ALL ARE CALLED TO BELONG TO JESUS CHRIST.

The readings...

"Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel." [Is. 7:10-4]

"Through Christ, we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ." [Rom. 1:1-7]

"She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." [Mt. 1:18-24]

The homily...

Good morning! In today's First Reading, we heard of God's prophetic promise to Isaiah, that a young woman will be with child and she shall bear a son who will be named Immanuel. The Gospel of Matthew also tell us that the Name Immanuel means "God is with us."

Why did God promise to send His Only Son Jesus Christ to the world? Paul answers that question in the Letter to the Romans. It was to unite all the people throughout the world so they can receive God's grace, instructing them to obey the teachings of Jesus Christ in faith.

And what is involved in the grace that God promised to His people? God promised a New Covenant in which He would help those who come to Him. He would help them by giving them a new heart and writing His laws in their hearts. [Jer. 31:33]

Over and above giving the people a new heart, God would also put a new spirit within them. With the new heart and the new spirit, the people would become God's people and He would be their God. [Ezek. 11:19-20; 18:31]

Not only did God agree to give the people a new heart and a new spirit, but He also promised to place His Holy Spirit within the people to help them remain good, obeying His Holy ways. [Ezek. 36:26-7] That way, they would always know what is right and wrong, what makes God happy or sad. The laws would be written on their hearts all the time because the Holy Spirit of God would live within them. They would become living Temples of the Holy Spirit. [1 Cor. 3:16] God would once more live with His people. [Jer. 31:33] God would indeed be with us.

As a loving Father, God promised to do all this for those who answer His call, as their assurance of salvation and eternal life in the heavenly Kingdom.

There are three steps involved in the fulfillment of God's promise to each and every one of us.

First of all, we must have faith in Jesus Christ.

Secondly, we must receive the Sacrament of Baptism in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit so we can receive this grace through the new birth.

Thirdly, as Paul tells us, we must have an "obedience of faith". Obedience of faith is more than just believing that we are saved by having faith alone in the Name of Jesus. Obedience of faith means that we must live our faith by obeying the teachings of Jesus Christ. It means to live our Christian faith by welcoming our spiritual growth through the power of the Holy Spirit who has been placed within us. It means being grateful for God's gift of a new heart and a new spirit by not rejecting His unmerited free grace.

This is the message of today's Readings. With Christmas approaching in a few days, we are called to examine our conscience, to seek the Sacrament of Reconciliation, to live in harmony with others by forgiving their wrongs or by asking others to be forgiven for our wrongs.

This message tells us to prepare for the Birthday of Christ on Christmas Day so we can be in harmony with God's law of love, sincerely loving God with all our hearts and loving our neighbours as we should. Having done this, we will then be able to truly say with joy that "God is with us."

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