December 18, 2025, Thursday of the Third Week of Advent
Lectionary #194, Matthew 1: 18-25
Scripture
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.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.
Reflection
We know Matthew’s interest in showing that this Messiah, Jesus Christ, is the very one foretold by the prophets. He is, as the genealogy amply manifested, a descendant of the royal line of David, an absolute requisite for the Messiah. Throughout his Gospel, Matthew scatters 130 direct and indirect quotes from the Old Testament to demonstrate the connection between the Messiah and the prophecies about Him.
Matthew sings of Joseph while Luke highlights the role of Mary.
Matthew gives us a picture of a quiet Joseph, whose holy obsession seems to be doing the will of Yahweh in his life. Throughout his gospel, Matthew holds the word “to do” in high veneration. His religion consists less in hearing and admiring than in actually doing God’s will in life. Under the guidance of the Angel of the Lord, Joseph accomplishes step by step the will of God: he takes Mary as his wife, escapes to Egypt, and returns from Egypt to Galilee. In chronological projection, he is the quintessential Christian, bringing Christ into the world by the whole tenor of his obedient life.
Joseph also provides a legal paternity for Jesus and introduces the Messiah into the Davidic line. The Angel makes this clear when they address him: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife… “
The Christ that comes to us in Matthew fully intends to belong to His people. We often say that if you love someone, you spend quality time with that person. Matthew’s first quote from the Old Testament is from Isaiah, “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call him Emmanuel, which means `God is with us.'”
The gospel begins with a statement and a kind of resolution to be present to the world. Matthew takes the pains to translate the name Emmanuel for the sake of clarity and as a sign of the importance of the statement. Christ’s presence to people is one of Matthew’s leitmotifs. Christ will say, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them” (18: 20).
In the final excellent teaching of the final judgment, Christ is present in the poor and the needy, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink… (25: 35). And the final verse of the last chapter becomes a promise of a loving, active presence of Christ to his people, “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (28: 20). The commitment of the Emmanuel prophecy becomes an oath of an everlasting and caring presence.
The name he will bear is that of Jesus. In a few well-chosen words, Matthew gives the Messiah’s agenda. This kind of Messiah will not free Israel from its enemies nor drive away the occupying Roman legions. This type of Messianic ideal was standard at the time of Christ’s birth. Matthew writes meaningfully, “She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (v. 21). The rescue that Christ will operate is spiritual. It will be a personal salvation, granting freedom to the spirit of his people.
The La Salette apparition itself, even without the message, is already an act of concerned presence. Suppose we could attach a meaning to this appearance of the Beautiful Lady. In that case, this event, as well as so many other apparitions, is a temporary manifestation of an ongoing, constant presence. This perpetual attendance is not only that of the Lady, but above all that of the Lord, whose role was primary on the lips of the Lady at La Salette.
All the apparitions share a single goal: to express Christ’s will and presence to His people. One of the Christian’s greatest privileges is the opportunity to bring that same Presence into the world as a living and loving witness. When the Lady said, “You will make this known to all my people”, she mandated the children to make this news of God’s presence and care known to the whole world. The messengers are also invited to adopt these broad vistas and generous horizons.
La Salette Invocation
Our Lady of La Salette, reconciler of sinners,
pray without ceasing for us who have recourse to you.
