BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILDAND BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL NAME HIM
EMMANUEL, WHICH MEANS "GOD IS WITH US"
On this third day of our Novena we are invited to reflect on yet another instance of God’s faithfulness to His promise to send a Savior who would be a descendant of Abraham and of David. Today the focus is on Jesus as “the righteous shoot of David” who will bring salvation and security to God’s people and will be the “Emmanuel,” God in our midst.
God repeated His promise at a time of severe crisis, when the people of Israel had forgotten the solemn promises He had made to Abraham and David. But the Lord neither forgets His promises nor is He unfaithful to them.
Today, through the prophet Jeremiah, He renews the promise of a Savior coming from the stock of David, and in the Gospel He announces its fulfillment to Joseph, a descendant of the great King. God’s faithfulness should be a source of encouragement to all of us, especially in moments of crisis and uncertainty. It should also be a reminder to readily cooperate with His plan the way Joseph did.
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.
