This post continues a journey of reading, contemplating, and discerning God’s word. I am often lector. This forces me to understand better and reflect more deeply on the weekly readings.. I will continue this journey by writing my thoughts on the Gospel reading for today.
As we saw in the last two Sundays, the Church focused us on preparing for the coming of Christ. The Church specifically focuses on St. John the Baptist. Now with the Fourth Sunday of Advent, we move to the Annuniciation of the birth of Christ. Because we are in Year A, this will be the Gospel of Matthew’s account as told in 1:18 – 1:24.
I would like to focus on one aspect of the reading. In the final part of hte reading, Matthew focuses on the virginal conception of Jesus. This miraculous, unprecedented conception is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. Matthew cites Isaiah’s prophecy of the virgin birth. Matthew is saying that Isaiah chapter 7, the virginal conception prophecy, is truly fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ who was conceived of the power of the Holy Spirit and who is in fact literally God with us.
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