Fourth Sunday of Advent
The first reading and the gospel readings bring out the contrast between Ahaz and Joseph. Let us talk first talk about Ahaz. As king of Judah, he and the nation were being threatened by the Assyrians. What should he do in response to the threat? He had two options: to trust God against his enemies or to make a political alliance with smaller nations (the Syro-Ephramite Alliance) as a defense against the Assyrians. As the prophet of the time, Isaiah’s advice was clear. He wanted Ahaz to trust God unconditionally. His rationale was simple. If God had come through for the Israelites against the Pharaoh and the might Egyptians, then God could do the same for Ahaz. So he tried to persuade Ahaz to ask for a sign. Ahaz refused – not because, as he says, he does want to tempt the Lord (I think Ahaz was playing games with God), but because he’d rather trust the political alliance. Somehow he found himself incapable of being faithful to God. Even though Ahaz is not faithful, God promises that God will be faithful. Thus the prophecy, “A virgin shall conceive and bear a son…” (Is 7:14)
Christmas calls for fidelity. When people are faithful to God in the same way the God is faithful to us, miracles will happen. Today’s reading contrast fidelity and infidelity for us. As in any relationship, fidelity involves making decisions in favor of the person we are committed to. Ahaz is considered unfaithful because he made crucial decisions in favor of a political alliance rather than the God he was committed to. Joseph, on the other hand, made a decision in favor of God. It would not be a bad idea to evaluate our lives before Christmas to see if our important decisions have been in favor of God. Since last Sept, we have been talking much about fidelity and faithfulness in our parish. Each of us at least knows that we are called to be faithful disciples of Jesus. If there will be a Christmas in our hearts, may it be because of Joseph-like fidelity to God. Fr. Satish Joseph
The account of the fulfillment of that promise is today’s gospel reading. The hero of today’s gospel is Joseph. His story is very different from that of Ahaz. Jewish Law and pure commonsense told him to divorce his betrothed since she was with child before they came to live together. Faith, on the other, told him to trust the message from God. Unlike Ahaz, Joseph does not play any mind games with God. The gospel tells us that he was a righteous man. Unlike Ahaz, he found within himself the capacity to believe. He believed that the child within Mary was from the Holy Spirit. He believed that this child within her womb was Emmanuel. As the gospel tells us at the end, “When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.” (Mt 1:24).