LIVE IT TODAY: Thursday, December 18, 2025
You are not called to understand everything—only to trust Me enough to obey.
A single, flickering note in the soul of a homeless man on Christmas Eve gathers a community out of darkness and into light. We are delighted to share with you, The Inn Crowd — a very moving Christmas short story. Please consider partnering with us in helping the world encounter Jesus Christ through this Live IT Today daily reflection, and our upcoming Live IT podcast and speaker series.
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LIVE IT TODAY: Thursday, December 18, 2025
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GOD’S DECLARATION TO YOU TODAY
You are not called to understand everything—only to trust Me enough to obey.
INVOCATION
Come, Holy Spirit! Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother Mary, open my heart to hear and receive all that You desire for me. Draw me ever more deeply into the Love and Life of the Blessed Trinity!
GOSPEL | Matthew 1:18–25
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 be with child 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.
He had no relations with her until she bore a son,
and he named him Jesus.
EVERY DAY QUESTION
What struck you? Challenged you? Inspired you? What questions did it raise?
GOING DEEPER
God entrusts His Son to quiet obedience.
This Gospel unfolds not with fanfare, but with tension. Joseph stands at the crossroads of love, law, reputation, and obedience. He knows just enough to be wounded, but not enough to understand. And yet Scripture calls him “righteous.” His righteousness is revealed not in certainty, but in mercy.
In first-century Jewish law, betrothal was binding. Mary’s pregnancy placed Joseph in an impossible position: uphold the law and protect his name, or protect Mary at great personal cost. His decision to divorce her quietly shows a heart already formed by God—one that chooses compassion even before explanation arrives.
The angel’s command begins with the most repeated phrase in salvation history: “Do not be afraid.” Fear is the great enemy of obedience. Joseph is not asked to figure everything out. He is asked to take Mary into his home—to make space for a mystery he did not cause and cannot control.
The name Emmanuel, “God-with-us,” is not first revealed in a miracle or sermon, but in a household. God chooses to enter the world under the protection of a man who will love, provide, and obey in silence. Joseph’s greatness is not in what he says, but in what he does.
Here is the paradox Advent places before us: God entrusts His greatest work to hidden fidelity. Not to loud certainty, but to courageous trust. Not to control, but to surrender. Obedience becomes the cradle of salvation.
This Gospel speaks powerfully to the domestic church. Families today face moments where clarity lags behind responsibility—diagnoses, financial strain, relational wounds, unexpected turns. Like Joseph, parents are often asked to act in faith before understanding catches up.
Parents, Saint Joseph stands beside you today. Build a home where obedience matters more than image, and trust matters more than fear. Take Jesus into your home through daily prayer, sacramental life, and concrete love. Pray over your children by name in the power of the Holy Spirit, that they may learn the strength of quiet faith and the courage to obey God when the path is unclear.
“Human fatherhood and motherhood… are a reflection of God’s fatherhood.” (CCC 239)
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
In My Heart: Where is fear keeping me from trusting God’s plan?
In My Home: What situation requires faithful action even without full understanding?
In My World: How can I witness to trust through quiet, obedient love?
FAMILY LIVE IT
Make some time today to gather together and, going around, share one situation where trusting God feels difficult or uncertain right now.
Then, one by one, pray over each person by name, asking the Holy Spirit to pour out grace to know God’s love personally, to silence the whispers and lies of the Enemy, to strengthen them against temptation, and to give them courage to live the Gospel joyfully and faithfully each day.
Daily Challenge: Imitate Saint Joseph today by choosing one act of quiet obedience that no one may notice but God.
DAILY PARENT & GRANDPARENT BLESSING
LORD JESUS CHRIST, let Your holy anointing be upon each of our children, grandchildren, and godchildren this day and week, including all to whom they are called in vocation, and all future generations! In Your Sacred Name we claim them for You! We renounce all whispers, lies, and influences of the Enemy! We pray right now that each know Your loving Presence, be forged in virtue, and be flooded with an abundance of Your Holy Spirit to live fully their identity and mission in You now and through all eternity, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother! Amen.
PARENT BLESSING PROJECT: bit.ly/ParentBlessing
GOING VERTICAL
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Just as the vertical beam upholds the horizontal beam of the Cross, so too does undistracted, dedicated daily turning to God as our lifeblood uphold and strengthen every part of life. Start with just three minutes. Wait patiently for the breakthrough beyond the noise. Let Him speak.
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