Commentary to the Fourth Sunday of Advent-Year A

JESUS, THE GOD WITH US

The son of the Virgin Mary has a double-barreled name, one used by his contemporaries—Jesus, the one who frees from sin—and the one the evangelist Matthew gives him: Emmanuel, God with us. The first great heresy was introduced by a brilliant dialectic author of the fourth century, Apollinaris of Laodicea. He claimed that Jesus had a human body but not a soul like ours. He feared that, by granting him full humanity, his divinity would come out blurred. He made a big mistake. He took him away from our world, from our condition. He deprived him of the second name, that of Emmanuel.

In the expression of John, "the Word was made ??flesh" (Jn 1:14). The term flesh indicates corporeality and the whole human being understood in its appearance of weakness, fragility, and limits imposed by the nature of a creature.

In Mary, the Only Begotten of the Father is not only sinewed with muscles but fully inserted in our human condition. He had feelings, emotions, and passions. He experienced the joys of affection and the disappointment of betrayal. He shared our anxiety, sorrow, humiliation, ignorance, satisfaction in learning, and our fear of death. He was not just united with a real body but became a man like us in every way, except sin. For this, he is Emmanuel, God with us.

To internalize the message, we repeat: "You came among us, Lord, to remain with us forever."

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First Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14

The Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying: Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God; let it be deep as the netherworld, or high as the sky! But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord!” Then Isaiah said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary people, must you also weary my God? Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel. —The Word of the Lord.

 The historical context in which this oracle was uttered is well known. In 734 B.C., the kings of Aram and Israel joined forces to free themselves from the Assyrian yoke and involved Ahaz, reigning in Jerusalem, in their daring enterprise. He refuses, so the two decide to dethrone him, end his dynasty, and enthrone a king who will side with their projects (Is 7:1-10).

The young Ahaz—just past 20 years of age—is shocked and dazed. He is a descendant of David, a member of the noble family to whom an eternal kingdom was promised. Through the prophet Nathan, God gave the assurance: "I will firmly establish the reign of David's family forever. I will not withdraw my protection from him. His reign will last forever" (2 S 7:14-16). Therefore, he should not be afraid, but his faith in God is fragile. He makes human calculations and begins to make one mistake after another. He even commits the horrific crime of sacrificing his only son to the idols (2 K 16:3). Then, conscious of having a weak army and running the risk of being overwhelmed, he asks for help from Assyria. Upon learning of the decision of the king, Isaiah intervenes.

The Assyrians dominate the international scene and will have no difficulty protecting the tiny kingdom of Judah. They claim it will be reduced to a vassal. They will put in danger all the faith and religious purity of God's people. The prophet decides to speak personally to Ahaz. He goes to meet him and his son Shear-Jashub at the upper pool on the road to the Washerman's field (Is 7:3). He finds him even more agitated. He is studying how to provide water for the city, given the probable siege. He talks to him in the name of God. He reassures him: "What you are afraid of, will not happen. It shall not come to pass"(Is 7:8). He asks him to trust not in Assyria but in the Lord and in His promises. The enemies that scare, shake and make him tremble as if they were a strong and relentless wind are nothing more than a puff of smoke that rises from charred embers. There is nothing to fear: his dynasty will reign in Jerusalem forever, as the Lord had promised.

Nothing can be done! The king becomes more stubborn, convinced that the strength of the Assyrians merits more confidence than that of God. After a few days, Isaiah goes back to find him in his palace. We arrive at our reading. He says: "If you do not have faith in my words if you want a guarantee, ask for a sign" (v. 11). Ahaz is not willing to change his mind, so he does not care about any sign. Whether he likes it or not, Isaiah gives the sign. "Behold, the virgin is with child and bears a son and calls his name Emmanuel" (v. 14). What does this mean?

Some think that Isaiah foretold, seven centuries prior, Mary's virginal conception of Jesus, but such a sign would make no sense to Ahaz. The virgin, whom Isaiah refers to, is the young wife of the king. This girl—the prophet assures—will have a son named Emmanuel,’ which means ‘God with us.’ This child will succeed his father, will give continuity to the dynasty, and nobody will oust him. Indeed, he will be a great king, a new David. I explain in detail this short reading because the evangelist Matthew saw the full realization of this prophecy in Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary.

How did the war Ahaz was preparing to end? As Isaiah had foreseen, it was a political and religious disaster. Assyria intervened, and the protagonists of the war, the kings of Aram and Israel, were soon reduced to embers. Ahaz was humiliated. He had to pay heavy taxes, and the kingdom of Judah became an Assyrian colony.

The sign given by the prophet came true: the son of Ahaz was conceived and born of the young maiden. He became the sign of God's presence among his people. He was the evidence of the Lord's faithfulness to his promises. He was called Hezekiah. The title Immanuel ‘God is with us could rightly be applied to him. He was a good king, but he was not the exceptional king that Isaiah expected. For this reason, Israel starts to wait for another king, a son of David, who would fully fulfill the prophecy of 'God with us.' In today's Gospel, Matthew points out: He is the son of the Virgin Mary.

