Daily Catholic Mass Readings for December 18, 2019
First Reading: Jeremiah 23.5-8
5"The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.6In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.7"So then, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when people will no longer say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,'8but they will say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.' Then they will live in their own land."
Psalm 72
1Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness.2He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.3The mountains will bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness.4He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.5He will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations.6He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth.7In his days the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the moon is no more.8He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.9The desert tribes will bow before him and his enemies will lick the dust.10The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to him; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts.11All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him.12For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.13He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.14He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.15Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long.16Let grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon; let it thrive like the grass of the field.17May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed.18Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.19Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.20This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.
Gospel: Matthew 1.18-24
18This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.19Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.20But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:23"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."24When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
Sermon
In today’s readings, we encounter profound messages of hope and trust. The prophet Jeremiah speaks of a future king from David’s lineage who will bring justice and restore Israel, shifting the people’s focus from past deliverances to God’s ongoing redemption. This prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus, as Matthew’s Gospel illustrates through Joseph’s story. Joseph, faced with Mary’s unexpected pregnancy, chooses obedience and trust, embodying the righteousness foretold by Jeremiah.
The context of Jeremiah’s prophecy is one of exile and longing, offering hope to a people in despair. Matthew’s narrative, set in the midst of ordinary life, shows God’s plan unfolding through unexpected events. Both readings highlight trust in God’s plan, even when circumstances are unclear. Jeremiah’s prophecy and Matthew’s story intertwine, illustrating that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise, Emmanuel, who is always with us.
In our daily lives, these readings invite us to trust God’s presence, even in uncertainty. Like Joseph, we are called to obey and have faith, recognizing that God is actively present. The moral lesson here is the importance of trust and obedience, embracing God’s plan with confidence. Let us seek to live with such faith, knowing that God is with us, guiding us through life’s challenges.