Daily Gospel Meditation & Discussion - Thursday 18December 2008 - RETAINING HOPE & TRUST IN GOD'S PROMISES IN ADVERSITY

[BarbaraTherese]

Prayer and Liturgy ofToday
Two Posts Daily
First
Second

**O Antiphon **

**for **
Today
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=294264

---

**O Lord and Ruler **of the house of Israel,
Who didst appear unto Moses in the burning bush,
and gavest him the law on Sinai:
come and redeem us by Thy outstretched arm.

Advent, Part II
From today (17 Dec) the prayers and readings take on a different nature.
In the first half of Advent we count forwards: first week, second week, and so on, paying attention to Advent Sunday, the day when Advent started.
Now the second half of Advent has begun, and Advent Sunday is forgotten: it is Christmas Day that matters. Today is the eighth day before Christmas, tomorrow is the seventh day, and so on. The prayers follow this countdown, and the final readings from Isaiah build up to their climax.

Readings and Meditation
Readings

**

Do you hold on to the promises of God at all times, especially when you are faced with uncertainty or adversity?

The prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah spoke words of hope in a hopeless situation for Israel. The Davidic dynasty was corrupt and unfit for a Messianic King. Apostates like King Ahaz (2 Kings 16) and weaklings like Zedekiah (Jeremiah 38) occupied the throne of David. How could God be faithful to his promise to raise up a righteous King who would rule forever over the house of David? The prophets trusted that God could somehow “raise up a righteous shoot” from the stump of Jesse (Isaiah 2:11). Like the prophets we are called “in hope to believe against hope” (Romans 4:18) that God can and will fulfill all his promises.
HERE

**

 

[BarbaraTherese]

s2ew.ocarm.org/pls/ocarm/consultazione.mostra_pagina?id_pagina=564

• In Luke’s Gospel the story of the infancy of Jesus (chapters 1 and 2 of Luke) is centred around the person of Mary. Here in the Gospel of Matthew the infancy of Jesus (chapters 1 and 2 of Matthew)is centred around the person of Joseph, the promised spouse of Mary. Joseph was of the descent of David. Through him Jesus belongs to the race of David. Thus in Jesus, are fulfilled the promises made by God to David and to his descendants.

---

• As we have seen in yesterday’s Gospel, in the four women, companions of Mary, in the genealogy of Jesus, there was something abnormal which did not correspond to the norms of the Law: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba. Today’s Gospel shows us that Mary was also somewhat abnormal, contrary to the Laws of that time.

*** In the eyes of the people of Nazareth she appeared being pregnant before living with Joseph. Neither the people nor the future husband knew the origin of this pregnancy. If Joseph had been just according to the justice of the Scribes and the Pharisees, he should have denounced Mary, and the penalty which she would have suffered would have been death, stoning her.

• Joseph was just, yes, but his justice was different. Already beforehand he practiced what Jesus would teach later on: “If your uprightness does not surpass that of the Scribes and Pharisees you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 5, 20). This is why, Joseph not understanding the facts and not wanting to repudiate Mary, decided to leave her in secret.

• In the Bible, the discovery of the call of God in the facts of life, takes place in different ways. For example, through the meditation of the** facts** (Lk 2, 10.51), through the meditation of the Bible (Acts 15, 15-19; 17, 2-3), through the angels (the word angel means messenger), who helped to discover the significance of the facts (Mt 28, 5-7). Joseph succeeded in perceiving the significance of what was taking place in Mary by means of a dream. In his sleep an angel uses the Bible to clarify the origin of Mary’s pregnancy. It came from the action of the Spirit of God.

• When everything was clear for Mary, she says: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word!” When everything was clear for Joseph, he takes Mary as his spouse and they went to live together. Thanks to the justice of Joseph, Mary was not put to death, was not stoned and Jesus continued to live in her womb.

Personal questions
• In the eyes of the Scribes, the Justice of Joseph would be a disobedience. Is there a message for us in this?

• How do you discover the call of the Word of God in the facts of your life?/

QUOTE]

.

 

[AveSantaMaria]

Thank you so much for posting this thread BarbaraTherese. I tend to learn a lot from these gospel meditation and discussions. A small question here though: Joseph did leave Mary in a quiet divorce but how would she have been treated and looked upon as an unwed woman with a child by others? Thank you for your time and consideration in reading this short message

*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *

Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse. Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved spouse.

For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world! For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world! For the sake of his sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!

O Mary, concieved without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!

*Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. *

 

[BarbaraTherese]

Hello AVM…If Joseph had not taken Mary totally into his loving care once it became clear to him what God was asking, her penalty would have been death according to the customs back then.

Barb