Fourth Sunday of Advent

Book of Isaiah

The LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying:
Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!
But Ahaz answered, "I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!"
Then he said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary men, must you also weary my God?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.

Psalms

The LORD's are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.

Letter to the Romans

Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, 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.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew

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.

Bl. Giulia Nemesia Valle (1847-1916)()

Bl. Giulia Nemesia Valle (1847-1916) Bl. Giulia was born at Aosta, Italy, on June 26, 1847. Her parents were Anselmo Valle and Cristina Dalbar. She was baptized in the ancient collegiate church of Saint Orso. Giulia spent the first years of her life in a happy family with her brother Vincent. Their parents ran a milliner's shop. Giulia was only 4 when her mother Cristina passed away. She and Vincent were entrusted to relatives in Aosta and later to relatives in Donnas. Their schooling, catechism and preparation for the sacraments took place at home under the guidance of a priest who was a family friend. When Giulia turned 11, she was sent to Besançon, eastern France, to a boarding school run by the Sisters of Charity. Separation from her family caused homesickness, but the experience directed Giulia towards a deeper friendship with Jesus. In Besançon, Bl. Giulia became fluent in French, enriched her soul and learned domestic skills. Her simple goodness matured and rendered her loveable and attentive toward others. Five years later, Giulia returned to Donnas, but her house was no longer there. Her father had remarried and moved to Pont Saint Martin. Her brother Vincent refused her company. He went away without leaving word. Giulia remained in Donnas, discerning the will of God for her life. During that period, the sisters of Charity came to settle at Pont Saint Martin. In them, Giulia rediscovered her teachers of Besançon, the daughters of Saint Jeanne-Antide Thouret, who gave her help and encouragement. She was deeply attracted to their way of life and generously offered herself to God by choosing to become one of them. When her father presented the suggestion of a prosperous marriage, Bl. Giulia's instead became a Sister of Charity. On the September 8, 1866, her father accompanied her to the Monastery of Santa Margherita in Vercelli where the Sisters of Charity run a novitiate. A new, peaceful and joyful life started for her in spite of the separation. It became a matter of building a deeper relationship with God, of knowing herself and the mission of the community and accomplishing God's will. Every day, she discovered what lose or acquire: "Jesus, strip me of myself, let me be wrapped in you. Jesus, I live for you, and I die for you..." Upon completing her novitiate, she received a religious habit and a new name: Sr. Nemesia (an early martyr of the church). She was sent to Tortona, at St. Vincent's Institute. She founded an elementary school, cultural courses, a boarding school and an orphanage. She taught courses in the elementary school and French in the higher classes. Sr. Nemesia generously gave her time ministering to the poor. When she was nominated superior of the community at 40, she said its meaning was "to serve." One of her mottos was, "Keep a quick pace, without looking behind and concentrate on the one goal: God Alone! To Him the glory, to the others joy... Never make others suffer. I shall be very strict with myself and full of charity towards the others. Love, gratuitously offered, is the only thing that remains." On the morning of May 10, 1903, Sr. Nemesia wrote to her orphans and boarders, "I am leaving happily; I entrust you to our Lady... I shall follow you in every moment of the day." She had passed away at 4 that morning. In Borgaro, a small country in the vicinity of Turin, there is a small group of young girls waiting to be accompanied along a new path, towards the total self-gift to God and to serve him later in the poor. They are the novices of the new province of the Sisters of Charity. The method of Bl. Giulia's formation remains the same: kindness, self-renouncement out of love, patience and the common good.

St. Gatian(Bishop (3rd century))

SAINT GATIAN Bishop (3rd century) St. Gatian and St. Dionysius of Paris preached at Tours in western France around the middle of the third century. They attracted souls to Jesus, and many received faith in Him. The communities practicing idolatry were converted. St. Gatian celebrated the Eucharist in grottoes and caves (Didache). The community spread. At certain times, he hid inside dugouts to escape persecutors. St. Gatian led the church for fifty years. Through St. Joseph's intercession, he acted in the person of the Good Shepherd, the Holy One, Jesus Christ. He passed away peacefully in the Holy Family's presence.

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Category: Mass by Year / Catholic Missal 2022 / Catholic Missal of december 2022