Memory of the Church

Reading of the Word of God

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

I am the good shepherd,
my sheep listen to my voice,
and they become
one flock and one fold.
.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

Isaiah 7,10-14

Yahweh spoke to Ahaz again and said: Ask Yahweh your God for a sign, either in the depths of Sheol or in the heights above. But Ahaz said, 'I will not ask. I will not put Yahweh to the test.' He then said: Listen now, House of David: are you not satisfied with trying human patience that you should try my God's patience too? The Lord will give you a sign in any case: It is this: the young woman is with child and will give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel.

 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

I give you a new commandment,
that you love one another.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia

We are at a difficult time for the Kingdom of Israel, which is living under the threat of the Assyrians, a strong and expanding people. King Ahaz is worried and turns to Isaiah to find comfort in the Word of God. Isaiah tries to reassure the king by inviting him to trust in God and to ask for a sign to confirm what the prophet is telling him. But the king - who governed in an arrogant way and now is assailed by fear of the enemy's power - does not trust the prophet's words. And showing his questionable religiosity, he tells the prophet that he does not want to "put the Lord to the test." Irritated by the king's mistrust, Isaiah tells him that the Lord himself will give him a sign: "Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel." The words of the prophet show Ahaz an unexpected future, which will not be fulfilled in his time, but which will bring the salvation of the people of Israel and of all the peoples of the earth. The Christian faith has interpreted this passage as a reference to the birth of Jesus, as we read in Matthew's Gospel: "All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 'Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel', which means, 'God is with us.'" (Mt 1:22-23). This passage of the Bible reveals God's great plan for all the peoples of the earth. It is a plan for the universal salvation of all peoples, which God entrusts to Jesus and his disciples, for them to communicate the "sign of God", his presence in the world, to the ends of the earth.