Fourth Sunday of Advent December 22nd, 2019
God is with us
(Mt. 1:23)
Matthew 1: 18-24
18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah[a] took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 20 But just when he had resolved to do 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 as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
23 “Look,
the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.” 24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife,
Commentary: Finally, on this the Fourth Sunday of Advent, our Gospel Reading permits us to begin our contemplation of the mystery of the Incarnation we celebrate at Christmas: “Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about” (Matthew 1:18). The Gospel of Matthew tells the story of the birth of Jesus from Joseph’s perspective. Today’s Gospel passage is the second movement in this story. We must not gloss over too quickly the difficult circumstances described in today’s Gospel. The way that Joseph and Mary face these circumstances tells us much about these holy people and their faith in God. Joseph and Mary are betrothed to be married. This is sometimes described as an engagement period, but it is more than that. Betrothal in first century Jewish culture was in fact the first part of the marriage contract. A breach of this contract was considered adultery. Mary is found to be with child. If adultery is proven, the punishment might be death. Joseph has rights under Mosaic law, but chooses to act discreetly in his plans to break the marriage contract, so as to protect Mary. Then God intervenes. The message of the angel of the Lord given to Joseph in his dream tells us much about the child that Mary bears and his role in God’s plan. He is conceived by the Holy Spirit. His name will be Jesus, which in the Hebrew means “Yahweh saves.” He will be the fulfillment of the prophecy heard in today’s first reading from Isaiah: “. . . The virgin shall be with child . . . and shall name him Emmanuel [God with us].” Joseph does as the angel of the Lord directs. He takes Mary to be his wife and accepts the child in her womb as his own. Joseph and Mary are both cooperative with God’s plan. They are both models for us of what it means to be faithful servants of God.
Questions:
1. Which part of this scripture passage is your favourite and why?
2. How can you spread care and compassion this holiday season?
3. Do you have a sense of God’s plan for your life? Why or why not?
Words to the Song – Smile by the Sidewalk Prophets
Lost your way, lost your cool / Then you straight up lost your mind / Tried so hard to stay ahead
But you keep falling behind / Life is gonna pull you down / Make it hard to see
But a little change in your point of view / Could be just what you need
There’s always a reason / To always choose joy / Cause there’s something deeper / That the world can’t destroy
Smile / When you think you can’t / Smile / Get up and dance / Smile / There’s a bigger plan
The storm only lasts for a while so smile
Happiness is wonderful / But it doesn’t stick around / Walkin’ on sunshine / Then here come the clouds / You can laugh or you can cry / When it all falls apart / But I believe the more you laugh
The more you heal the heart
There’s always a reason / To always choose joy / Cause there’s something deeper / That the world can’t destroy
Smile / When you think you can’t / Smile / Get up and dance/ Smile / There’s a bigger plan / And you’ve got a reason / to smile/ When you think you can’t / Smile / Just clap your hands
Smile / There’s a bigger plan / You’ve got a reason to smile
There’s always a reason / To always choose joy / Cause there’s something deeper / That the world can’t destroy
Smile / When you think you can’t / Smile / Get up and dance/ Smile / There’s a bigger plan / And you’ve got a reason / to smile/ When you think you can’t / Smile / Just clap your hands
Smile / There’s a bigger plan / You’ve got a reason to smile
You’ve got a reason to smile
Visio Divina
1.Visio (See) Look at the art. What do you see? What is happening?
2.Meditatio (Meditate) How does it make you feel?
3.Lectio (Read, Context) Read the Gospel passage above. Read the Commentary at the National Gallery. (see below) How does the painting correspond with the Gospel?
4.Oratio (Pray) Silently sit with this image opening yourself up to the flow of the Holy Spirit.
5.Contemplatio (Ponder) How is God speaking to you in this Visio Divina? Share your thoughts by writing them or telling them.
6. Operatio (Act) Because of this Visio Divina, what acts or changes in thinking do you want to happen in your life?
Commentary
According to the Gospel of Matthew (1: 20-1), an angel appeared to Saint Joseph in a dream to confirm that the Virgin Mary had conceived Christ through the Holy Ghost. Champaigne shows the angel suspended above Joseph and surrounded by a soft ray of light, pointing with one hand to heaven and with the other to Mary – a gesture often seen in biblical paintings. Kneeling in front of an open Bible, Mary glances towards the angel, her arms crossed and held against her chest.
Joseph was the patron saint of workers, particularly carpenters and joiners. Scattered on the floor are his tools: a wooden mallet, chisel and axe. He is shown as a youthful rather than elderly man, as was more common. The chair, with its ornately carved arms and legs and deeply padded and tasselled cushion, on which Joseph rests his head, are at odds with the simplicity of his yellow cloak and sandals. His appearance signifies his humility, which the viewer would have been encouraged to follow. Champaigne’s figures were typically inspired by classical sculpture, and the drapery here appears solid and arranged in precise, large folds.
This subject was painted frequently during the seventeenth century. It was promoted by, among others, Saint François de Sales (1567–1622) and Pope Gregory XV (1554–1623), who in 1621 introduced an annual Saint Joseph’s day (19 March).
Like most of Champaigne’s paintings, this one is not signed or dated. A painting of this subject by the artist was mentioned in late eighteenth-century guidebooks as being in a chapel in the now demolished monastery of the Minims, near the Place Royale, Paris. Champaigne also painted this episode for the Carmelites of the Faubourg St-Jacques (the painting is now in the Louvre) and the Tuboeuf chapel in the church of the Oratory in the rue St-Honoré, both in Paris. Source: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/philippe-de-champaigne-the-dream-of-saint-joseph
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