Second Reading: Romans 1:1-7

Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, was called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, the gospel about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh, but established as Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him we have received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles, among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ; to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. —The Word of the Lord. 

The Letter to the Romans starts with a long introduction. Then, it follows the usual form of the letters of that time, which provided a fixed pattern: the indication of the sender's name, followed by that of the recipient/s, a greeting of good wishes (usually khairein—hello!), and a brief debut dictated by circumstance.

Paul makes this form his own and adapts it to a specific purpose. As the sender, he notates the qualifications that entitle him to turn to a distinguished community, like that of Rome, under his name. He presents himself as an apostle, a herald of the Gospel, and a servant of Jesus (v. 1).

Paul assumes three notable titles for himself: the first reminds his readers of the authority he has received directly from Christ to found new churches among the pagans. The second is a source of pride for him. He feels honored to have been chosen by God to proclaim the good news of Christ's resurrection. The third—servant of the Messiah, Jesus—has a derogatory meaning in the Hellenistic cultural environment. Those honored were the lords, not the slaves. However, to those accustomed to the language of the Bible, this term recalls the great characters of the Old Testament, the servants of God: Moses, Joshua, David, and especially the Servant of the Lord spoken by the prophet Isaiah.

The person of Jesus is presented in the central part of the passage (vv. 2-6). He was born of the seed of David according to the flesh. His true identity as that of the Son of God was revealed on the day of Easter when the Lord raised him from the dead with a gesture of power. He is the Risen One that Paul was called to proclaim.

The concluding verse (v. 7) indicates who the letter's recipients are, the Christians of Rome—beloved of God and called to be saints. Finally, it contains the greeting, typical of the eastern epistolary style, to which Paul adds the greeting of peace. In the Jewish language, it is equivalent to wishing for every blessing of God.

Gospel: Matthew 1:18-24

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 conceive 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. —The Gospel of the Lord. 

"Here's how the birth of Jesus happened" thus today's Gospel passage begins. Instead of talking about the birth, it tells of the announcement of the virginal motherhood of Mary, the wife of Joseph. Luke, unlike Matthew, narrates the announcement of the Archangel Gabriel to Mary and only marginally mentions Joseph.

The temptation to merge the two stories, as if they were reports of two journalists, is great but dangerous. It inevitably places complex if not impossible questions to answer before us, as we will see shortly. Both Luke and Matthew refer to actual facts, although difficult to define in detail. They do not write pages of news but theology. After Easter and in the light of the Spirit, they present Jesus as the Christian communities came to know him at the end of the first century.

Let's see how Matthew structures his story and what message he wants to give. At the time of Jesus, a marriage took place in two stages. The first consisted of a stipulated contract between the couple in front of their parents and two witnesses. After this signing, the boy and the girl were husband and wife but did not live together. Instead, they spent a year apart during which they could not meet.

This interval allowed the two families to get to know each other and for the newlyweds to mature. They married very young, 12 or 13 for the girl, 15 or 16 for the boy. This was the age of Mary and Joseph. After a year of waiting, a party would be organized. Then, finally, the bride would be escorted to her husband's house, and the two begin their life together. During this interval, the annunciation of Mary and her pregnancy through the Holy Spirit took place. Matthew emphasizes this fact from the beginning of his story to avoid insinuating that the intervention may have conceived Jesus as a man.

The spirit, in this story, does not represent the male element. Instead, Ruah (spirit in Hebrew is female) indicates strength, a divine breath of the Creator. "When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and the face of the earth is renewed," says the Psalmist (Ps 104:30). He is probably thinking of the Spirit of God that hovered over the waters at the beginning of the world (Gen 1:2).

The virginal conception that is even explicitly mentioned by Luke (Luke 1:26-39) is not intended to emphasize any moral superiority of Mary, nor, to a lesser degree, does it constitute a depreciation of sexuality. Instead, it is introduced to reveal a fundamental truth to the believer: Jesus is not only a man; he is from above and is the same Lord who has taken on human form. To help us understand this truth, Matthew and Luke harmoniously agree that God resorted to a creative act.

What happened next is not easy to establish and raises several questions. It seems incredible that Joseph, despite his righteousness, thought of taking drastic action against Mary without even consulting her. How could he suspect that she had been unfaithful to him? In what sense was Joseph just? Was it because he wanted to separate himself from Mary? There was no law obliging divorce from an unfaithful wife. It would not have been a gratuitous gesture on the part of Joseph, even if it was done in secret. Why didn't Mary say anything to Joseph about the Archangel Gabriel's announcement? Or, if she had told him, why didn't Joseph believe her?

Some say that Mary must have told Joseph that the child she was expecting was the Son of God. She had no reason to keep this secret from him, and he had a right to know. Joseph's doubt would not have been about the fidelity or infidelity of his spouse but about his role in the situation. How could he give a name to a son who was not his? Would it not be interfering with God's plan? Not knowing what to do, he decided to wait for God to make His will known.

