listens and executes the Word.
The Church, like Joseph, "the dreamer" realizes God's dream:
in adoring silence, through faith, she welcomes the gift of the Son.
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER
RispondiEliminaThis man, this dreamer is capable of accepting this task, this onerous task that has so much to tell us in this time of a strong sense of orphanship. And so this man takes God's promise and carries it forward in silence with fortitude. He is the man who does not speak but obeys, the man of tenderness, the man capable of carrying out the promises so that they become firm, secure.
I like to think of Joseph as the guardian of our weaknesses, of our weaknesses too: he is capable of giving birth to many beautiful things from our weaknesses, from our sins too. Today I would like to ask, may he give us all the ability to dream because when we dream the great things, the beautiful things, we come closer to God's dream, the things that God dreams about us. May he give to the young people - because he was young - the ability to dream, to take risks and to take the difficult tasks they have seen in dreams. And give us all the fidelity that generally grows in a just attitude, he was just, he grows in silence - a few words - and he grows in tenderness that is capable of guarding his own weaknesses and those of others. (Saint Martha, 20 March 2017)