December 18, 2014 Thursday of the Third Week of Advent
• 04:20 AM Thu Dec 18, 2014
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By:
cbcp
Reading 1
Behold, the
days are coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up a righteous shoot to
David As king he shall reign and govern wisely, he shall do what is just and
right in the land. In his days Judah shall be saved, Israel shall dwell in
security. This is the name they give himand The LORD our justice.”
Therefore,
the days will come, says the LORD, when they shall no longer say, As the LORD
lives, who brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt” but
rather, As the LORD lives, who brought the descendants of the house of Israel up
from the land of the north”– and from all the lands to which I banished them they
shall again live on their own land.
Responsorial Psalm
R. Justice
shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
O God, with
your judgment endow the king, and with your justice, the king’s son He shall
govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Justice
shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
For he shall
rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help
him. He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor the lives of the poor he
shall save.
R. Justice
shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Blessed be
the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous deeds. And blessed forever
be his glorious name may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
R. Justice
shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.
Gospel
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 fulfil what the Lord had said through the
prophetand
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.