While he was pondering these things, the Lord revealed His plan and the mission He called Joseph. He gave Mary's son the name Jesus, thus becoming a rightful member of his family. According to the flesh, he would become a descendant of David, as St. Paul said in the second reading. This explanation is interesting and contains elements undoubtedly acceptable. For example, Joseph is called just because he had decided to step aside and not pose any obstacle to God's plan that he could not understand. However, it is limited to the assumption that the Gospel text gives only a fragile foundation.

It is better not to grope for answers in the Gospel to questions we legitimately ask ourselves because Matthew was not interested in satisfying our curiosity. All he wanted us to understand was this: the son of Mary is the promised heir to the throne of David, announced by the prophets.

The conclusion of the story is solemn. The whole passage seems to have been written to prove "the fulfillment of what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son who will be called Emmanuel, which means God with us" (vv. 22-23). We have already seen the literal meaning of this prophecy: the announcement of the birth of Ahaz's son, Hezekiah. He was indeed an Emmanuel, a sign that God protected his people and the dynasty of David but did not answer all the expectations that had been placed on him. He did not even realize the promises of happiness, prosperity and peace described by Isaiah. He was not a wonderful counselor, an invincible warrior, an everlasting father, a prince of peace ... (Is 9:5-6).

Here is what Matthew means: Jesus is the one who has fulfilled these prophecies. He is the son of the virgin announced by the prophet. He is the Emmanuel, God with us. He will be given an everlasting kingdom, and he will fulfill all the hopes of Israel.

We are at the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew. The theme of Emmanuel also returns at the end of the book. In the last chapter, it is said that, after the resurrection, Jesus manifested Himself to the disciples on the Mount of Galilee. He sent them into the whole world to make disciples of all nations. "Behold, I am with you (... Here I am the Emmanuel) always even to the end of this world" (Mt 28:20). The reference to 'God with us' opens and closes all the work of Matthew because, as the evangelist tells us: in Jesus, God has placed Himself and always remains at the side of the whole of humanity.

This conclusion of the song returns to the theme of the virgin. First, we explained the meaning of the virginal conception of Mary. Next, we want to recall other biblical implications of this term. For us, 'virgin' means admirable, worthy of esteem. In the Bible, however, it has a different meaning. The virginity of a woman was appreciated before the wedding. Still, one who remained a virgin throughout her life showed only the inability to attract the look of a man to herself. A married woman who had children is worthy of praise. The virgin was considered a tree without fruit, deserving pity (Is 56:3-6).

This term is often used figuratively in the Bible to indicate an appalling condition. ‘Virgin Zion’ does not mean pure, immaculate, and spotless, but poor, a Jerusalem devoid of life (Jer 31:4; 14:13). Amos compares the land of Israel destroyed by the Assyrians with a virgin who could not fulfill her dream of being a mother. "Virgin Israel is fallen, never to rise again! With none to help her up, abandoned, she lies upon her land." (Am 5:2). The prophet curses even bloody Babylon: "You will be reduced to dust, O virgin Babylon" (Is 47:1).

And Mary? She speaks of herself as if she were the ‘virgin Zion’ despised and worthless (He looked upon his servant in her lowliness) and recognizes that everything that happened to her is the work of the ‘Powerful’ who has done great things in her (Lk 1:48-49). The Virgin Mary is the proof of the greatness and power of God, who alone can bring life to the barren womb.

When we celebrate the virginity of Mary, we rejoice because we verify in her what the Lord can do with virgins, with those who have no value, with those who offer him only their poverty and simplicity. From Mary, the Lord has drawn a masterpiece. An artist like him can do only masterpieces, regardless of the paucity of the material at his disposal. Every person is destined to become a masterpiece.

In this time of Advent, the Virgin Mary invites us to contemplate what the Lord has done for her and believe in the victory of life even where only signs of death are visible. The term virgin in the Bible also assumes a more symbolic meaning: the person who loves with an undivided heart. The unfaithfulness of Israel is likened to prostitution (Jer 5:7). Its contamination from idols is considered adultery, a division of the heart between the Lord, the one husband, and the idols of the nations, her lovers (Hos 2).

Virginity is the symbol of unconditional love for the Lord. It is in this sense that Paul uses the term when he writes to the Corinthians: "I share the jealousy of God for you, for I have promised you in marriage to Christ, as the only spouse, to present you to Him as a pure virgin" (2 Cor 11:2).

Mary is undoubtedly the perfect realization of this ideal of virginity. For every Christian, she is the supreme model of total and undivided love for God.

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READ: ?Matthew relates the story of the birth of Jesus by emphasizing the role of Joseph. Using references to prophecies and dreams, Matthew places everything in the context of the Old Testament.

REFLECT: Joseph was a 'righteous man' (a follower of the law), yet he did not apply the law in this instance. This is because he could not believe that Mary was guilty of any sin. Reflect on his decision. How does it affect your understanding of the law?

PRAY:?Allow the Holy Spirit to help you make significant decisions in your personal life and your relationships with God and others.

ACT: When you are at peace with yourself regarding significant decisions in life, with the Holy Spirit's help, act on what you believe.