December 18, 2024 Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent
Daily Readings: Jeremiah 23:5-8; Matthew 1:18-25
Today’s Gospel is one of the few accounts that features Joseph. We hear of Joseph’s plan, but with just one word from God, he set aside his own plan to obey God’s command. Joseph’s obedience was perfect. He did not ask for an explanation. He did not doubt. He did not set conditions or ask for anything in return. He simply did what he was told—perfect obedience.
What enabled Joseph to offer such perfect obedience? Was it because he had no other choice? Was it because he loved Mary? Or was it because he wanted to avoid trouble?
Joseph’s perfect obedience was not due to any of these reasons but because of his trust in God. He had full confidence in God’s plan. Joseph was a man of deep faith. It takes great faith to place one’s life entirely in God’s hands, and that is exactly what Joseph did.
For us, however, our faith often becomes mere lip service. While we profess our faith in God, declaring our love and willingness to obey, we often attach conditions. We say, “I believe, but only if…” or “I will obey, but only when…” Our obedience is conditional, situational, and circumstantial.
May the spirit of Advent move our hearts toward perfect obedience. May we truly learn to subordinate our will to the will of the Father?
A Call to Action for Catholic Living: "Trust God fully and obey His will without hesitation."
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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