The LORD
spoke to Nathan and said: "Go, tell my servant David, 'When your time
comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you,
sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. It is he who shall
build a house for my name. And I will make his royal throne firm forever. I
will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. Your house and your
kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm
forever.'"
Responsorial
Psalm Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29
R. The
son of David will live for ever.
The promises of the LORD I will sing forever; through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness, For you have said, "My kindness is established forever"; in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. The son of David will live for ever.
"I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: Forever will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations."
R. The son of David will live for ever.
"He shall say of me, 'You are my father, my God, the Rock, my savior.' Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him, and my covenant with him stands firm."
R. The son of David will live for ever.
The promises of the LORD I will sing forever; through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness, For you have said, "My kindness is established forever"; in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. The son of David will live for ever.
"I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: Forever will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations."
R. The son of David will live for ever.
"He shall say of me, 'You are my father, my God, the Rock, my savior.' Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him, and my covenant with him stands firm."
R. The son of David will live for ever.
Reading 2
Rom 4:13, 16-18, 22
Brothers
and sisters: It was not through the law that the promise was made to Abraham
and his descendants that he would inherit the world, but through the
righteousness that comes from faith. For this reason, it depends on faith, so
that it may be a gift, and the promise may be guaranteed to all his
descendants, not to those who only adhere to the law but to those who follow
the faith of Abraham, who is the father of all of us, as it is written, I
have made you father of many nations. He is our father in the sight of God,
in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does
not exist. He believed, hoping against hope, that he would become the father
of many nations, according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants
be. That is why it was credited to him as righteousness.
Verse
Before the Gospel Ps 84:5
Blessed
are those who dwell in your house, O Lord; they never cease to praise you.
Gospel Mt
1:16, 18-21, 24a
Jacob was
the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called
the Christ.
Now 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." When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.
Now 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." When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.
or Lk
2:41-51a
Each year
Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was
twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had
completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in
Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the
caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and
acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the
teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him
were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they
were astonished, and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you done this
to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety." And
he said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I
must be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he said to
them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them.
