Gospel: December 21, 2025
December 21, 2025 (Sunday)
4th Sunday of Advent
Psalter: Week 4 / (Violet)
Ps 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 (7c, 10b)
Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory.
1st Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14
2nd Reading: Romans 1:1-7
Gospel: Matthew 1:18-24
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 fulfill 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.
Lectio Divina:
“To be open to what God would have us do.”
Read: Isaiah prophesies that Emmanuel will be born of a virgin. Saint Paul writes to the Christians in Rome saying that they are redeemed through the Son of God, who was born in the flesh a descendant of David, and because of him they are called to holiness. Following a dream Joseph, obeys God’s command through the angel and takes Mary home as his wife.
Reflect: The image of the sleeping Joseph has become a popular portrayal of the husband of Mary, and a devotion that many have found most helpful in times of dilemma. It’s said that if you have a problem you should sleep on it. Often a solution will present itself to us while we dream, but we also reach decisions with God’s help. So it is with Joseph, who learns that Mary’s child has been conceived by the Holy Spirit and that he will “save his people from their sins.” Joseph wants to do the right thing, but now with these new insights, he radically changes his decision about what that right thing is. Joseph teaches us to reflect deeply on major decisions, and to be open to what God would have us do.
Pray: Ask the intercession of Saint Joseph in a difficult decision.
Act: Put the intention under a statue of the Sleeping Joseph.
