First Reading
The LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying: Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be
deep as the netherworld, or high as the sky! But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask! I will
not tempt the LORD!” Then Isaiah said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for
you to weary people, must you also weary my God? Therefore the Lord himself will
give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him
Emmanuel.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (7c and 10b) Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.
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.
Second Reading
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
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.
Gospel
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 conceive 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.
