Shikrot Mpwi - Sunday Synopsis with Fr. Justine J. Dyikuk   

                          Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year A – Dec 18, 2016

Readings: Is 7:10-14; Responsorial Psalm Ps 24:1-2,3-4,5-6; Rom 1:1-7; Gospel Mat 1:18-24.

Theme: Lessons from the Emmanuel & Joseph Effect!

Friends in Christ, the joy of last Sunday being Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday has led us to the last Sunday of Advent. The four Sundays of Advent have given us four weeks of intense preparation for the Lord’s nativity. Today, the Prophet Isaiah (Is 7:10-14) brings us glad tidings that a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son who shall be named Emmanuel. Isaiah’s prophecy is amplified in the gospel (Mat 1:18-24) which presents the circumstances leading to the saviour’s birth culminating in naming him, Emmanuel – much like Isaiah’s Emmanuel which means, God with us. What do we make of this? Well, our reflection will be based on the Emmanuel-Effect in the light of God’s omnipresence, omnipotence and omniscience while drawing lessons from the Joseph-Effect. 

1. God’s Omnipresence: The last Sunday of Advent puts before us the Emmanuel-Effect. It reveals God’s abiding presence among us. There is no doubting the fact that God is ever present with us. Of course, he is not physically present as he was over two thousand years ago in Bethlehem where he was born but his spirit is at work in the Church and among believers. That is not all, we are reminded not to lose sight of God’s omnipresence in the sacraments – the visible presence of God in the Church which gives us new life, provides us with the bread of life, confirms our faith, grants us healing, forgives our sins, raises ministerial priests to shepherd the Church and unites man and woman to adorn the domestic Church with the jewels of offspring. We must allow his presence to be felt in our private and public lives. We must also be seen to live out the Emmanuel-Effect as we approach Christmas.   

2. God’s Omnipotence:  The word of God says, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31) This saying confirms God’s power and work among us which is doing much more than we can ask or imagine (Eph 3:20). God’s omnipotence assures us of his influence over our lives and his supremacy over the forces of evil which seek to kill and destroy. If we are under the umbrella of God, no rain of evil shall wet us. What is more, this season demands that we allow the Emmanuel-Effect be felt in our lives in such a manner that God takes absolute control of every word and deed of ours. We must situate God around every circumstance we find ourselves otherwise his coming would lose its meaning.   

3. God’s Omniscience: The Emmanuel-Effect reminds us that God knows every condition we are in. Since he is all knowing, the fourth Sunday of Advent calls us to invite the Holy Spirit into our lives bearing in mind that the Blessed Virgin Mary conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary and Joseph who prepared for Lord’s nativity trusted in God’s plan for their lives while allowing the spirit to direct their path. We too, ought to trust our present and future plans to God. This Sunday challenges us to put our lives side by side the first family which planned for Saviour's birth and see how each member of that family cooperated with the will of God for their lives. As we prepare for Christmas, we too must entrust our cares unto the Lord trusting that he would take care of our needs (Psalm 55:22).  

4. The Joseph-Effect: Joseph was no doubt a man of honour. The gospel (Mat 1:18-24) relates that when he found out that his betrothed, Mary was pregnant, he did not want to expose her publicly. Since he was a righteous man, Joseph decided to divorce her quietly. By doing what as honourable, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and urged him to take Mary as his wife stressing that she was with child through the Holy Spirit. We are told that when Joseph woke up, he did as the Lord had commanded him in a dream by taking his wife into his home. With these two actions, he has left us with the Joseph-Effect – a path to follow in being honourable, righteous and obedient to the will of God. 

As Christmas approaches, we ought to learn from Joseph’s School of virtue and discipleship. In the second reading (Rom 1:1-7), St. Paul reminds us that we have received the grace of apostleship to bring the obedience of faith to all who are called to be holy. If only our preparation for Christmas can allow us draw some lessons from the Emmanuel and Joseph Effect, God’s abiding presence would indeed be felt in our hearts, lives and world. Happy New Week!