The Righteousness That Saves

Voice over by Carol San San Lwin

Jer 23:5-8; Psalm: 71; Mt 1:18-24

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, as the world bustles with its final Christmas preparations, the Church invites us into the quiet drama of a single, faithful heart. The Scriptures today reveal that God’s promises are not abstract, but become flesh through the courageous “yes” of those who trust Him in the midst of confusion and fear.

The Prophet Jeremiah speaks a word of hope to a people in exile, a nation whose royal line seemed broken and disgraced. “The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David.” This new king will be the opposite of the failed shepherds of Israel. He will “reign and govern wisely,” and “do what is just and right in the land.” His name will be “The Lord our justice.” This is the divine promise: a king who will not merely rule, but who will Himself be the righteousness of His people.

This ancient promise finds its stunning, intimate fulfillment in the Gospel. We are brought into the heart-wrenching crisis of a righteous man, Joseph. He discovers his betrothed, Mary, is with child. Being a just man, his righteousness is not one of harsh judgment, but of mercy. He decides to divorce her quietly to spare her shame. But in his moment of turmoil and confusion, God intervenes through a dream. The angel reveals the impossible truth: the child is “from the Holy Spirit,” and He “will save his people from their sins.” This child is the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy. He is the righteous shoot of David, and His name, Jesus, means “The Lord saves”—He is indeed “The Lord our justice.”

Joseph’s righteousness now faces its ultimate test. It must expand to encompass a mystery far beyond human understanding. His faith is shown not in his initial plan, but in his obedient action. “When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.” His “yes” completes the human framework for the Incarnation. As Pope Francis reflects, “Joseph teaches us that faith in God includes believing that He can work even through our fears, our frailties, and our weaknesses.”

This is the beautiful truth of our salvation. The Lord our Justice enters the world not through a grand political coup, but through the humble, trusting obedience of a carpenter. God’s promises are fulfilled through human cooperation. As St. Bernard of Clairvaux preached, God waits for the consent of humanity, and in Joseph, He found a faithful guardian for His greatest gift.

The comfort for us is this: God enters our own crises, our own confusions. When our well-laid plans shatter and we cannot see the way forward, He asks for our trust. He may not send an angel in a dream, but He gives us His Church, His Word, and the quiet voice of conscience to guide us.

The challenge is to imitate Joseph’s “righteousness”—a virtue that blends justice with mercy and is always ready to obey God’s surprising will. Let us make room for Christ in our own homes and hearts, trusting that the God who kept His promise to send a Savior is faithful to His promise to save us. Amen.