Daily Catholic Mass Readings for December 18, 2020
First Reading: Jeremiah 23.5-8
5Behold, the days are approaching, says the Lord, when I will raise up to David a righteous branch. And a king will reign, and he will be wise. And he will exercise judgment and justice upon the earth6In those days, Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in confidence. And this is the name that they will call him: ‘The Lord, our Just One.7Because of this, behold, the days are approaching, says the Lord, when they will no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives, who led the sons of Israel away from the land of Egypt,8but instead, ‘As the Lord lives, who led away and brought back the offspring of the house of Israel from the land of the north and from the entire earth,’ from the places to which I had cast them out. And they will live in their own land.
Psalm 72
1A Psalm according to Solomon2Give your judgment, O God, to the king, and your justice to the king’s son, to judge your people with justice and your poor with judgment3Let the mountains take up peace for the people, and the hills, justice4He will judge the poor of the people, and he will bring salvation to the sons of the poor. And he will humble the false accuser5And he will remain, with the sun and before the moon, from generation to generation6He will descend like rain upon fleece, and like showers showering upon the earth7In his days, justice will rise like the sun, with abundance of peace, until the moon is taken away8And he will rule from sea to sea and from the river to the limits of the whole world9In his sight, the Ethiopians will fall prostrate, and his enemies will lick the ground10The kings of Tarshish and the islands will offer gifts. The kings of Arabia and of Seba will bring gifts11And all the kings of the earth shall adore him. All nations will serve him12For he will free the poor from the powerful, and the poor one who has no helper13He will spare the poor and the indigent, and he will bring salvation to the souls of the poor14He will redeem their souls from usuries and from iniquity, and their names shall be honorable in his sight15And he will live, and to him will be given from the gold of Arabia, and by him they will always adore. They will bless him all day long16And there will be a firmament on earth, at the summits of mountains: its fruits will be extolled above Lebanon, and those of the city will flourish like the grass of the earth17May his name be blessed forever; may his name remain before the sun. And all the tribes of the earth will be blessed in him. All nations will magnify him18Blessed is the Lord, God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things19And blessed is the name of his majesty in eternity. And all the earth will be filled with his majesty. Amen. Amen20The praises of David, the son of Jesse, have reached an end
Gospel: Matthew 1.18-24
18Now the procreation of the Christ occurred in this way. After his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they lived together, she was found to have conceived in her womb by the Holy Spirit19Then Joseph, her husband, since he was just and was not willing to hand her over, preferred to send her away secretly20But while thinking over these things, behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to accept Mary as your wife. For what has been formed in her is of the Holy Spirit21And she shall give birth to a son. And you shall call his name JESUS. For he shall accomplish the salvation of his people from their sins.22Now all this occurred in order to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying23"Behold, a virgin shall conceive in her womb, and she shall give birth to a son. And they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means: God is with us.24Then Joseph, arising from sleep, did just as the Angel of the Lord had instructed him, and he accepted her as his wife
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the themes of trust, justice, and the fulfillment of God’s promises. In the first reading from Jeremiah, we hear a prophetic vision of a future king from the line of David who will reign with wisdom, justice, and righteousness. This king, known as “The Lord, our Just One,” will bring salvation and restore Israel to live in peace and confidence. Jeremiah’s prophecy is set against the backdrop of a people in exile, longing for redemption and the renewal of their covenant with God. The prophet assures them that God’s plan for their salvation is already in motion, and this king will be the instrument of their deliverance.
The Gospel reading from Matthew shifts our focus to the quiet, faith-filled response of Joseph, a man described as “just.” When faced with Mary’s unexpected pregnancy, Joseph is torn between his commitment to her and the societal expectations of his time. But in a moment of divine intervention, an angel assures him that this child is the work of the Holy Spirit and that he is to be named Jesus, the one who will save his people from their sins. Matthew emphasizes that this event fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah, where a virgin shall conceive and give birth to Emmanuel, “God is with us.” Through Joseph’s obedience and trust, we see the fulfillment of God’s promise to be with his people, not just in the distant future, but in the present moment.
These readings remind us that God’s plan for our salvation is always unfolding, even in the most unexpected ways. Like Jeremiah’s prophecy, we are called to trust in God’s justice and his promise to bring light out of darkness. Like Joseph, we are invited to surrender our fears and doubts to God’s will, trusting that he is always with us. In our daily lives, we can apply this by seeking to live with integrity, trusting in God’s plan even when it seems unclear, and being open to the ways God may be working in unexpected ways. May we, like Joseph, respond with faith and obedience, allowing God to be Emmanuel, “God with us,” in every moment of our lives.