May the gift of joy and the blessing of peace be yours this Christmas and in the New Year.
Love and Blessings, Mrs. Cindy Perea and Ms. Kathleen Cook
Theme: Matthew 1:18-24 An angel appears to Joseph, directing him to take Mary as his wife and telling him that the child she will bear will be called Emmanuel.
Summary: Here we have the preamble to the story of the birth of Jesus. In this story we hear that it was by the
power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary. We also are allowed entry into the mind of a perplexed Joseph, who being the just man he was, would not expose Mary to ridicule of being pregnant out of wedlock. In a dream all is made clear to Joseph and he follows God’s instruction and takes Mary into his home. Again the name
Emmanuel surfaces and we see again that God indeed wishes to be in our midst, to be with us.
Scripture: “ ‘The virgin will be pregnant. She will have a son, and they will name him Immanuel.’ This name means ‘God is with us.’ ” Matthew 1:23
Scripture tells us about a visit from an angel. Joseph and Mary were engaged to be married. Can you imagine the thoughts that came to Joseph's mind when he discovered that Mary was going to have a baby and they weren’t married yet? He probably asked himself, "What do I do now?" Joseph was a good man and did not want to disgrace Mary publicly, so he decided that it would be better to break off the engagement quietly. While he was considering this, an angel appeared to him in a dream.
"Don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife," the angel said. "The child that is inside her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. She will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save the people from their sins."
When the angel of the Lord had spoken and made God's plan clear, Joseph was obedient. He didn’t have to understand how everything was going to happen. He didn’t need to worry about what anyone else would think. Joseph trusted God and obeyed Him.
Dear God, we are filled with joy by the many lessons we learn when we accept Jesus as God’s son. Help us read your Word and listen as you give us the answers to life's difficult questions. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
www.sermons4kids.com Key Words in Today’s Readings:
www.livingwithchrist.us First Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14
Ahaz was a king of Israel who was not well thought of. He was not true to the people’s covenant with God. He worshipped other gods that he himself had created, and he closed the temple.
House of David: When the prophet Isaiah speaks to the house of David, he is speaking to all the Israelites. This is one of the names by which all the people of Israel were known.
Second Reading: Romans 1:1-7
The Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans is the longest surviving letter that Saint Paul wrote. The Christians who lived in Rome belonged to a small community. Paul wanted to travel to preach in Spain and stop on the way in Rome to visit the Christians. He sent this letter ahead in order to encourage them and to remind them of the teachings of Jesus.
The word
gospel means the whole message that Jesus brought us. It is a word meaning the “good news.”
Apostleship is a mission that God gave to Saint Paul, to announce the good news of the resurrection of Jesus (that Jesus conquered death). This is also the mission of all Christians: we are all apostles through our Baptism.
The
Gentiles are people who are not Jewish. When Saint Paul speaks of Gentiles, he means Greeks and Romans living within the Roman Empire.
Gospel: Matthew 1:18-24
The
Gospel of Matthew tells us about the life of Jesus and emphasizes that he is the promised Messiah, and that the Church is now the Chosen People, the new Israel.
Joseph and Mary were
betrothed, but they did not live together before marriage. For this reason, when Mary became pregnant, Joseph at first thought they shouldn’t get married. But Joseph obeyed what the Lord told him in a dream and he kept his promise to Mary and became Jesus’ earthly father.
My Promise to Jesus: Jesus, I will be brave. This week, whenever I’m afraid, I will ask your mommy, the Blessed Virgin Mary, to fill my heart with peace. Reflect: If a word or phrase from the Gospel captures your heart, sit quietly for several minutes, repeating it to yourself and asking God to show you how it applies to your life. Which men in your life show the qualities Saint Joseph had? www.smp.org
Praythat you will always seek to see God all around you, especially in people, since we are made closest to God’s image and likeness than any other of God’s creations. Amen.
Family Discussion: Joseph and Mary are our models for family life and for service of God. Even when the circumstances seemed unclear, Joseph trusted God. Healthy family life is built upon trust, trust in God and trust of one another.
Spend some time talking as a family about the importance of trust in your family life, including the ways in which the children trust the adults in the family as well as the ways in which the adults trust the children. Then read today's Gospel. Talk about Joseph's trust of God and reflect together on how your family trusts in God.
Pray together that your family life will be built on trust, as was the family life of Joseph and Mary. Pray and sing together an Advent song, such as “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”
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