It is 18th December 2017. The readings are from Jeremiah 23:5-8; and the Gospel from Matthew 1:18-24. God goes out of His ways to save us. God promises through the prophet Jeremiah that God raised a virtuous branch of peace and reconciliation with the fallen humanity through David. God’s son will be wise, honest and just. In the salvation history, God wished His Only Beloved Son Jesus to be a descendent of King David. The responsorial Psalm praises, “In His days justice shall flourish and peace till the moon fails.” (Ps.71:7). Whenever we feel we are in pain, suffering, guilt, loss, disconnect with God, God goes out of His ways to make us feel right with Him. It is very strange that when we have decided to move far away from God, God initiates some events humanly and rationally not understandable with the limited human understanding and reason. In the Gospel, God himself takes this step to make us feel at home with God by bringing His Beloved Son Jesus, the Emmanuel, God-with-us. St. Joseph, a just man is that virtuous branch of David. St. Joseph believed in the plan of God by accepting to do what he was instructed in his dream. The strange things and unbelievable event bring fear and anxiety in the lives of Joseph, Mary and the people around them. However strange the plan of God may look, if we cooperate with God, we become the beneficiaries of the salvation God offers through His Son Jesus. Without faith and the virtue of humility, one cannot be docile to the plan of God. As God goes out of His ways to redeem us, so we need to put our entire in the Lord. May the Lord bless you and may we share the joy and peace of the Lord with those who are around us. May you have a good day.