Introduction

The son of the Virgin Mary has a double-barreled name, one used by his contemporaries—Jesus, the one who frees from sin—and one given to him by the evangelist Matthew: Emmanuel, God with us. A brilliant dialectical author of the fourth century, Apollinaris of Laodicea introduced the first great heresy. He claimed that Jesus had a human body but lacked a soul like ours. He feared that his divinity would become blurred by granting him full humanity. He made a significant mistake by detaching him from our world, from our condition. He deprived him of the second name, that of Emmanuel.

In John’s expression, “the Word was made ​​flesh“ (Jn 1:14), the term “ flesh “ indicates corporeality and the entire human being understood in terms of weakness, fragility, and the limitations imposed by the nature of a creature.

In Mary, the Only Begotten of the Father is filled with muscles and fully immersed in our human condition. He had feelings and passions. He experienced the joys of affection and the disappointments of betrayal. He shared our anxiety, sorrow, humiliation, ignorance, satisfaction in learning, and fear of death. He was not just united with a physical 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 stay with us forever.“

First Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14

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, involvingAhaz, who reigned in Jerusalem, in their daring enterprise. He refuses, prompting the two to dethrone him, end his dynasty, and enthrone a king who will align with their plans (Is 7:1-10).

Just past 20 years old, the young Ahaz is shocked and dazed. He is a descendant of David, part of the noble family to whom an eternal kingdom was promised. Through the prophet Nathan, God provided 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 horrificcrime of sacrificing his only son to idols (2 K 16:3). Then, aware of his weak army and the risk of being overwhelmed, he asks for help from Assyria. Upon learning of the king’sdecision, 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 state. They risked all the faith and religious purity of God’s people. The prophet decides to speak personally to Ahaz. He meets him and his son Shear-Jashub at the upper pool on the road to the Washerman’s field (Is 7:3). He finds Ahaz even more agitated, studying how to provide water for the city giventhe probable siege. He speaks to him in the name of God, reassuring him: “What you are afraid of will not happen. It shall not come to pass“ (Is 7:8). He encourages him to trust not in Assyria but in the Lord and 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 rising 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 is growing increasingly stubborn, convinced that the strength of the Assyrians deserves more confidence than that of God. After a few days, Isaiah returns 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 unwilling to change his mind, so he does not care about any sign. Whether he likes it or not, Isaiah provides the sign. “Behold, the virgin is with child and bears a son and calls his name Emmanuel“ (v. 14). What does this mean?

Some believe that Isaiah foretold, seven centuries earlier, Mary’s virginal conception of Jesus, but such a sign would not make sense to Ahaz. The virgin, whom Isaiah refers to, is the king’s young wife. This girl—the prophet assures—will bear a son named ‘Emmanuel,’ which means ‘God with us.’ This child will succeed his father and ensure the continuity of the dynasty, and no one will oust him. Indeed, he will be a great king, a new David. I explain this brief reading in detail because the evangelist Matthew recognized the full realization of this prophecy in Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary.

How did the war that Ahaz was preparing for end? As Isaiah had foreseen, it resulted in a political and religious disaster. Assyria intervened, and the leading figures of the war, the kings of Aram and Israel, were soon reduced to ashes. Ahaz faced humiliation; he had to pay heavy taxes, and the kingdom of Judah became an Assyrian colony.

The prophet’s sign came true: Ahaz’s son was conceived and born of the young maiden. He became the sign of God’s presence among His people and evidence of the Lord’sfaithfulness to His promises. He was called Hezekiah, and the title Immanuel, meaning ‘God is with us,’ could rightly be applied to him. He was a good king but not the exceptional rulerthat Isaiah had expected. For this reason, Israel began 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 outthat He is the son of the Virgin Mary.

Second Reading: Romans 1:1-7

The Letter to the Romans begins with a lengthy introduction. It then follows the customary format of letters from that period, which included a fixed structure: the sender’sname, followed by the recipient’s name, a greeting of good wishes (usually khairein—hello!),and a brief introduction determined by the circumstances.

Paul personalizes this form and tailors it for a specific purpose. As the sender, he highlights the qualifications that enable him to reach out to a distinguished community, such as that of Rome, under his name. He portrays himself as an apostle, a herald of the Gospel,and a servant of Jesus (v. 1).

Paul holds three notable titles: the first emphasizes the authority he has received directly from Christ to establish new churches among pagans. The second is a source of pride for him,as he feels honored to be chosen by God to proclaim the good news of Christ’s resurrection. The third—servant of the Messiah, Jesus—carries a derogatory connotation in the Hellenistic cultural context, where those honored were lords, not slaves. However, for those familiar withthe Biblical language, this term brings to mind the significant figures of the Old Testament, the servants of God: Moses, Joshua, David, and particularly the Servant of the Lord mentioned 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 lineage of David according to the flesh. His true identity as the Son of God was revealed on Easter when the Lord raised him from the dead with a display of power. He is the Risen One whom Paul was called to proclaim.

The concluding verse (v. 7) identifies the letter’s recipients as the Christians of Rome—beloved of God and called to be saints. It also includes a greeting, common in Eastern epistolary style, to which Paul adds a wish for peace. In the Jewish tradition, this is equivalent to wishing every blessing from God.

Gospel: Matthew 1:18-24

“Here’s how the birth of Jesus happened,“ begins today’s Gospel passage. Rather thandiscussing the birth itself, it recounts the announcement of Mary’s virginal motherhood as Joseph’s wife. Unlike Matthew, Luke narrates the Archangel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary while only briefly mentioning Joseph.

