Daily Catholic Lectio
Sun, 21 December ‘25
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 7:10–14. Romans 1:1–7. Matthew 1:18–24
Waking Up from Sleep
The four Sundays of Advent form a single spiritual journey: Stay awake. Prepare. Rejoice. Accept. Today, on the Fourth Sunday, the Word of God invites us to one decisive movement: waking up from sleep.
The Scriptures place before us three persons—Ahaz, Paul, and Joseph—each caught in a different kind of sleep, and each called to awaken.
First, King Ahaz. He is not asleep physically, but spiritually. Faced with political threat and fear, he chooses human alliances over trust in God. When the prophet Isaiah offers him a sign, Ahaz hides his disbelief behind false piety: “I will not ask.” It is the sleep of fear and unbelief. Yet God does not abandon him. The sign of Immanuel is given—God-with-us. The message is clear: salvation does not come from powerful empires, but from trusting the presence of God. Ahaz is called to wake up from fear and rest in faith.
Second, Paul. Once Saul, he is deeply active, yet profoundly asleep. His sleep is misdirected zeal, blind certainty, religious pride. On the road to Damascus, Christ intervenes. Saul wakes up to a new identity: servant of Christ, apostle, set apart for the Gospel. From unbelief to faith, from violence to mission, from unrest to peace—Paul’s awakening becomes the awakening of many nations.
Finally, Joseph. His sleep is different. It is the sleep of confusion and rejection. Faced with a reality he cannot understand, he thinks, reasons, struggles—and then he sleeps. In sleep, God speaks. The angel reveals two truths: the child is from the Holy Spirit, and his name will be Jesus. Joseph wakes up not merely from sleep, but from resistance. He moves from rejection to acceptance, from anxiety to obedience, from confusion to peace. Sometimes, when life overwhelms us, Joseph teaches us a gentle wisdom: pause, rest, allow God to speak.
Dear friends, what keeps us asleep today? Fear about our future. Lack of trust in God. Rejection of people or situations we do not understand.
The way to awaken is simple, yet demanding: to recognize God’s intervention and cling to it with faith. Advent’s final week calls us to wake up—not to anxiety, but to Immanuel. Not to control, but to trust. Not to fear, but to peace.
As we approach Christmas, let us rise from our sleep and welcome the Prince of Peace who comes to dwell with us.
The candle we light today signifies ‘love.’
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
Missionary of Mercy
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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