THE WORD
2 Sm7,4-5.12-14.16 / Rm 4,13.16-18.22/ Mt 1,1 6.18-21.24 (or Lk 2,41-51)
Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Messiah.
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.
IN OTHER WORDS.
Amnesty International, the human rights watchdog, encourages its members to write to political detainees. Many of those prisoners, denied contact with the outside world, feel completely isolated and marginalized, but getting a letter would remind them that they do in fact belong and are valued by others. The letters also make their jailors aware that others are interested in their prisoners.
At this time of the year many people come home from faraway places of work or study, back to where they are originally valued. It’s time for family reunions and renewal of friendships. However, people have grown separately during the intervening period and cannot relive exactly the past. People do move on, though they are not forgotten at home.
Our scripture readings tell us that God never forgets us; God is constantly taking care of us. But we need to play our part in moving forward with God. The exiles in the rst reading wanted to go back to where they had been before, but God had plans for them that would go beyond this. Their return to Jerusalem would lead to the founding of the Church and her missionary initiative. Joseph Krempa reminds us that “Spiritual growth should not be interpreted as though at some point in the past we had reached a perfect state, the outer limit of our spiritual growth, then fell away and been trying ever since to return to that moment.” Our relationship with God is ongoing and must grow.
In one Amnesty International cartoon, a dictator complains to his chief interrogator, “You said this fellow was of no account and that we could do what we liked with him. But he must be an important person because so many people are writing to him!”
We are all important persons in God’s eyes, but we should not be content with basking in our “importance;” we must be ready to move on with God and each other.
- Fr. Alan Meechan, SVD | Naujan, Or. Mindoro
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