The temptation to merge the two stories, as if they were reports from two journalists, is great but dangerous. It inevitably presents complex, if not impossible, questions to answer, as we will see shortly. Both Luke and Matthew refer to facts, although they are difficult to define in detail. They do not write pages of news but rather 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 examine how Matthew structures his story and the message he aims to convey. In the time of Jesus, marriage occurred in two stages. The first involved a formal contract between the couple in the presence of their parents and two witnesses. After this signing, the boy and girl married but did not live together. Instead, they spent a year apart when they could not meet.

This interval allowed the two families to get to know each other and helped the newlyweds mature. They married very young, at 12 or 13 for the girl and 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 would begin their life together. Mary and her pregnancy were annunciated through the Holy Spirit during this interval. Matthew emphasizes this fact from the beginning of his story to avoid insinuating that the intervention may have conceived Jesus with a man.

The spirit in this story does not represent the male element. Instead, Ruah (the Hebrewword for spirit, which is feminine) signifies strength, a divine breath from 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 likely referring to the Spirit of God that hovered over the waters at the beginning of the world (Gen 1:2).

The virginal conception explicitly mentioned by Luke (Luke 1:26-39) is not intended to emphasize any moral superiority of Mary, nor does it, to a lesser degree, 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 engaged in a creative act.

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

Some believe that Mary must have informed 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 his spouse’s fidelity or infidelity but his role in the situation. How could he give a name to a son who was not his own? Would it not interferewith God’s plan? Uncertain about what to do, he decided to wait for God to reveal His will.

While he pondered these matters, the Lord revealed His plan and the mission for Joseph. He gave Mary’s son the name Jesus, thus making Him a rightful member of the family. According to the flesh, He would become a descendant of David, as St. Paul mentioned in the second reading. This explanation is intriguing and undoubtedly contains acceptable elements. For example, Joseph is called righteous because he chose to step aside and not hinder God’splan, which he could not fully grasp. However, it remains limited to the assumption that the Gospel text provides only a fragile foundation.

It is better not to seek answers in the Gospel for questions we genuinely pose to ourselves,as Matthew was not concerned with appeasing our curiosity. All he desired for us to graspwas this: the son of Mary is the promised heir to David’s throne, proclaimed by the prophets.

The conclusion of the story is solemn. The entire passage appears to have been written to demonstrate “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 examined 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 he did not fulfill all the expectations placed upon him. He did not realize Isaiah’s promises of happiness, prosperity, and peace. He was not a wonderful counselor, an invincible warrior, an everlasting father, or a prince of peace … (Is 9:5-6).

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

We are at the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew. Emmanuel’s theme also appears at the end of the book. In the last chapter, it is stated 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‘ frames all of Matthew’swork because, as the evangelist tells us, in Jesus, God has placed Himself and always remainsby the side of all humanity.

This conclusion of the song returns to the theme of virginity. First, we explained the meaning of Mary’s virginal conception. Next, we want to recall other biblical implications of this term. For us, ‘virgin‘ signifies admirable and worthy of esteem. In the Bible, however, it has a different connotation. The virginity of a woman was valued before marriage. Still, onewho remained a virgin throughout her life was seen as lacking the ability to attract a man. A married woman with children is worthy of praise. The virgin was regarded as a tree without fruit, deserving of pity (Is 56:3-6).

This term is often used figuratively in the Bible to signify a dreadful condition. ‘Virgin Zion’ does not refer to being pure, immaculate, and spotless; instead, it describes a Jerusalem stripped of life (Jer 31:4; 14:13). Amos compares the land of Israel, devastated by the Assyrians to a virgin unable to realize her dream of motherhood. “Virgin Israel has fallen, never to rise again! With no one to help her rise, she lies abandoned on her land.“ (Am 5:2). The prophet even curses bloody Babylon: “You shall be reduced to dust, O virgin Babylon“ (Is 47:1).

And Mary? She describes herself as if she were the ‘virgin Zion,’ despised and worthless (He looked upon his servant in her lowliness), and acknowledges that everything that happened to her is the work of the ‘Powerful’ who has done great things within her (Lk 1:48-49). The Virgin Mary exemplifies 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 witness in her what the Lord can achieve with virgins, with those deemed insignificant, and with those who offer Him only their poverty and simplicity. From Mary, the Lord has created a masterpiece. An artist like Him can produce only masterpieces, regardless of the scarcity of the materials 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 donefor her and to believe in the victory of life, even where signs of death are visible. The term “virgin “ in the Bible also has a more symbolic meaning: a 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, andthe idols of the nations, her lovers (Hos 2).

Virginity symbolizes unconditional love for the Lord. In this sense, Paul uses the termwhen 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 Cor11:2).

Mary is undoubtedly the perfect embodiment of this ideal of virginity. For everyChristian, she represents the supreme model of total and undivided love for God.

READ: ​Matthew narrates the story of Jesus’ birth, highlighting Joseph’s role. By referencing prophecies and dreams, he places the narrative within 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, as he could not believe that Mary was guilty of any sin. Reflect on his decision. How does it shape your understanding of the law?

PRAY: Invite the Holy Spirit to assist you in making meaningful decisions regarding your personal life and relationships with God and others.

ACT: When you find peace within yourself about significant life decisions, with the help of the Holy Spirit, take action based on your beliefs.